Make Your Own Christmas Gifts and Decorations

Ingredients

• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup castor sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 3 cups cake flour, sifted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160�C. Cream the butter, castor sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Add the egg and beat in thoroughly. Slowly add the flour and mix in as much as you can with a wooden spoon. You will need to use your hands to bring it to a smooth dough. Cover with cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Divide the dough in half and carefully roll out to about 2cm thick.
3. Using your cookie cutters, cut out cookie shapes with the cookie cutter of your choice.
4. Using a skewer, make holes at the top of each cookie so that you can thread some cotton or ribbon through it after baking.
5. Make sure the hole is large enough so that it doesn�t close while baking.
6. Place the cookies onto a lined baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.
7. Once cooled, thread with red cotton or ribbon and decorate your Christmas tree.

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup sunflower oil
• 2 tablespoons ground coffee beans
• 1 ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
2. Pour into a wide-mouthed jar.
3. Mix well before use as the sugar tends to sink to the bottom.