‘Joy to the world’ cookbook: Recipes from Christmas kurabiye to orange and chocolate crescents

Silke Martin’s Christmas cookbook ‘Joy to the World’ brings together festive treats from around the globe

Friday 11 December 2020 14:36 GMT
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(Hardie Grant/Frauke Antholz)

Christmas kurabiye

Makes about 40

2 eggs

250g soft butter

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

130g caster sugar

300g plain flour + a little extra

130g cornflour 

1 tsp baking powder

40 marzipan potatoes or 150g marzipan

1 tbsp cocoa powder

(Hardie Grant)

Preheat the oven to 175C/gas 3. Thoroughly blend the eggs with the butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar using a hand mixer with a whisk attachment. Mix the flour with the cornflour and baking powder. Then pour it into the egg and butter mixture, carefully mix everything together and, when it comes together, knead into a dough with floured hands.

If not using marzipan potatoes, then roll the marzipan into 40 balls. Pull walnut-sized portions from the dough, flatten slightly in the palm of your hand and put a marzipan potato or ball in the middle of each one. Shape into round balls and place on a baking (cookie) sheet lined with baking parchment.

Put the cocoa powder on a flat plate, dip a suitable small cookie cutter into it, then press onto the balls to create a pattern on top. Bake the balls for about 20-25 minutes, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Christmas cantuccini

Makes about 50

250g plain flour

25g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp gingerbread spice mix

120g brown sugar

A dash of vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

30g butter

2 eggs

1 orange

1 lemon

75g pistachios

75g blanched almonds

Caster sugar, for dusting

Knead the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, gingerbread spice mix, sugar, vanilla, salt, butter and eggs into a smooth dough. Zest the orange and lemon, coarsely chop the pistachios and almonds, then knead everything into the dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to cool for 1 hour. Then divide into four equal-sized pieces, shape into rolls about 30cm long and leave in a cool place for a further 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Place the rolls of dough amply spaced out on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and bake in a hot oven for about 15 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheet, then with a serrated knife cut them into slices at an angle and bake for a further 8-10 minutes. Leave the baked cantuccini to cool on a cooling rack, and dust with caster sugar.

Orange and chocolate crescents

100g dark chocolate

200g plain flour + a little extra

1 tsp baking powder

60g cornflour 

100g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Zest of 1 orange

125g butter

100g whole-milk couverture chocolate or milk-chocolate cake glaze

1 tsp orange liqueur

Finely chop the chocolate. Mix the flour in a bowl with the baking powder, cornflour, sugar and vanilla. Make a whole in the middle of the mixture and put the egg and orange zest into it. Chop the butter into small pieces and place them around the edges. Distribute the chopped chocolate over it and mix everything well using a dough hook, working from the middle outwards. Then transfer the mixture to a floured work surface and knead into a smooth dough with your hands. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 175C/gas 3. First shape the dough into thin rolls (about 2cm) using your hands, then divide into pieces 6cm long. Shape into crescents and place on baking sheets lined with baking parchment. Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes, then leave to cool. Melt the chocolate or cake glaze using a bain-marie, add the orange liqueur and stir well. Coat the ends of the crescents with a pastry brush, then leave to dry on a cooling rack.

Joy to the World by Silke Martin (Hardie Grant, £7.99) Photography © Frauke Antholz

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