Winter sweetness

I’m pursuing the mignardise’s series with some biscuits that can be served at tea time or as an afternoon snack, especially during holydays season.

Those biscuits can be put together in no time and your children can help you to make them. Your children will be able to mix all the ingredients together than they’ll cut the pastry with their cookie cutters. Finally for the ones who’ll stay till the end of the recipe, they’ll paint their creations with a special mixture which will allow the biscuits to gleam after baking. Once the biscuits are in oven, you’ll be the only one left in the kitchen, you’ll be doing the dishes and cleaning the mess of cooking with children but you’ll also be smelling the amazing holyday-ish smell of those biscuits. The smell will remind you of your childhood when you were eating gingerbread…

I hope that now you’ve discovered that today’s recipe is the recipe of gingerbread spices shortbread biscuits. If you cook a lot, you know that shortbread biscuits call for egg yolks but not egg whites, something really convenient during the period after Christmas if like me, you make desserts with meringues in it. Hence you have many egg yolks left in your fridge with which you don’t have a clue about what to do with them. You’re might asking our self: why should I make those gingerbread spices shortbread biscuits instead of making my usual shortbread biscuit? The answer is easy, those shortbread biscuits have the taste of Christmas and for those of you with whom using egg yolks is a necessity, this recipe calls for egg yolks in the pastry and in the special mixture which goes on the top of your biscuits. On top of all those reasons, the most important one is that making those biscuits will keep your children busy during one of those freezing winter afternoon.

To make gingerbread spices shortbread biscuits you’ll need

- 75g of soft butter

- 75g of brown sugar

- 2 egg yolks

- 1 table spoon of gingerbread spices

- 100g of all purpose flour

For the mixture which will make your biscuit gleam you’ll need

- 1 egg yolk

- 1 table spoon of milk

- caster sugar

Start by whisking butter and sugar until the mixture has became whiter and lighter.

A little tip for softening your butter before using it. There are two ways of doing it, the first one is for organized people or for people who have time: take your butter out of the fridge weight the amount of butter that you need and leave this amount on your kitchen counter until it has softened. The second way of doing is for all of you out there who decide to make a recipe at the last minute. First weight the amount of butter you need, place it on a plate, take a bowl, a glass or a mg that covers the butter once it’s flipped. Fill the bowl or mug or glass you’ve chosen with boiling water. Wait 2 minutes than empty the container and pace it over the butter. Wait until the butter has softened.

In the mixture butte/sugar add eggs yolks, spices and flour.

Mix everything together with a wooden spoon.

Make sure everything is well combine before wrapping the pastry in plastic wrap and placing it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

After the at least two hours break, preheat the oven at 180°C or 350°F.

Roll the pastry out, about 3 to 4 millimeters thick.

Use your cookie cutters to cut the pastry and place the biscuits on a baking sheet.

Prepare the special mixture by whisking egg yolk and milk.

Paint the top of your uncooked biscuits with the special mixture before sprinkling sugar on them.

Place the baking sheets in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes depending on the thickness of your biscuits.

Once your biscuits are cooked, allow them to cool down a bit before eating them.