Christmas Tree Biscuits

Method

1. Lightly grease a flat non-stick baking tray.
2. Put the butter and sugar in to a mixing bowl and beat them together until the mixture is soft and creamy.
3. Add the orange juice, spice and the flour and knead it with your hand until it all sticks together. It will stick together if you measured the ingredients accurately.
4. Roll the dough on to a floured table with a rolling pin until it is about half a centimetre thick, then cut out as many shapes as you can and place them spaced out on the baking tray.
5. Pierce a small hole in each one, not too close to the edge, for the ribbon to go through.
6. Bake them in the oven at 150°C or gas mark 3 for about 20 mins until they are golden brown. Leave them on the baking tray for a few minutes to harden before you transfer them to a cooling rack.
7. When the biscuits are completely cold, decorate them with white icing and dragées and leave them to set.

To make them into tree decorations, thread some coloured ribbon through the holes very carefully and tie a knot next to the biscuit, leaving about 10cm ribbon before the next knot so it’s easy to remove from the branch.

If you'’re not going to hang them on the tree straight away they will keep in an airtight container for about a week. Just remember when you hang them on the tree make sure they are out of the reach of cats, dogs, guinea pigs and two year olds!