Christmas Shortbread Cookies

Christmas Shortbread Cookies – Pihikete Pata Kirihimete

I love this time of the year, where all the baking demands a little bit of bling! Simple pihikete pata (shortbread cookies) are lightly spiked with a touch of rēmana (lemon) and wanira (vanilla). They are rolled and moulded in to whatever shape takes your fancy. After they have gently baked, the creativity takes hold. What will you do to them? Are they covered in tiakarete mā (white chocolate) and dusted with gold cluster sprinkles? Or do you want to up the skill level and use a fine piping tip to create some modern shapes? There are simply no rules here, me tākaro kē koe (you should just play)! These are the perfect treat to package in to a second hand cookie tin and give away to others!

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Christmas Shortbread Cookies – Pihikete Pata Kirihimete

A delicious lemon spiked shortbread cookie, perfect for decorating at Christmas time.

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Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 30 cookies

Ingredients

The Lemon Biscuits – Ngā Pihikete Rēmana

• 250 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
• 1 C puehu huka (icing sugar)
• Kiri rēmana (lemon zest, of 1 ½ lemons)
• 1 tbsp wanira (vanilla)
• ¼ tsp tote (salt)
• 2 C puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
• 1 C puehu kānga (cornflour)

The Decorations – Ngā Whakarākei

• 100 g tiakarete mā kua rewaina (melted white chocolate)
• Ruireka (sprinkles, of your choosing, mine were a pack from the supermarket)
• 50 g tiakarete parauri kua rewaina (melted dark chocolate, 50%)
• 3 tbsp paura kōhia tauraki-tio (freeze dried passionfruit powder)

Instructions

The Lemon Biscuits – Ngā Pihikete Rēmana

• Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), puehu huka (icing sugar), kiri rēmana (lemon zest), wanira (vanilla) and tote (salt) in to large bowl. Whip for 5 minutes until light in colour and fluffy in texture.
• Add the puehu parāoa (flour) and puehu kānga (cornflour). Stir with a spatula or a knife to roughly combine the ingredients.
• Tip it on to a lightly floured tēpu (table) and gently knead until all the dough has come together.
• Add the dough to a large piece of baking paper and roll it out to approximately 1.5 cm thick.
• Cut out the shapes you are creating.

  I like to dip my cutter in to flour, press it in to the dough and then pinch the cutter so it holds on to the dough and place it on a tray.

  You can also just press the shapes all over and remove the excess pieces of dough, leaving it on the baking paper you rolled it out on.
• Combine the scraps of dough, roll them out again and repeat the process.
• Once you have filled the tray with pihikete (biscuits), refrigerate for 15 minutes, tray and all.
• Preheat your oven to 160 °C.
• Bake the pihikete (biscuits) for 15 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.

The Decorations – Ngā Whakarākei

• Add ½ teaspoon of tiakarete mā kua rewaina (melted white chocolate) on to each cookie. Do around 5 cookies at a time and then do the sprinkles so the tiakarete (chocolate) doesn't set before you have them on.
• Sprinkle with ruireka (sprinkles) in whatever fashion you like whilst the tiakarete mā (white chocolate) is not set. Chill for 10 minutes. They are ready like that.
• For a bit of kōhia (passionfruit) zing, you can sprinkle a touch of paura kōhia tauraki-tio (freeze dried passionfruit powder on to the tiakarete mā (white chocolate) before it has set.

  You can also use a small piping tip and pipe designs on with the tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) on to the set white chocolate. There are no rules – just have fun with it.
• These are perfect for giving away to friends and whānau (family) during the Christmas season. Put them in a second hand cookie tin and tie them in a bow!

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