Ingredients

• 150g/5½oz butter
• softened
• 100g/3½oz muscovado sugar
• 1 large free-range egg
• 250g/9oz plain flour
• plus extra for flouring
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1 tbsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pack boiled coloured sweets

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Using an electric hand whisk
• whisk together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Once lightened and creamy add the egg and mix thoroughly.
• Sift in the flour
• baking powder
• salt
• and mixed spice and then add the vanilla extract and mix with a wooden spoon until you reach a biscuit dough consistency.
• Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and roll out to about 1cm/½in thick. Cut out biscuit shapes (such as stars or Christmas trees) and place onto the lined baking tray (you may need more than one tray
• or to cook in batches).
• Using a smaller cutter or a small knife cut out the centre of each biscuit. Place a boiled sweet into the hole (cut in half if your hole is smaller than 2.5cm/1in) and place in the preheated oven to cook for 15 minutes
• or until golden-brown and crisp with the sweet melted.
• As soon as the biscuits are baked and while they are still warm
• use a straw to poke a hole out of the top of each biscuit. Be careful not to make this hole too near the edge of the biscuit. Once the melted sweets have hardened
• transfer to a wire rack to cool. Thread a length of string
• ribbon or florist’s wire through the hole and hang the biscuits on the Christmas tree so the lights can shine through the centres.