Making your own Christmas gifts can be so satisfying.
Here we have raided Australian MasterChef: Back to Win 2020 winner Emelia Jackson’s new book Some of My Best Friends are Cookies for inspiration.
Crinkle cookies aren’t super popular here in Australia, but they should be. They are a pretty simple cookie dough that’s rolled in icing sugar and granulated white sugar, giving a beautiful cracked appearance when baked.
They’re so good because they’re light, zesty and fresh - not adjectives I’ve ever thought to use when it comes to cookies.
I’ve added poppy seeds to these, because why not?
Lemon and poppy-seed crinkle cookies
Makes 35
125g unsalted butter, softened
210g caster sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp lemon extract
Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
350g plain (all-purpose) flour
1½ tsp baking powder
30g poppy seeds
80g white sugar
80g icing sugar
Method
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the eggs, lemon extract, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until well combined. The mixture may look split at this stage due to the water content of the lemon juice; don’t stress, it will come back together.
Add the flour, baking powder and poppy seeds and mix on low speed until the mixture just comes together as a soft dough.
Here’s the annoying part: this dough needs to be chilled to prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. Chill it for 2 hours or even overnight.
After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats.
Put the white sugar and icing sugar in separate bowls. Divide the chilled dough into 25g balls (using a small cookie scoop is the easiest way to do this). Roll the balls in the white sugar, followed by the icing sugar, then place them on the baking trays. (The two types of sugar are needed to create the crackled, almost candy-like end result.)
Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes or until they have spread, crinkled and still appear slightly moist right in the centre (this will give you a fudge-like consistency).
Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glazed gingerbread
I love glazed gingerbread. This one has a beautiful heat from the ginger and peppercorns, and is finished with a luscious vanilla glaze. Christmas perfection.
Depending on how long you bake it, you could enjoy it soft and chewy, or firm enough to build your gingerbread house (sans glaze, of course!).
Makes 24
120g unsalted butter, softened
150g brown sugar
1 egg
150g molasses
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
¾ tsp ground pink peppercorns
½ tsp salt
480g plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Vanilla glaze
150g icing sugar
20g unsalted butter, melted
2-3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Method
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and egg until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the molasses, spices and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.
Add the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until firm to the touch.
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured bench until 1cm thick.
Cut the gingerbread into shapes - I’ve used a decorative cookie press and tree cutter on these, but a simple gingerbread cutter will also be perfect.
Place the gingerbread shapes on the baking trays. Bake the gingerbread for 12-15 minutes or until it appears puffy and lightly golden.
Allow the gingerbread to cool on the trays while you make the glaze. For the glaze, simply combine all the icing sugar, melted butter and milk in a bowl and mix until smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the surface of the cooled gingerbread. Allow the glaze to set completely before eating - around 1-2 hours at room temperature will do it.
Fruity meringue clouds
I know, these aren’t technically cookies, but I’ve included them in the festive-flavoured section of the book for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, they make a beautiful, individual alternative to your Christmas pavlova. Secondly, they’re just perfect for Christmas gifting.
Most importantly, though, these meringue clouds are every child’s Christmas wishes come true: big, colourful and full of punchy fruity flavour.
Pictured here are meringues topped with a raspberry, blueberry and passionfruit reduction. You could also use mango, blackberry, strawberry or even cherry.
Makes 10
gluten-free
8 egg whites
400g caster sugar
1 Tbsp white vinegar
20g freeze-dried raspberry, blueberry or passionfruit powder (optional)
Fruit reduction
300g frozen raspberries, blueberries or passionfruit pulp
100g caster sugar
⅛ tsp citric acid (optional)
Method
For the fruit reduction, combine one type of fruit in a saucepan with 100g sugar and bring to the boil over medium heat. Continue to boil until the fruit has reduced by half to a sticky, syrupy consistency. Strain out any seeds and taste the mixture. If you’d like more tartness, mix in the citric acid.
Allow the reduction to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 90°C fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form. Slowly rain in the sugar while mixing. Once all of the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and mix for 4-5 minutes or until the sugar has mostly dissolved and the meringue is thick and glossy.
Mix in the vinegar. Using a large kitchen spoon, spoon quenelles of the meringue directly on to the baking trays.
Bake the meringues for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and brush the top of each meringue with 1-2 teaspoons of the fruit reduction. Return the meringues to the oven for a further 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool completely in there - overnight is best.
Liberally dust the meringues with the freeze-dried fruit powder, if using. This is best done on the day you want to serve them.
THE BOOK
Images and text from Some of My Best Friends Are Cookies by Emelia Jackson, photography by Armelle Habib, illustrations by Andrea Smith. Murdoch Books RRP $45.
