Christmas baking to share

Place the flour mix and butter in the food processor and process until like breadcrumbs then add the cheese and spices and process a further 10 seconds until well blended. Break in the egg and process again. The mixture will clump and form a ball after a few seconds Don't over-mix..

Remove the dough and knead briefly then form into an oblong and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut into four and roll a piece out at a time, a little less than 1cm thick. Stamp out shapes with cookie cutter and place on a baking sheet. The trimmings can be re-rolled. Bake at 180C for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool on racks and store in an airtight container.

Hazelnut and cardamom biscuits have a nice short texture, a little like shortbread. The hazelnuts add crunch and the cardamom gives a good spicy flavour. You could also add a little grated orange zest if you wish. Orange and cardamom seem to complement each other. I ground my cardamom seeds with a pestle in a mortar, but you can process them in a coffee grinder or use ready ground cardamom.

A trick to remove the skin from hazelnuts - after the nuts have cooled a little, rub a handful between your palms and the skins will flake off easily.

Hazelnut and Cardamom Biscuits

125g butter
½ cup icing sugar
¾ cup flour
½ cup cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
½ cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts - bake them in a shallow tray in a 180C oven for 10 minutes

Cream together the softened butter and icing sugar in a food processor then add the remaining dry ingredients and the spice and process again. Remove the dough onto a floured work surface and knead gently. If the mixture is a little soft, add in some more flour.

Roll out to just under 1cm thickness and stamp out with a round cookie cutter, dipping the cutter into flour from time to time for ease of removal. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 160C for 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container.

There is a double baking process involved in making biscotti. The mixture is formed into flattish loaves and baked then it is cooled a little, sliced and baked again. I used toasted blanched almonds. They took seven minutes to toast in a 180C oven. A

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