Credit: Julia Stix
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1 min read
Baked goods are the easy route to everyone’s heart at Christmas, and these festive cookie recipes are perfect for stocking fillers, Secret Santa and everything in between.
After the whirlwind that was Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you may have made some serious headway on your Christmas shopping. But if you’ve still got a few hard-to-buy-for friends and family left on your list, what could be better than a homemade gift? Not only does a DIY present add a personal touch, but the act itself will help even the biggest Scrooge get into the festive spirit.
Rather than attempting to get to grips with long-forgotten lockdown hobbies (we’re looking at you, crochet), we’re turning our hand to DIY Christmas cookies with a little help from Julia Stix’s cookbook, Festive. These three recipes feature short ingredients lists and shorter methods, so even the biggest kitchen novice can whip up a batch. And if your bakes do end up looking a little less than perfect, no one will be able to resist once displayed in a kitsch tin or wrapped in seasonal ribbon. Just be sure to keep a few for yourself to feast on during your next Christmas movie marathon.
Credit: Murdoch Books
Rich and buttery, there’s a lot to love about a shortbread biscuit. We’d happily munch our way through half a packet with a cup of tea, so these homemade shortbreads are ideal for gifting. The traditional recipe is spiked with festive flair – studded with ruby red cranberries for a touch of seasonal colour and flavour.
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Although coconut may not be the first flavour that springs to mind for Christmas, once wrapped up with a bright red bow, these snowy macaroons make for a perfect present. Plus, they couldn’t be simpler to make: calling for just four ingredients and a short baking time, the recipe makes 70 macaroons so you’ll be able to tick off everyone on your gift list (as well as keeping some for yourself).
Finally, it wouldn’t be Christmas without the warming flavours of ginger and cinnamon but you needn’t go all out with an elaborate gingerbread house to impress – a stack of Julia’s gingersnap cookies will do the trick nicely. Just call us Mrs Claus…
Cranberry shortbread
Makes about 40
Ingredients
- 100g dried cranberries
- 300g plain flour
- 200g chilled salted butter
- 100g white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Finely chop the cranberries. Sift the flour into a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, cranberries and vanilla. Press the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Roll out the dough until 3mm thick. Cut circles from the dough using a round cookie cutter. Transfer the cookies to the trays and bake for about 15 minutes or until just starting to brown. Carefully remove the cookies from the trays and leave to cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Tip:
Knead the dough as little as possible to keep this delicious, buttery shortbread light and short.
Coconut macaroons
Makes about 70
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites
- 550g white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 500g desiccated coconut
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and beat until the sugar has dissolved. Finally, fold in the coconut. Use two moistened tablespoons to form the mixture into mounds and place them on the trays.
Bake the macaroons for about 20 minutes or until they are just starting to brown. Leave to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
Gingersnap cookies
Makes about 50
Ingredients
- 280g plain flour
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 225g butter, at room temperature
- 100g raw sugar
- 100g brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 80ml molasses or dark, thick honey
Method
Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices in a bowl and set aside. Whisk the butter and sugars in another large bowl until creamy, about three minutes. Add the egg and molasses and mix well. Add the flour mixture and gently combine to make a smooth, very soft dough.
Tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least two hours or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Roll the dough into balls, about 2.5cm diameter. Place the balls on the trays, leaving at least 5cm between them.
Bake for 10–15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove from the oven, leaving the cookies on the trays to firm up a little, about three to five minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
From Festive by Julia Stix (Murdoch Books, £10.99), out now
Photography: Julia Stix
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