Easy Christmas biscuits to bake: one butter dough, many variations and gifting tips

The basic butter biscuit dough

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g plain flour
• a pinch of salt

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and smooth. You do not need to beat lots of air in; this keeps the shapes sharp.
2. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla.
3. Add the flour and salt and mix just until it comes together into a dough. Do not overwork it.
4. Split it in two, flatten each into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Chilled dough is easier to roll and spreads less.
5. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line baking trays with baking paper.
6. Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to about 5mm thick. This avoids adding extra flour, which makes biscuits dry.
7. Cut shapes and put them on the trays, a little apart. Re-roll the scraps once or twice. If the dough gets soft, chill the cut shapes on the tray for 10 minutes before baking.
8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until just turning golden at the edges. They firm up as they cool.
9. Leave on the tray for a few minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely before decorating.

Variations

• Spiced: add 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground cloves or mixed spice with the flour. Swapping half the caster sugar for light brown sugar gives a deeper flavour.
• Chocolate: replace 30g of the flour with 30g cocoa powder.
• Orange or lemon: add the finely grated zest of one orange or lemon with the sugar.
• Stained glass windows: cut a smaller shape out of the middle of each biscuit and fill the hole with crushed boiled sweets. They melt in the oven into a clear "window". Leave them to set fully on the tray before moving.
• Jam sandwiches: cut rounds, cut a small hole from the centre of half of them, bake, then sandwich with jam and dust the tops with icing sugar.
• Thumbprints: roll the dough into small balls, press a dent in each and fill with jam before baking.
• Hanging decorations: make a hole near the top with a straw before baking, and thread with ribbon once cool.

Decorating

• Simple water icing: mix 200g icing sugar with water, a teaspoon at a time, until thick but spreadable. Add a drop of food colouring if you like.
• Royal icing: sets harder and is best for piped lines and flooding. Make it with egg white or meringue powder and icing sugar; a thicker mix for outlines, thinned with a little water for filling in.
• Add sprinkles, edible glitter or silver balls while the icing is still wet.
• Melted chocolate drizzled from a spoon is quick and needs no skill.

Storing

• Plain biscuits keep in an airtight tin for about a week. Store them separately from soft cakes, which make them go soft.
• Iced biscuits keep in a single layer, or with baking paper between layers.
• The raw dough freezes well, wrapped tightly; thaw it in the fridge before rolling. Baked, un-iced biscuits also freeze well.
• If they soften, a few minutes in a low oven crisps them again.

Gifting

• Pack biscuits in a tin, jar or cellophane bag, with baking paper between layers.
• Mix a few varieties together for a more generous-looking gift.
• Bake gifts no more than a few days ahead so they arrive at their best.
• Write a small label listing the main ingredients. Butter, wheat, egg and any nuts or sprinkles matter to people with allergies.