White Forest Christmas Tree Traybake Recipes

Steps:

• For the dough: Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat together the vanilla and 2 eggs in a small bowl.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Once they are incorporated, increase the speed to medium and, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, beat until slightly creamy, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce the speed to low, slowly pour in the egg mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, increasing the speed as the dough gets thicker to keep the beaters spinning and scraping down the sides of the bowl and the beaters as needed. Once all the flour is just incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and bring it together on a clean surface. Divide into 2 pieces. Shape each piece into a flat square and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
• To cut and bake the forest: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment.
• Dust your work surface with flour and roll out a piece of dough until about 1/4-inch thick. Keep the other piece refrigerated while you work. Punch out shapes in the dough with tree cookie cutters of various sizes and cut off the dough trunks; for every 3D tree you will need 2 tree cutouts of the same size so punch out the shapes in pairs. For our forest we used 4-inch, 6-inch and 8-inch cutters. Put the trees on the prepared baking sheets and chill while you roll and cut trees from the remaining dough. Combine the scraps of the 2 squares. Chill again, reroll and cut out more trees You should have 8 to 10 pairs of trees, depending on the size of your cutters. Freeze the cutout cookies for at least 30 minutes.
• Rearrange the cookies on the baking sheets so that the pairs are next to each other. For the first cookie of each pair, use a sharp paring knife to cut a 1/2-inch-wide slot from the bottom to a little more than halfway up the cookie. For the second cookie of each pair, cut a similar slot but from the top of the tree down to a little past the middle. You will fit the cookies together with these slots after they are baked. Return the cookies to the freezer for 30 minutes more.
• Whisk together the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Brush a thin layer of egg wash on the cookies right before baking.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets front to back and bottom to top about halfway through, until golden brown and dry on top, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets set on a cooling rack, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the royal icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and vanilla in a large bowl. Add 5 tablespoons water and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the icing forms thick and glossy peaks, about 2 minutes, adding up to 1 tablespoon more water, if needed.
• Remove a third of the royal icing and place it in a pastry bag fitted with a small no. 4 round tip. Color the remaining icing with the green food coloring, one drop at a time, until it's a shade you like. If the frosting is still very stiff, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water. Fill a second pastry bag fitted with another small no. 4 round tip with the green frosting.
• Use a sharp paring knife to shave the cookie edges so they are smooth and flat: Pay attention to the tree bottoms (so the trees will stand straight) and the inner edges of the slots. Assemble the trees by sliding the top-slot trees into the bottom-slot trees. Shave the cookies as needed for a smooth fit, then disassemble them and place the pieces on a flat surface. Don't worry if a tree breaks; glue the pieces together with green royal icing.
• To decorate the forest: Decorate each cookie with the green icing, leaving a blank strip up the center without icing; this is where the pieces will fit together. We used a zigzag line of green on each side. Sprinkle with white sprinkles while the icing is still wet. Let set
• until firm, 30 to 45 minutes. Turn the cookies over and decorate the backs in the same fashion. Let set until firm, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Assemble the trees. Pipe a thin line of white icing on the outer edges of the trees for snow. Let set before serving, 30 to 45 minutes. Arrange the trees on a serving platter to create a forest. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar for snow.

Steps:

• Warm the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan until the butter melts. Bubble for 2 mins to dissolve the sugar, stirring frequently to prevent it burning. Sieve the flour, bicarb and spices into a bowl, add the sugar and butter mix, and beat with a wooden spoon. Crack in the egg, and beat again until you get a soft dough. Wrap and chill for 1½-2 hrs, or until it firms up.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Roll out the cooled dough on a lightly floured work surface to about 5mm thick and stamp out holly and star shapes (using 5cm cutters), rerolling any off-cuts. Bake in four batches for 6-7 mins, then leave to cool on the trays. If you don't want to make them all now, freeze or chill up to three-quarters of the dough for another time. Dust with gold shimmer and gold leaf, if you like, and use to decorate our white forest Christmas tree traybake. Will keep for three weeks in an airtight container.

Steps:

• To make the stuffing, put the porcini in a small heatproof bowl, cover with 150ml hot water and leave to soak. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 10 mins until soft. Stir in the garlic, chestnuts, rosemary and sage. Strain the porcini (reserving the stock) and finely chop. Stir into the onions and cook for a few more minutes. Tip into a bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, egg and cheese. Season. Add enough stock (about 60ml) to bring the mix together. Form into 12 balls and chill.
• Meanwhile, make the figs-in-blankets. Trim the aubergine and cut into 3mm-thick slices along its length using a mandoline or sharp knife. Tip into a bowl and toss with the oil, garlic, paprika and some seasoning. Heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat and fry the slices for 4-6 mins on each side until lightly golden and tender. Working with one fig half and halloumi baton at a time, wrap these in a slice of aubergine, using a cocktail stick to secure if needed. Put on a plate, repeat with the remaining aubergine slices, fig halves and halloumi batons and chill.
• Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 10-15 mins until just tender. Drain and leave to steam-dry. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat the oil in a large, shallow roasting tin for 10 mins until very hot.
• Tip the potatoes into the tin, turning to coat. Roast for 20 mins until lightly golden and crisp. Add the parsnips, onions and carrots, spaced apart, and roast for 20 mins more until the veg is soft. Add the sprouts, drizzle with more oil if needed. Toss well. Roast for 10 mins. Add the stuffing balls and figs-in-blankets and roast for 25 mins until everything is cooked through, the stuffing balls and potatoes are crisp and the veg is tender. Serve with cranberry sauce.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Unroll the two pastry sheets, keeping them on their baking parchment. Spread the pesto over one of the pastry sheets, then scatter over half of the grated cheese. Flip the second sheet of pastry on top and press to stick the two pastry sheets together. Remove the top layer of parchment.
• Cut out a Christmas tree shape - a large triangle with a little stump at the bottom, using as much of the pastry as possible. Cut a star shape out of the offcuts for the top of the tree. Reserve the rest of the offcuts. Lift the tree onto a large baking tray, brush with the beaten egg, then do the same with the star and press it on the tip. Scatter over the rest of the cheese and gently press to help it stick to the pastry.
• Cut vertical lines into the sides of the tree, about 1cm apart, leaving a 'trunk' of about 2cm up the middle. Twist the strips of pastry and stick them back down to the tray. Do this with all the pastry 'branches'. Cut the offcuts into straws, and arrange them on another baking tray. You can now wrap and chill the tree and offcuts for up to two days, freeze for two months, or bake straightaway.