Butter Biscuit Wreaths

Preparation 20 Minutes

Cook 20 Minutes

Serves 30

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C and line with baking trays. Set aside 1/4 cup raisins for decorating. Roughly chop remaining raisins.

  2. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and creamy. Sift in flour and mixed spice and add chopped raisins. Mix until combined. Divide dough in half and form into two disks. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.

  3. Roll dough between sheets of baking paper to 0.5cm thick. Cut 8cm rounds with cookie cutter. Transfer to lined baking trays and cut 3cm circles from middle of rounds to form rings. Reroll dough as necessary and refrigerate if too soft. Bake 15-20 minutes until lightly coloured. Cool on trays.

  4. To decorate, working with one biscuit at a time, drizzle white chocolate over the top and decorate with raisins, almonds and other decorations.

Ingredients

375g SUNBEAM Australian Raisins

430g butter, softened

3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar

3 2/3 cups (550g) plain flour

1 tablespoon mixed spice

250g white chocolate melts, melted

SUNBEAM Slivered Almonds and Pistachios edible decorations*

*(we used silver cachous and crushed candy canes)

Recipe Collection

Christmas Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper patty cases. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter, mixed spice and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold in flour alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in Sunbeam sultanas.

Spoon mixture into paper cases until two-thirds full.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes, before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing: beat cream cheese with icing mixture. Slowly fold melted and cooled chocolate.

Ice the cupcakes and decorate with mini gingerbread houses.

Rum and Raisin Fudge

Lightly grease and line base and sides of a 20cm square baking tin.

Combine raisins and rum in a small bowl and allow to soak for 10 mins.

In a medium saucepan combine sweetened condensed milk, butter, sugar and golden syrup and constantly stir over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, stir constantly for about 8-10 mins until the temperature reaches between 113-115ºC.*

Remove pan from heat, add chocolate melts and soaked raisins and stir to combine.  Transfer to prepared tin using a spatula to smooth the surface then allow to cool at room temperature for 5-6 hours until firm.

Cut into 5cm long slices then cut each slice into 8 rectangles.

If you don’t own a candy thermometer, you can also check if the fudge is ready by taking a small amount and dropping it into a glass of cold water.  When the mixture sets into a soft ball that doesn’t stick to your fingers when gently pinched, the fudge is ready.  This is referred to as “soft ball” stage.

Chocolate & Prune Pudding

  1. Grease the base and sides of a 1.5L pudding basin. Combine prunes, raisins, sultanas and brandy in a microwave proof bowl and cook for 2 minutes. Stir well and set aside.
  2. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth and pale. Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Fold in the flour, breadcrumbs, cocoa, chocolate and mixed spice, followed by the fruit mixture. Mix until well combined.
  3. Pour batter into prepared pudding basin and cover (if no lid, use a couple of layers of baking paper and secure with string or a large elastic band. Then cover with a layer of foil, securing with a large elastic band. Place into a large pot with a small saucepan in the base. Pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover with a lid and simmer for 3 hours. Top up water as required.
  4. Remove from pot and either serve immediately, or leave in the basin and refrigerate until required.
  5. For butterscotch sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, and gently bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
  6. For mascarpone cream, fold mixed spice into mascarpone and set aside until required.
  7. For serving, place upturned pudding onto a serving plate and dollop with mascarpone and drizzle with butterscotch sauce. Decorate with seasonal fruits and toasted nuts.

Cinnamon Scrolls

Transfer warm milk to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Add in sugar, egg, egg yolk and melted butter. Mix until well combined.  

Stir in flour, salt, currants and sultanas until a dough begins to form. 

Place dough hook on stand mixer and knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball. 

Transfer dough ball into an oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Allow dough to rise for approximately an hour, or until doubled in size.  

After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 35x22cm rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough. 

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough followed by the currants, then press into the butter. 

Tightly roll dough up, starting from the shorter side and place seam-side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can.  

Cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife. You should get 9 large pieces. 

Place cinnamon scrolls in a greased 23x23cm baking pan or round 23cm cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let rise again for 30-45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Remove clingwrap and bake for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before frosting.

Makes 9 cinnamon scrolls. 

To make the frosting: 

In the bowl using electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth, light and fluffy.  

Choc Date Balls

  1. Place the dates, sultanas and oats in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until pureed.
  2. Gently warm the coconut oil and honey in the microwave until oil is liquid. Add to the date mixture with the cacao, water and orange rind. Mix well.
  3. Roll teaspoonsful into balls and roll in pepitas. Refrigerate until required.

Aussie Ice-cream Pudding

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

  1. Brush a 2 litre pudding basin with vegetable oil, then line with plastic wrap, trying to keep wrap smooth without wrinkles. Place in the freezer to chill.
  2. In a bowl combine sultanas, raisins, cranberries, apricots, macadamias and orange liqueur. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
  3. Place softened ice cream in a large bowl stir in soaked fruit. Fold in whipped cream and pour mixture into prepared pudding basin. Place in the freezer and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
  4. To prepare orange cake, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in almond meal, orange juice and rind. Pour into a greased and paper lined 20cm cake tin and bake for 1 hour. Allow too cool in the tin, before turning out onto a board.
  5. To finish pudding, ease ice-cream pudding from basin and place on top of cake. Trim the cake edges if required and serve cut into thick slices.

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