basic biscuit dough

Ingredients
250g butter, softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour
Method
Using an electric hand mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add egg. Beat until well combined.
Sift flour and cornflour over butter mixture. Mix well. Divide in half. Press each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in baking paper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 160?C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Roll each disc out between 2 sheets of baking paper to 3mm-thick.
Using letter-shaped biscuit cutters, cut letters out of dough. Place onto trays. Roll leftover dough together and repeat. Refrigerate biscuits until firm. Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

EquipmentYou'll need 12 paddle pop sticks and a tree-shaped cookie cutter.

chocolate christmas trees

Ingredients
1 quantity Basic biscuit dough ingredients (see related recipe)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk
200g milk chocolate, melted
100g white chocolate, melted
Mini M&Ms, to decorate
Method
Follow step 1 of Basic biscuit recipe. Follow step 2, adding cocoa and milk with flour. Stir well. Complete steps 2 and 3.
Use a 12cm-long tree-shaped biscuit cutter to cut 12 biscuits from each circle of dough. Place onto trays. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm to touch. Stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Spread milk chocolate over flat side of each biscuit. Press 1 paddle pop stick onto 12 biscuits. Sandwich together with remaining biscuits. Refrigerate until firm.
Spoon white chocolate into a snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner. Pipe a zigzag pattern over trees. Decorate with M&Ms. Allow to set. Store in an airtight container.