These saffron shortbread biscuits make us want to enjoy a nice Christmas breakfast all sitting together around the Christmas tree or just to sip on a lovely cup of tea by the fireplace.

About 13-15 biscuits | Preparation time: 10 mins + 1 hour resting for the dough | Cooking time: 15 mins

  • Plain Flour / All Purpose flour: 300 g
  • Unsalted butter – softened at room temperature: 200 g
  • Caster sugar: 180 g
  • Eggs: 1 – lightly beaten
  • Milk: 50 ml
  • Saffron, a teaspoon
  • Lemon zest: of 1 lemon
  • Jam: as needed
  • Icing sugar: as needed
  • A pinch of salt

Method

Dissolve saffron in 50 ml of lukewarm milk. Sieve the flour.

Mix the butter with the sugar getting a cream, then add the saffron milk and the beaten egg, grated lemon zest, a pinch of salt and mix well. Finally add the sieved flour and mix.

Start by working the dough until it has a compact and homogeneous texture.

Tip: If you prefer your biscuits to be a bit softer, just add a pinch of baking soda to the dough before leaving it to rest.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / Gas Mark 4 / F 350

Roll out the dough on a floured work surface; the pastry can be more or less thick according to your taste – just keep in mind that a thinner pastry will get crunchier and drier biscuits.

Use a cookie Xmas-tree cutter to shape your biscuits, make Christmas tree decorations by forming small holes on the biscuits using a straw, then decorate them with a small amount of jam.

Place biscuits well spaced on an oven tray lined with baking paper.

Bake to 180°C / Gas Mark 4 / F 350 for 10 minutes or until pale golden colour. Set aside to harden for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack, then garnish with icing sugar.

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