Red and Green Christmas Shortbread

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Red and Green Christmas shortbread

Makes 18

Packed with pistachios and cranberries, these shortbread biscuits are as festive as they are delicious! 

I fell in love with these cute, Christmas coloured (egg free)  cookies at the Festive Flavour Cooking Class. I love the contrast of the chewiness of the cranberries with the crunchiness of the nuts, and they look so festive too! Perfect for gift giving and perfect for Christmas Eve!

I’ve since given the recipe a bit of a facelift and a sneaky tweak too! I’ve even added a regular recipe, because these biscuits are easy to make with or without a Thermomix and as it’s Christmas, red and green should always be seen!

Red and Green Christmas shortbread 2

Ingredients  – Traditional

60g caster sugar

250g butter, softened, cubed

40g rice flour

300g plain flour

100g  pistachios

100g craisins

150g white chocolate

How to – Traditional

      1. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
      2. Stir in sifted flours, cranberries and pistachios.
      3. Stir until a soft dough forms and bring together on a floured surface. Roll the mixture into a log shape with baking paper. The dough will be very soft. Put the logs into the fridge for a few hours or if you have time, overnight. The dough will be easier to work with and the biscuits will look better.
      4. Preheat oven to 150C / 130C fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. When logs are firm, slice into oval shapes and lay onto prepared trays. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes.
      5. Once baked, leave the shortbread on the trays for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

TO DECORATE

      1. Break the white chocolate into cubes and melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts until completely melted.
      2. Dip half of each cooled shortbread into melted chocolate and lay on baking paper to set.

Red and Green Christmas shortbread 3

Ingredients  – Thermomix

60g raw sugar

250g butter, softened, cubed

40g rice flour

300g plain flour

100g  pistachios

100g craisins

150g white chocolate

How to – Thermomix

    1. Mill raw sugar for 10 seconds  on speed 9.
    2. Add the flours and butter and mix for  5 seconds on speed 5.
    3. Set the dial to the closed lid position  and knead the mixture for 40 seconds  on  Interval Speed.
    4. Add the pistachios and cranberries and set the dial to the closed lid position and pulse the Turbo Button 2-3 times. The cranberries and nuts will be a little bit chopped but don’t worry.
    5. Roll the mixture into a log shape with baking paper. The dough will be very soft. Put the logs into the fridge for a few hours or if you have time, overnight. The dough will be easier to work with and the biscuits will look better.
    6. Preheat oven to 150C / 130C fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. When logs are firm, slice into discs and lay onto prepared trays. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes.
    7. Once baked, leave the shortbread on the trays for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
    TO DECORATE

    1. Break the white chocolate into cubes and put into TM bowl. Chop for 5 seconds  on speed 8. Then melt for 5 minutes  at 50C  on speed 1.
    2. 2. Dip half of each cooled shortbread into melted chocolate and lay on baking paper to set.

Other info

TIP! You can make your own rice flour in the Thermomix. Just add 40g white rice with the sugar in stage 1 and blitz for 1 minute  on speed 10 and proceed with the rest of the recipe as is.

Undecorated  biscuits freeze well and if stored in an airtight container, will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. It’s really easy to decorate the frozen biscuits too, just dip them in melted chocolate!

Red and Green Christmas shortbread 3