Christmas spice biscuits

Ingredients

100g oats, ground into a flour (or use oat flour)

100g rice flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

50g dark brown soft sugar ( I use muscovado)

50g  golden syrup or black treacle (I favour golden syrup)

100g butter 

1 tbslp milled flaxseed mixed with 3 tbslp water

Method

1. First preheat the oven to 170c/gas mark 4

2. Line a few baking sheets with with baking parchment.

3. Mix up the 1 tblsp milled flaxseed and 3 tblsp water and set aside. 

4. Using a high speed blender or food processor make your oat flour by grinding the oats into a flour.

5. I use a free standing mixer for making the dough for speed. Add into the bowl all the dry ingredients. Mix with your hands if doing by hand or mix with the paddle blade on your mixer until the ingredients are blended.

6. Add in the butter and and mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

7. Make a well in the centre and add in the golden syrup or treacle depending on what you prefer. (or have) and your flaxseed mix.

8. Mix really well so it is all blended in. Bring the dough together and form into a flat rectangle and wrap up in baking parchment. Place in the fridge to chill until ready to use or use straight away.

10. To roll out I use baking parchment to roll on to and on top of and roll with the dough squidged between the sheets to avoid drying out the mix by adding any more flour,  if you find that tricky then  lightly dust the rolling pin and surface but I would definitely recommend at least using parchment to rollout onto.

11. Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick. Use your cutters to cut out and place evenly spaced on the lined baking trays. It is really important to place similar sized biscuits on each tray (so if you have a mix of large and small biscuits put all the small ones on one sheet and all the large ones on another because the small ones will obviously cook quicker so this will avoid any burning.

12. At this stage it can be a good idea to chill each tray for 20 minutes before baking to help the biscuits hold their shape but I don't always bother and they do hold their shape well still with maybe a little spreading.

13. Bake each tray separately for about 15 minutes but they are baked when they are golden brown. 

14. Allow to firm up slightly before removing them to a wire rack as they will be very fragile when hot. (or very carefully lift off with a spatula)

15. Allow to cool before decorating. I like to use royal icing to decorate but you can use whatever icing you favour. Enjoy.