Honey-Sweetened Christmas Biscuits
These spiced honey stars are simple enough for children to help with. They can weigh the ingredients, stir the dough and cut out the shapes, while an adult deals with the hot pan and the oven. Do not let anyone taste the raw dough, as raw flour and raw egg can both carry harmful bacteria.
The biscuits contain no table sugar, but they are not sugar-free. They are sweetened with honey, which the NHS counts as a free sugar, in the same group as sugar added to food and drinks. Because they contain honey, they are not suitable for babies under 12 months.
Making your own biscuits does let you measure exactly what goes in and adjust the amount of sweetener. If you are cutting down on sugar for health reasons, or managing diabetes, the NHS website and Diabetes UK both offer practical advice on sugar and sweeteners. Remember that sugar-free does not mean carbohydrate-free, because the flour in these biscuits also contributes carbohydrate. Honey adds moisture and bulk as well as sweetness, so it cannot simply be swapped for a baking sweetener in this dough. If you want to use a sweetener, choose a recipe developed for it.
Find the best sugar-free alternatives for any recipe with exact conversion ratios. Enter what you are baking or cooking and the type of sugar to replace.
Try our Sugar Substitute Finder free, here on this site →Biscuits as Gifts and Decorations
Let the biscuits cool completely before packing them. You can put a few large ones in individual small boxes, or wrap a batch of smaller stars together in a cellophane bag tied with ribbon.
Add a label with the full ingredient list, including the ingredients in your butter or spread and in any decorations, and make the allergens easy to spot. The Food Standards Agency has guidance on the 14 main allergens, which include cereals containing gluten, eggs and milk. A label tells people what you used, but it cannot promise the biscuits are free from traces of other foods in your kitchen.
To hang biscuits on the tree, push a drinking straw or skewer through the top of each shape before baking to make a small hole, then thread a ribbon through once they have cooled. How well they last depends on thickness, humidity and how they are hung. Keep biscuits meant for eating separate from those used as decorations, as anything hung on the tree may pick up dust or come into contact with tree treatments.
Spiced Honey Stars
You will need a star cutter, though any festive shape will do. The number of biscuits depends on the size of your cutter.
Ingredients:
- 300g (10½oz) plain flour
- 200g (7oz) unsalted butter or a block baking spread (not a reduced fat spread)
- 4 tablespoons runny honey
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan), 350°F or gas mark 4. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Melt the honey and butter or spread together in a small pan over a low heat. Take the pan off the heat and leave it to cool for a few minutes.
- Beat the egg in a cup. Check the honey mixture is no longer hot, or the egg may start to cook, then stir in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Sift the flour and allspice into a large bowl. Pour in the liquid and stir until it forms a soft dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it and chill it for around 30 minutes so it is easier to roll.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick. Cut out your stars and place them on the trays with a little space between each one.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Ovens vary, so check them a little early the first time.
- Leave the biscuits on the tray for a few minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For a different flavour, swap the allspice for ground ginger, cinnamon or mixed spice.
Storing and Freezing
Keep the cooled biscuits in an airtight tin or container. They should stay fresh for several days, although this depends on how warm and humid your kitchen is and on any icing or decorations you add.
You can also freeze the baked biscuits or the raw dough for later in the festive season. Wrap them tightly to stop them drying out or picking up other flavours. Thaw baked biscuits at room temperature. Let frozen dough soften in the fridge before rolling and cutting it as usual.
