Christmas Angels

Very yummy biscuits and great gifts or christmas tree decorations

1. 1

   . Put the butter into a food processor add the caster sugar and vanilla extract and blend until smooth.
   
   2. Add the flour, cocoa, ginger, whole egg and yolk. Blend again until the mixture comes together to form a ball.
   
   3. Knead the dough lightly for a couple of minutes until it is smooth.
   
   4. Wrap in the parchment paper and chill for 30 minutes.
   
   5. Roll out the cookie dough between two sheets of baking parchment until it’s 2.5 mm (1/8th inch) thick.
   
   6. Stamp out 6 angels using a cutter. Ease away the cookie dough surrounding the heart shapes and roll out these trimmings between two more sheets of baking parchment. Stamp out 2 more angel shapes.
   
   7. Take a small plain piping nozzle and stamp the tip near the top centre of the angel, to make a hole. Leave the shapes on the baking parchment and slide the paper onto two firm baking sheets.
   
   8. Bake at 180C (350F) Gas Mark 4 for 10-12 minutes until cookies are firm and golden.
   
   9. Cool on the paper for 5 minutes, then use a palette knife to cool the cookies completely on a wire rack.
   
   10. Sift the Golden Icing Sugar into a bowl, add 1 tbsp of cold water, stir and add another 1 tbsp of water to make a smooth piping consistency.
   
   11. Put a fine plain nozzle into a plastic piping bag and pipe a halo and wings on the angels.
   
   12. When the icing is firm, thread some white raffia through the holes and hang onto twigs to display as a gift.
   
   13. For white chocolate iced biscuits, melt 150g (5 oz) white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and use to decorate biscuits instead of the icing.