This makes a lovely centre piece or nibble platter for any party. At other times of the year you can use your other cookie cutters to create a cookie wreath.

You will need:

• 150g Butter
• 150g Caster Sugar
• 1 Egg
• ½ tsp Mixed Spice
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• 300g Plain Flour

Optional:

• Food colouring
• Icing sugar mixed with water

Method:

• Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Gradually mix in the egg until well blended together.
• Sift in the flour and spices and mix until you have a ball of dough.
• Chill for about an hour.
• Line and grease your baking sheet (if you have two it is an advantage).
• Preheat you oven to 180 degrees
• Roll out the dough until about 4mm thick.
• Transfer this to your prepared baking sheet (it is easier to move when whole) cut around a round dinner plate and remove the outer scraps and remove the plate.
• Get a smaller side plate that is at least 7cm smaller than your dinner plate. Carefully position this in the middle of your round of dough. Cut around the smaller plate, remove the plate then take the middle away. You will be left with the wreath shape ready for baking.
• Bake for about 10-12mins or until golden.
• Use the remaining dough to make smaller cookie shapes of your choice, I have used a holly leaf, deer, santa hat, baubles, Christmas trees, Angles and stars.
• Again roll the dough to about 4mm thick and place the shapes on your sheet for baking.
• Try and keep similar sized shapes together to ensure even baking. These are a lot smaller then the wreath so will not need to bake for as long, check these after 7mins in the oven.
• For the tree and holly leaf cookies I pre-coloured the dough green to achieve the colour, this saved me time afterwards as these didn’t require as much icing.
• Leave until completely cooled, ice as desired, allow the icing to set and then assemble on your serving plate ready for nibbling…..