Christmas Iced Gems
The holiday season is here, and what better way to celebrate than with some nostalgic treats? I’m bringing back a childhood favorite – the iconic Iced Gem – with a cheerful Christmas twist! These adorable little cookies, topped with colorful, snowy peaks of icing, will transport you back to simpler times, but with a hint of festive sparkle. Each gem is perfect for adding charm to your holiday cookie spread or for gifting to loved ones. With their crisp bite and melt-in-your-mouth sweetness, these Christmas Iced Gems are sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face. So, grab your piping bags, choose your favorite festive colors, and let’s create a batch of merry little memories!
Ingredients:
For the Biscuits:
- 75g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 40g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 120g all-purpose flour
- A pinch of salt
For the Meringue
- 80g egg white, room temperature
- 160g icing sugar
- Gel food coloring - leaf green
- Candy melts - black, orange and pink
Makes approx. 30 cookies
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 170c and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla paste and then mix in flour and salt to form a dough.
3. Roll out the dough (7mm thick) and cut out the cookie base using a small round cookie (3-4cm) and place them on the baking sheets.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Allow biscuits to cool on the sheets briefly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Turn down the oven to 90c so it is ready for baking the meringues.
5. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the icing sugar (tablespoon at a time) while continuing to beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. It takes atleast 8 minutes. Divide the meringue in half and fill one half into a piping with a large round tip. The other half coloured with a few drops of green gel colour and fill piping bag with a star tip 4B and your are ready to pipe the tiny snowmen and trees on top of the cooled cookies. See video for reference.
6. Place the meringue topped biscuits back in the oven for 35 minutes. Do not open the oven before then as the meringues will crack. You can turn off the oven and leave in the oven with the door ajar.
7. Allow the meringue-topped biscuits to cool in the oven as above or cool on a rack.