Orange & Cranberry Christmas Cookie Crackers
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus 20 minutes to make the crackers
Cooking time: 15 minutes per batch
Serves: 7 Christmas crackers
- 300g/10.6ozs cake flour
- 100g/3.5ozs. semolina flour
- 200g/7ozs. caster sugar
- 300g/10.6ozs. butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
- 2-3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon almond flavouring
- 1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup raw sugar to roll
- 1 toilet roll core to shape
To make crackers
- 3 toilet roll cores
- Coloured cardboard
- 7 pieces of wrapping paper measuring 32x26cms/12.6x10inches
- Ribbon
Step 1 - Sieve the cake flour and semolina flour into a bowl and whisk with sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a beater attachment. Then add the butter, zest and 2 tablespoons of juice and almond flavouring and start to beat until coming together. If it need a bit more juice add it a little at a time (try 1/2 tablespoon then a bit more if needed). Add in the chopped cranberries and mix until combined.
Step 2 -Take out a sheet of cling film and weigh 145g/5.1ozs of the dough and shape into a log wrapping up with the cling film. Gently push this log of dough into the toilet roll core (mine was 4cms/1.57inches in diameter) and press down on each side so that the dough fills the core completely. Place in the freezer to firm up for 5 minutes, then slide out of the toilet roll core and repeat with the rest of the dough.
Step 3 -Once the cookie dough is completely solid and cold roll it in the raw sugar. Place the sugar in a shallow bowl and take the clingfilm off and roll the log in the sugar. Cover in parchment using a rubber band to close it. Then cut out some coloured cardboard and wrap around the cold dough. Secure with tap and place it in the freezer until needed (the dough is much easier to work with when frozen).
Step 4 -Cut out wrapping paper measuring 32x26cms/12.6x10inches. Place the dough log in the centre and then two toilet roll cores at each end. Roll up and secure the middle only with tape. Then pull out the cores a tiny bit and then gently twist the paper-it shouldn't break but will form a twist where you can attach some ribbon. Place ribbon on both sides. Store unbaked dough in the fridge.
To bake these cookies slice up the dough into 3/4 cm/0.3inch slices and place on parchment 6cms apart (the cookies will spread to around 6cm/1.5inch). Bake for 15 minutes.