Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Method

1. Put both types of sugar, the golden syrup and the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Set it over a medium heat and warm, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugars have dissolved.

2. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and leave to cool for about 5 minutes before beating in the egg. Sift over the flour and then the spices, one at a time, mixing gently after each addition, to make a soft dough.

3. Put the dough into a food bag, or wrap in cling film. Chill for several hours, preferably overnight, to firm up – this makes the dough easier to roll out.

4. Remove the dough from the fridge 15-30 minutes before rolling so it can soften slightly. Split the dough in half and roll out each piece between two sheets of baking parchment to the thickness of a £1 coin. If you think the dough is very sticky, lightly dust it and the parchment with a little flour.

5. Peel off the top sheet of parchment. Using the round cutters – either just one size or a variety – cut out discs. For each bauble you need to cut a 1.5 x 2cm strip of dough as well (it’s easiest to cut these from one long 2cm-wide piece of dough. Peel away the excess dough and re-roll the trimmings between fresh parchment to cut more discs. Repeat with the other piece of dough.

6. Lift up the edge of a disc and slip the end of a strip of dough under it. Press gently so the strip adheres to the underside of the disc – about 1cm of the strip should protrude from the bauble (this will be the hanging fixture).

7. Use the end of a thin paintbrush handle, straw or cocktail stick to make a hole near the top of the protruding strip (you can thread this with string once the biscuit is baked).

8. Repeat with the remaining discs and strips. Make sure there is a little space between the baubles, then lift them (on their sheets of parchment), on to baking trays and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

9. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 while the biscuits are chilling.

10. Meanwhile, crush the boiled sweets into small pieces. Remove the baubles from the fridge and use the star cutter to stamp out a star shape from the centre of each. Carefully remove these stars and lay them on a separate parchment-lined baking tray.

11. Carefully put the crushed-up sweets inside the cut-out star shapes (don’t mix the sweets together). Bake the biscuits for 8-12 minutes or until the sweets have melted and the biscuits are deep golden-brown around the edges. Bake the cut-out stars separately for about 5 minutes. You can eat these stars as they are or give them away with the biscuit baubles as gifts.

12. While still warm, check the holes in the strips – if they have closed during baking, open them up again. Leave the biscuits to firm up on their trays until the melted sweets have set before transferring, on the parchment, to a wire rack to cool.

13. Thread a strawberry lace through the hole in each bauble, using the end of a cocktail stick or a needle to help feed it through. Tie into loops for hanging.

14. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of water, then leave to cool a little. Carefully cut the mini chocolates in half (you need only 15 halves but it’s worth having a few spare). Use the paintbrush/cocktail stick to dab melted chocolate onto the protruding strip at the top of each bauble and press on a mini chocolate half, which should just conceal the hole and cover the thread. Leave to set.