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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
Cook Time 15 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!