1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 egg
14 teasp. Peppermint extract
12 teasp. Salt
23 cup finely crushed miniture candy canes (measure after crushing)
6 drops red food coloring
2 cups packed flour
1 cup chocolate chips (6 oz. bag)
2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz. bag)

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute 30 seconds on high. Set it on the counter to cool.

Place the sugar in the bowl add the egg, and beat with a mixer until it’s a uniform color.

Add the peppermint extract, salt, and finely crushed minitature candy canes. Mix it all up.

Add the 6 drops of red food coloring. Mix it in thoroughly.

Feel the bowl with the butter. If you can cup your hands around it comfortably, you can add it to your mixing bowl now. Mix it in slowly at low speed. If it’s still too warm to add, wait until it’s cooler and then do it.

Add the flour in half cup increments, beating after each addition.

Stir in one cup chocolate chips by hand.

Spread the batter evenly into a greased 9-13 inch pan. Bake at 350% for 25 minutes or until it feels firm on the top.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle it with the remaining two cups of chocolate chips. Immediately cover with a inverted cookie sheet. Let it sit for three minutes. Then take of the cookie sheet, and spread out the melted chips like frosting with a spatula.

Cool completely and then cut into brownie sized squares.

Method
Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and icing sugar mixture in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add honey. Beat until well combined.
Place flours, cinnamon and milk in a bowl. Add butter mixture. Mix until dough begins to form. Turn onto a well floured surface. Knead gently until smooth. Divide dough in half and wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 160°C. Using a well floured rolling pin, roll one portion of dough out on a well floured surface until 5mm-thick.
Using an 8.5cm Christmas tree cutter, cut out biscuits. Place on prepared trays. Bake,swapping trays halfway during cooking, for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp and golden. Cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
Make glace icing: Using a wooden spoon, lightly beat eggwhites. Sift icing sugar over eggwhite. Stir until smooth. Add lemon juice and stir until well combined.
Spread biscuits with icing, leaving a 2mm border. Sprinkle with coconut. Set aside for 1 hour to set. Serve or gift wrap.

CHRISTMAS BELLS
Ingredients
1 quantity honey and cinnamon biscuit dough (see related recipe)
1/3 quantity glace icing (see related recipe)
silver cachous, to decorate
Method
Using a 6.5cm bell cutter, cut out biscuits. Place on prepared trays. Bake, swapping trays halfway during cooking, for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp and golden. Cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
Place icing in a piping bag fitted with a 2mm nozzle. Pipe small linked dots around edge of biscuits. Decorate joins between dots with cachous. Set aside for 1 hour to set. Serve or gift wrap.

CANDY CANE BISCUITES
Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup icing sugar mixture
200g butter, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar
1 eggwhite, lightly whisked
red food colouring
cellophane and ribbon, to decorate

Method
Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Place flour and icing sugar mixture in a food processor. Add butter. Process in short bursts until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add vanilla essence and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Process, in short bursts, until mixture just comes together. Turn dough onto a piece of baking paper. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion out between 2 pieces of baking paper until 7mm thick.
Using a 7cm to 8cm long candy cane-shaped cutter, cut out shapes (see note). Place shapes on prepared trays. Roll together remaining dough and repeat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C.
Bake biscuits for 10 minutes, swapping trays over halfway through cooking. Allow to cool on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Sift pure icing sugar into a bowl. Add eggwhite. Stir until smooth. Add 2 to 3 drops of red food colouring. Stir until icing is pink. Spoon icing into a snap-lock bag. Snip off one corner. Pipe icing over cookies. Set aside for 20 minutes to set. Place cookies in cellophane bags. Secure with ribbon.

CHOCOLATE PANFORTE
Ingredients
Melted butter, to grease
Edible rice-paper sheets, to line
175g (1 cup) mixed glace fruit, finely chopped
85g (1/2 cup) blanched almonds
80g (1/2 cup) pine nuts
75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
110g (1/2 cup) white sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) honey
125g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
Icing sugar, to dust

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 20cm (base measurement) springform pan with butter to lightly grease. Line the base and side with edible rice paper.
Combine the mixed glace fruit, almonds, pine nuts, flour, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg in a large bowl.
Combine the sugar and honey in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate. Add to the fruit mixture and, working quickly, stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Spoon the mixture into the lined pan and smooth the surface. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until just firm. Set aside in the pan for 5 minutes to cool slightly before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust the panforte with icing sugar. Cut into wedges to serve.

LEMON & PASSIONFRUIT SHORTBREAD STARS
Ingredients
225g

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 large egg whites- at room temp.
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
½ cup superfine sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
1 bag mint chocolate chips

1.Preheat oven to 200°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 25 seconds; stir, and then microwave for another 20 seconds.
2.In a glass bowl beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, Continue to beat on medium high speed until the mixture forms peaks. Slowly add the sugar, about a tablespoon at a time, waiting at least 10 seconds between additions, gradually increasing the speed to high. Add the vanilla and beat for another 3 minutes, or until stiff. Sift the cornstarch over the mixture, and gently fold in using a spatula.
3.Transfer the meringue to a bowl. Using a spatula, heavily drizzle parallel lines of the melted chocolate over the surface of the meringue. Using a 1 inch ice cream scoop scrape across the surface of the mixture, crosswise to the drizzled lines, to get a rounded mound of striped meringue.
4.Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave them in until the oven is completely cooled.

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Ingredients
Makes 24 heart-shaped cookies
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1 large egg yolk
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions
Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugars with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in ginger, then yolk.
Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture gradually, beating until just combined. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn out dough onto lightly floured parchment. Roll out until 1/4 inch thick, and cut out cookies using a 1 3/4-inch heart-shaped cutter. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush each cookie with a damp pastry brush, then sprinkle with sanding sugar. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Bake until cookies are set and light gold around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks, and let cool. Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.