In the Christmas bakery:
perfect tips for baking together at Christmas
As the first day of Advent draws closer, our thoughts turn to the great Christmas baking tradition and all that goes with it. Baking sweet treats for Christmas with children is particularly special. Because time spent making Christmas biscuits with parents, grandparents or godparents creates lasting memories that children will cherish for many years.
All too soon, children become adults who set out on their own path. But every year, many grown-up daughters and sons come home to their parents during Advent to avoid missing out on the traditional Christmas baking. For children of all ages, a relaxed and cosy atmosphere will set the perfect scene for maximum enjoyment of special moments baking Christmas treats as a family.
Creating an atmospheric mood for Christmas baking
Baking biscuits is as much part of Christmas as the Advent season is a time for quiet reflection. With the right festive decorations, you can quickly and easily create a beautifully contemplative atmosphere for Christmas baking.
Magical Christmas atmosphere
If you are looking for inspiration, Villeroy & Boch’s Christmas Toys series incudes ideal items for cosy candlelit moments with loved ones, complete with Christmas tunes from the figurines in the Nostalgic Melody collection. Villeroy & Boch’s candles & candleholders will instantly create the perfect Christmas atmosphere.
Essential preparations for Christmas baking
If you’re wondering when to start your Christmas baking, the ideal time is before the first Sunday of Advent. Your homemade treats will then be ready to serve up when the first candle is lit.
Baking with Manufacture Rock
Preparation is an essential part of Christmas baking. The first step is finding recipes and writing down the list of ingredients. When choosing ingredients to decorate your Christmas biscuits, there is lots of scope for imagination, especially if children are involved. Because Christmas baking with children is a creative process and the results can be spectacular. Christmas biscuits decorated by children in imaginative designs and presented to the family at Advent and Christmas set the scene for special moments with loved ones.
Choosing the perfect recipes for homemade Christmas cookies
The right recipes will ensure that your biscuits are a success and taste delicious. You can use a cutter to make Christmas cookies or shape them with a pastry piping nozzle. The following recipe ideas are real Christmas classics that are guaranteed to succeed every time.
How long should you bake your biscuits in the oven?
Depending on the thickness and consistency of the dough, you should usually bake your cookies for around 8 to 10 minutes at 180 degrees on the top and bottom heat setting. If your oven only has a fan function, the biscuits will be a little crisper.
Cut-out butter biscuits
Dough for butter biscuits is quick and easy to make. You just need three ingredients:
- 125 g butter
- 100 g sugar
- 200 g flour
Roll the dough out thinly and then cut out around 40 biscuits. You can spice up the basic recipe according to your taste with ingredients such as vanilla, cinnamon, lemon or nuts. Once they have cooled, you can give free rein to your creativity and decorate your Christmas cookies with sprinkles, pearls or icing.
Marzipan spritz cookies
This recipe can be whisked up in minutes and the biscuits baked quickly in the oven. If you don’t want to use marzipan, simply increase the quantities of icing sugar and butter. To make 40 biscuits, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 egg and 1 additional egg yolk
- 70 g marzipan
- 200 g butter
- 70 g icing sugar
- 250 g flour
- 1 pinch of salt
You can then decorate your Christmas biscuits with a little dark chocolate. Dip the cooled biscuits in the melted chocolate and then sprinkle some nuts on top. Alternatively, you can dip a fork in the liquid chocolate and stroke it over the biscuits. This will create thin chocolate stripes.
Soft cinnamon stars
Melting cinnamon stars are just as easy to make as butter cookies. For around 60 cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- 400 g ground almonds
- 250 g icing sugar
- cinnamon to taste
- 2 egg whites
- 1 pack vanilla sugar
- a little flour
The glaze is made from 125 g of icing sugar and one egg white. It is important to allow the dough to cool before rolling it out to stop it sticking to the rolling pin. If the dough is still sticky, work in some more almonds or sprinkle ground almonds over the rolling surface.
Creative decoration for Christmas cookies
Creative decorative effects transform simple biscuits into unique and beautiful Christmas cookies.
Colourful biscuits
Decoration simply can’t be colourful and imaginative enough for children! Kids love creating beautiful designs on biscuits with chocolate sprinkles, sugar flowers, icing and glazes. For young children who struggle with cutting out the pastry shapes, this is an ideal chance to play an important role in the Christmas baking tradition by creating their own individual designs on sweet treats.
Serving and storing biscuits in style
Your lovingly decorated biscuits should naturally be presented, served and stored in fitting style.
What could be better for this than a pastry box from the Winter Bakery Delight collection? The selection also includes a cake stand, Christmas bowls in the shape of a star or Christmas tree, and lots more stylish porcelain for the festive season.
