All I want for Christmas | Holiday survival guide
Posted on Tuesday, 3 December 2024 under Wellness
Giving gifts can be fun, but it can also be really expensive! Between buying gifts for our families, hosting friends and family for meals, planning summer holidays, and keeping up with day-to-day money stuff, it’s no wonder we feel a bit stressed out.
If cash is tight (or even if it’s not!), give a home-made gift made with love this Christmas.
Consider hand-making truffles, shortbread or other baking to give to your loved ones. Home-made gifts are often the most enjoyed. Kids especially love baking, and will enjoy telling their giftees they made the presents themselves!
You could also consider having a clear-out of old toys before Christmas. The local op-shops are often in need of good toys to sell in December and would be grateful for donations of good quality, second-hand toys.
Festive fun
This shortbread recipe is easy and sure to delight.
You could bake someone a batch as a gift, or package the dry ingredients in a jar so they can make memories doing it themselves!
Ingredients
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250g butter, softened
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¾ cup icing sugar
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½ cup cornflour
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1 ½ cups standard grade flour
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Coffee sugar crystals for decoration
Method
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Preheat oven to 150°C bake (140°C fan forced). Grease oven tray or line with baking paper.
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Beat butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in cornflour and standard grade flour until the mixture comes together and forms a dough.
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On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1 cm thick and cut into shapes using biscuit cutters. Alternatively, roll dough into a log and slice into rounds, using a floured knife to prevent sticking. Sprinkle with coffee sugar crystals if desired and press down gently.
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Place on prepared tray and bake 25 - 30 minutes, until shortbread is pale but crisp. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.
