These delicate Christmas biscuits are all about texture. The addition of corn flour gives them a beautiful, crisp snap while allowing you to roll the dough paper-thin, creating elegant shapes ready for decorating. Decorated with colourful royal icing, they make a joyful alternative to traditional tree ornaments—light, bright, and utterly irresistible. And if you want to take your festive display further, you can turn them into double biscuits with hidden cocktail sticks, perfect for arranging in wreaths or centrepieces. They’re simple to make, delightful to decorate, and guaranteed to bring festive magic to your kitchen.
For the biscuits
- 75g beaten egg
- 150g butter
- 100g icing sugar
- 50g corn flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 350g plain flour
- A pinch of salt
For the icing
- 500g icing sugar
- 2 small egg whites
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 2 tbsp water
- Food colouring gel (green, white, red)
In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, weigh the flour, corn flour, icing sugar, salt and spices and start mixing slowly to incorporate.
Add the butter in small cubes covering the mixer with a towel to keep the flour in. Once the butter has been mixed in, add the egg. Mix for about 2 minutes to a soft and smooth consistency.
Transfer onto a clean surface, roll the pastry 2-3 times with your hands and flatten slightly. Out of the mixer, give it a good roll, and flatten. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 170 0C.
Cut the pastry in two to make it easier to handle. Roll out one half onto a wooden board. It should be super thin and even. Using cutters, make pretty Christmas shapes, place on a silicone mat and bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden and crisp. Leave to cool.
To make the icing, put the egg white and corn syrup into a bowl and whisk. Start adding the sugar a little at a time whisking continuously. Add the water a little at a time in order to reach the desired consistency, thick enough to pipe around the biscuits first. Separate the icing in bowls to add the desired colourings.
Let the piping dry for 5-10 minutes and thin the icing in each bowl with a little more water for flooding within the perimeter of each biscuit. Use a very small spoon to put a blob of icing in the middle of each biscuit and using a painter’s brush or cocktail stick push the icing the outline in order to cover the biscuit surface.