Prep 30min (+15min cooling and 1hr standing time)Bake 15minMakes 20

The German word spritzen means to squirt and reflects the way these cookies are shaped – by pushing them through a piping nozzle. The almond meal in the dough gives a lovely soft, almost cakey, texture to these chocolate-dipped cookies that can be piped in various designs, including mini wreaths.

Ingredients

• 250g butter, softened
• 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 1½ teaspoon natural vanilla essence or extract
• 3 eggs
• 450g (3 cups) plain flour
• 60g almond meal 
• 300g good-quality dark chocolate (45-54% cocoa), chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two large oven trays with non-stick baking paper.
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Combine the flour and almond meal. Add to the butter mixture and beat on the lowest possible speed until just combined.
3. Spoon half the mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a 13 mm (#13) star nozzle. Pipe 6­–7 cm circles onto the lined trays (see Baker’s tips). Repeat with the remaining mixture.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes, swapping the trays halfway through baking, or until pale golden and cooked through. Cool on the trays.
5. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Turn off the heat but leave the bowl sitting on top. Dip a cooled cookie into the chocolate to coat half of the cookie. Place back on the lined tray and repeat with the remaining cookies. Tap the trays on the benchtop lightly to settle the chocolate into the grooves of the cookies, then set aside for about 1 hour or until the chocolate sets.

Baker's tips

• You can use a 6–7 cm round cutter as a guide to draw circles onto the underside of the baking paper to help keep your cookies uniform in size.
• These cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Festive Cookies. 

CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof columns and recipes. 

Photography by China Squirrel.

Prep 40minBake 16-18minMakes about 18

These melt-in-the-mouth buttery biscuits, sandwiched with a creamy, sweet buttercream, are an all-time favourite. This version has the addition of orange zest in the filling, which adds a subtle citrus tang. They're the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa.

Ingredients

250g butter, cubed, softened
110g (⅔ cup) icing sugar
1½ teaspoons natural vanilla essence or extract
250g (1⅔ cups) plain flour
60g (½ cup) cornflour

Orange buttercream filling
60g butter, softened
1 orange, zest finely grated
125g (1 cup) icing sugar, sifted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
2. Use an electric mixer on medium to beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy, scraping down the side of the bowl when necessary.
3. Sift the flour and cornflour together over the butter mixture. Mix on low speed (or use your hands to mix) until just combined and a soft dough forms.
4. Use lightly floured hands to roll heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place on the lined trays, about 5cm apart (you should have about 36 balls). Dip a fork in flour and use it to flatten the balls to about 1cm thick and 4cm in diameter.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, swapping the trays after 8 minutes, or until the biscuits are a pale golden colour. Remove from the oven and cool on the trays.
6. While the biscuits are cooling, make the orange buttercream filling. Put the butter and orange zest in a small mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add the icing sugar and beat on low speed, scraping down the side of the bowl when necessary, until well combined and smooth.
7. To join the biscuits, spread a little buttercream on the base of a cooled biscuit and sandwich with another biscuit. Repeat with the remaining biscuits and filling.

Prep 20min (+1hr cooling time)Bake 1hrMakes about 16

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Citrus.

CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Prep 20minBake 40-45minMakes 16 serves/wedges

Mary Queen of Scots' fondness for shortbread is said to be the reason for its increased popularity in the 1500s. Nowadays it is loved so much there is even a National Shortbread Day on the 6th January each year! The key to good shortbread is slow baking until it is pale golden and cooked through – if over baked, or baked too quickly, it will become slightly bitter in taste due to the ‘burnt’ butter.

Ingredients

250g (9oz) salted butter, cubed and softened slightly
110g (½ cup/4oz) white granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon extra to sprinkle
300g (2 cups/10½oz) plain flour
55g (⅓ cup/2oz) rice flour

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC/315°F (140ºC/285°F fan-forced). Use a 20cm/4cm cake tin to draw a circle on two separate pieces of non-stick baking paper, turn over and set aside.
   
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until starting to become pale and creamy, but not too aerated (do not over mix).
   
3. Sift together the plain flour and rice flour, add to the butter mixture and use a wooden spoon and then your hands to mix until evenly combined and a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in half and shape both portions into discs.
   
4. Place each disc in the centre of the marked circles on the baking paper and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll each out to fill the circles. Use your fingertips to neaten the edges and then pinch the edges to create a decorative edge. Use the baking paper to lift the shortbread rounds onto two oven trays. Sprinkle with the extra sugar, dividing evenly between the rounds. Use a large sharp knife to mark each round into 8 wedges and then use a fork to pick each wedge three times.
   
5. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, swapping the trays around half way through baking, or until pale golden and cooked through. Cool on the trays. Cut into wedges to serve.

Prep 20minBake 20minMakes 30

These simple shortbread-like biscuits, subtly scented with orange blossom water, are incredibly more-ish. They are just as good when flavoured with vanilla or rosewater, to taste, too.

Ingredients

125g butter, softened

90g (¾ cup) icing sugar, sifted

200g (1⅓ cup) plain flour, sifted

1 tablespoon orange blossom water, or to taste

30 whole blanched almonds

Prep 15minBake 16-18minMakes about 18

This shortbread had been given a little update with the addition of chia seeds. Packed with omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids as well as loads of fibre these tiny, slightly ‘flattened’ seeds add a little ‘nutty’ crunch to this traditional favourite.

Ingredients

• 125g butter, softened
• 75g (⅓ cup) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract or essence
• 150g (1 cup) plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 1½ tablespoons black chia seeds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line two oven trays with non-stick baking paper.
2. Put the butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until just creamy. Add the flour and chia seeds and use your hands to mix to a dough.
3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until smooth. Shape into a disc and then use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough until 5mm thick. Use a 5cm round cutter to cut out biscuits and place them about 3cm apart on the trays. Re-roll any left over dough and repeat.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, swapping the trays after 8 minutes, or until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray

Prep 15minBake 25minMakes about 30

Prep 15minBake 25-30minMakes about 20

Simple and super quick to make, these shortbread will satisfy even the most hard-core chocoholic! For extra crunch, try adding some chopped roasted hazelnuts to the mixture with the chopped chocolate.

Ingredients

150g (5¼oz) chilled unsalted butter, diced
110g (½ cup, firmly packed/4oz) brown sugar
110g (¾ cup/4oz) plain flour
30g (⅓ cup/1oz) cornflour
30g (¼ cup/1oz) cocoa powder, sifted
75g (⅔ cup/2¾oz) hazelnut meal
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract or essence
100g (3½oz) good-quality dark chocolate, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/315°F (140°C/285°F fan-forced). Line two large oven trays with non-stick baking paper.
   
2. Place the butter, sugar, flour, cornflour, cocoa powder, hazelnut meal and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor (see Baker's Tips) and process for 1 minute or until the mixture just starts to form a dough (be careful not to over-mix).
   
3. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the chopped chocolate and bring together with your hands to combine evenly.
   
4. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place on the lined trays about 5cm/2in apart. Flatten each with a fork, creating a criss-cross pattern, so that they are about 1cm/½in thick.
   
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, swapping the trays halfway through baking, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool on the trays.

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Cookies in a hurry. CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes.

Photography by Alan Benson.