Hazelnut shortbread trees
Sandwiched with brandy butter cream, these stacked hazelnut and orange spice cookies make a stunning Christmas treat.
- 20 mins preparation
- 15 mins cooking
- 30 mins marinating
- Makes 12
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Ingredients
Hazelnut shortbread trees
- 250 gram butter, softened
- 2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
- 1/2 cup (80g) icing (confectioners') sugar
- 2 tablespoon rice flour
- 2 cup (300g) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/4 cup (75ml) ground hazelnuts
- silver cachous, to decorate
- 1 tablespoon icing (confectioners') sugar, extra
Brandy butter cream
- 60 gram butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
- 3/4 cup (120g) icing (confectioners') sugar
- 2 teaspoon brandy
Method
Hazelnut shortbread trees
- 1Beat butter, rind and sifted icing sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in sifted flours and spice, and ground hazelnuts, in two batches.
- 2Knead dough on floured surface until smooth. Roll dough between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick; refrigerate 30 minutes.
- 3Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease oven trays; line with baking paper.
- 4Using 3cm, 5cm and 7cm star-shaped cutters, cut 24 of each size star from dough. Place small stars, about 1cm apart, on an oven tray; place remaining stars, about 2cm apart, on oven trays.
- 5Bake small stars about 10 minutes. Bake larger stars about 15 minutes. Stand 5 minutes; cool on wire racks.
- 6Meanwhile, make brandy butter cream: beat butter, rind, sifted icing sugar and brandy in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- 7Sandwich two of each size cookie with butter cream. Assemble trees by joining three different size stars together with butter cream.
- 8Secure cachous to stars with a tiny dot of butter cream. Dust trees with extra sifted icing sugar.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.