The Naranga Newsletter

Home Economics 

with Ms Athiniotis

CHRISTMAS COOKING THIS WEEK

SENIOR ELECTIVE CHRISTMAS CAKE DECORATIONS

The senior students did a fantastic job to draw their design, work the icing to shape and apply the decoration pieces to their cakes using thin icing. These cakes will keep well covered in a cool place ready to share with family at the Christmas table. Well done, Amelie, Maverick, Zac, Ryan, Sharnae, Cyrus and Thomas, great cake decorating!

 

STAINED-GLASS WINDOW BISCUITS

Upper Juniors learned how to make Stained- glass windows biscuits. They enjoyed crushing the boiled sweets to fill the cutout sections of the biscuits. 

Ingredients:

Approx 15 boiled lollies- use a few assorted colours.

125g unsalted butter, softened.

¼ cup caster sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/3 cups plain flour, extra for dusting

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon mixed spice

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place different coloured lollies in separate snap-lock bags and use a rolling pin to bash a few times so they break up into small pieces. 
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric beaters until thick and pale. Add milk and stir well with a wooden spoon, then sift the flour over. Use your hands to mix everything together into a ball of dough. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Flatten into a disc and enclose in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes. 
  3. On floured surface, cut the dough in half. Cover 1 piece while you roll out the other to 5 mm thick, using a floured rolling pin. Use a festive cutter (about 8cm x 4cm) to cut various shapes. Using a 1.5 cm fluted pastry cutter, cut a circle from the centre of each biscuit. Carefully transfer biscuits to trays with a flat egg lifter. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling the trimmings to make about 28 biscuits. 
  4. Put a pinch of crushed lolly into the centre of each biscuit hole- they will melt while the biscuits bake to form ‘windows.’
  5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until biscuits are light golden ad lollies melt. Cool on trays. Once lollies set hard, transfer biscuits to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days until ready to hang on the tree.