Soft Gingerbread Christmas Pudding Cookies

Even though I am more or less done with Christmas shopping, I am still waaaayyyy behind with my Christmas film watching. I adore Christmas films – the good, the bad and the ugly. I would watch them all year round if I was allowed. So far all I have managed to watch is Deck the Halls, Home Alone and Arthur Christmas. This still leaves (at the very least and in no particular order) Home Alone 2, Elf, The Grinch, Four Christmases, Nightmare Before Christmas, Muppet Christmas Carol and White Christmas.

I noticed this year that Film4 showed Home Alone 1 & 2 in July. Considering I declared last week that I am starting Christmas in July in 2014 in order to be ultra prepared, I think this gives me permission to watch these films then also. I think Home Alone 1 & 2 are up there at the top of my Christmas film chart (although Elf and The Grinch give it some tough competition). I never, ever get bored with watching them. Ever.

I’d love to know where you all stand on the Christmas film front. Do you love them? Hate them? Tolerate them for the kid’s / your partner’s sake? Do you have any favourites?

These cookies would be perfect for nibbling on whilst you’re watching all those films. Especially with a cup of tea. I didn’t crush the sea salt flakes too much, so every now and again you get a spicy/salty bit which is off-set perfectly by the sweetness of the icing. I also adore the texture – light and melt in the mouth. I think these may be a new favourite. Especially for this time of year.

I was going to call them Christmas Pudding Cookies, but that could lead you to thinking they were full of fruit and spices. Which they’re not. Well, spices, yes, fruit, no. Then I was going to call them Soft Gingerbread Cookies, but then you would say to me “but Kirsten, they look like Christmas puddings?” Therefore the only thing I could think to do was go with the rather wordy title of Soft Gingerbread Christmas Pudding Cookies. Feel free to abbreviate as you wish.

You don’t have to decorate these cookies. They are yummy just as they are so they can be made at any time of year, but I decided to put them in fancy dress. I used royal icing and fondant berries and leaves (I mentioned how to make these here).

Soft Gingerbread Christmas Pudding Cookies

Print this recipe here

Makes 18 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups of plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• Rounded 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Rounded 1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
• Good grating of nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground all-spice
• 112g butter, melted
• 1/4 cup soft dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 small egg
• 2 tbsp treacle
• Royal icing to decorate – optional

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 celsius / 160 fan / 350 fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick paper.
2. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
3. Place all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and mix until combined.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold them together until they form a soft dough.
5. Using a small ice cream scoop or 2 teaspoons, scoop out a ball of dough and place on the prepared baking sheet, spaced well apart as they will spread (I put 6 on a sheet). Repeat until all the dough has been used (you may need to bake them a in couple of batches).
6. Bake for 11 minutes then allow to cool on the sheet for a minute or so before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. To decorate – spread the top section of a cookie with royal icing and adorn with fondant berries and holly leaves.

Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen