Christmas Shortbread Wreaths Recipes

MEYER-LEMON SHORTBREAD WREATH COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with zest on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in confectioners' sugar until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute more. Reduce speed to low. Beat in lemon juice and salt, then flour, until combined. Divide dough in half, transfer each to plastic wrap, pat into disks, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days (or freeze up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Stamp out rounds with a 3-inch cutter, preferably fluted. Transfer to prepared sheets, 1 inch apart. Use a 1- to 1 1/4-inch plain round cutter to stamp out centers of 3-inch rounds. Gather scraps; roll out again, stamping out more wreaths. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake, rotating sheets and rack positions halfway through, until set and pale golden on bottoms, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week before decorating.
• Glaze and Decorations: Brush herbs with egg white; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Transfer to wire rack; let stand until stiff and dry, at least 1 hour or, loosely covered, up to 1 day. In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. One at a time, dip cookie tops in glaze; lift and tilt slightly for a few seconds, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Transfer to wire rack; decorate with sugared herbs and candies. Let stand until set, about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, between sheets of parchment, up to 2 days.

CORNFLAKE CHRISTMAS WREATHS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Combine the marshmallows and butter in a large bowl and microwave on 50-percent power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted, about 1 minute 30 seconds.
• Stir in the vanilla and enough food coloring to make the mixture a deep green, 10 to 15 drops. Stir in the cornflakes until they are completely coated.
• Working with wet hands, form the mixture into twenty-four 2-inch balls. Flatten on the prepared baking sheets and poke a hole in the middle of each with your finger, molding the sides as needed to form a wreath shape. Decorate with the cinnamon candies to create holly berries. Form the red candy strips into a simple bow on each wreath. Sprinkle lightly with the white nonpareils for snow. Let set at room temperature to firm up, about 2 hours, or refrigerate 30 minutes.

OATMEAL SHORTBREAD WREATHS

Steps:

• Pulse the oats in a food processor until finely ground. Add the flour, brown sugar and salt and pulse. Add the butter and egg yolk and process until the dough comes together and no streaks of butter remain. Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pat into disks; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Let the dough sit at room temperature about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Working with one piece at a time, roll out the dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper until 1/4 inch thick; dust with more flour. (If the dough becomes too soft, refrigerate 15 minutes.) Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter (preferably fluted), then cut out the centers with a 3/4-inch round cutter. Arrange the wreaths 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are dry and firm on top and golden brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans. Lightly brush the tops with the maple syrup, then immediately sprinkle with the crushed raspberries and sanding sugar. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

CORNFLAKE WREATHS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and cook, stirring, until melted. Add the green food coloring and stir until evenly distributed. Remove from the heat, add the cornflakes and stir until well coated.
• Spray your hands with nonstick spray as needed during this step to ease in the shaping of the wreaths. Take 1/3 cup of the mixture and form an even log. Join the ends of the log together to form a wreath. Place the wreath onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Continue with the remaining cornflake mixture.
• Decorate each wreath with 3 small cinnamon candies. Let sit to firm before serving.

HOLLY WREATHS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. , Using a cookie press fitted with a star piping tip, shape dough into 2-1/2-in. wreaths 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until set (do not brown), 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks., Decorate with green cherry pieces for leaves and Red Hots for berries. Use red decorating icing to form bows and adhere candy to wreaths.

CHRISTMAS WREATHS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows, and cook until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in the food coloring, vanilla, and cornflakes.
• Quickly drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto waxed paper, and form into a wreath shape with lightly greased fingers. Immediately decorate with red hot candies. Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from waxed paper, and storing in an airtight container.

ALMOND WREATHS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the all-purpose flour, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, almond butter, honey and almond extract in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat in the almond flour until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
• Pipe 2 1/2-inch rings about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. (If the dough is too stiff to pipe, let soften slightly at room temperature.) Decorate the cookies with sanding sugar and/or nonpareils. Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges, about 18 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

GINGERBREAD WREATH

Steps:

• Put the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then bubble for 1-2 mins, stirring until well combined. Set aside to cool for 10 mins.
• Tip the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a large bowl. Add the warm syrup mixture and the egg, stir to bring everything together, then gently knead in the bowl until smooth and streak-free. The dough will feel a little soft now, but will firm up once cooled. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least 30 mins.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and and leave at room temperature until softened. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
• Cut off half the dough and keep the rest wrapped in cling film. Roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin, then use a plate or the base of a cake tin as a template to cut out a 20cm circle. Transfer to one of the baking trays, then use a 7cm cutter to stamp out and remove a circle in the middle. Roll out the remaining dough and cut out a variety of other shapes to decorate the wreath (you'll need about 20-25 pieces - we used stars and angels) and arrange these over the trays too.
• Bake the biscuits for 10-12 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through cooking. Stamp a hole in the top of the ring using a small cutter, or the end of a piping nozzle, as soon as it comes out the oven - you can tie a pretty ribbon through this later. Leave to cool on the trays, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick icing. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle, then decorate the biscuits as you wish, using a little edible glitter, if you like. We flooded some of the biscuits with pale blue icing (see tip) and piped white details on the others. Leave the icing to dry for 1-2 hrs, then use a little more icing to stick the biscuits to the wreath. Thread a ribbon through the hole and wrap up in cellophane, if giving as a gift (the ribbon is just for show and may not support a hung wreath). Will keep for 2 weeks.