Ingredients
- 600g plain flour
- 300g cold butter, cut into cubes
- 300g caster sugar
- 2 small eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1kg white ready-to-roll icing
- 2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed
- Icing sugar, to dust
- Silver balls
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Place the flour and butter into a food processor bowl with a dough blade process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, eggs and extract mix until a ball of dough is formed. Divide into two equal balls, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the balls of dough to approx. 5mm thick. Stamp out two cookies in each size, dipping the cutters in flour before each use to prevent sticking.
- Arrange on baking trays bake for 10-12 minutes until firm and golden. Leave on the baking trays for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- On a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roll the icing to approx. 5mm thick. Use the cookie cutters to stamp out two stars in each size.
- Brush each cookie with a little jam top with an icing star. Leave the iced cookies on a rack for a few hours or until the icing has dried.
- Stack your tree starting with the largest cookies at the bottom and smallest at the top. When you get to the top, roll a small ball of icing and use it to prop up the final star. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with silver balls.