Chilli Shortbread Biscuits for Christmas – Perfect for Hanging on the Tree
A number of factors combined recently leading to the creation of these hot! hot! hot! chilli shortbread biscuits. I can only describe these as a chilli lovers delight. Hang them on the tree or pack them up into a pretty box, tin or bag as a gift for those that like a bit of spice in their life.. Either way, they’re bound to make a Christmas talking point.
White Chocolate Shortbread
First off, this month’s We Should Cocoa theme is “cookies”. I’d already bookmarked a recipe in Miranda Gore Browne’s book Biscuit for ‘passionate chocolate hearts’, which is basically white chocolate shortbread with a passionfruit filling. I decided to omit that filling as I wanted to create one using our last remaining persimmon. In the end, however, I realised I had some leftover orange & white chocolate buttercream from my mother in law’s birthday cake. It was sitting in the fridge and in need of using up.
Cookie Cutters
Secondly, I’d recently been sent some Christmas cutters to try out, courtesy of Eddingtons, a supplier of all things kitchen. The cutters were all stainless steel and consisted of one set of three snowflake cutters and a set of three angel cutters in various sizes. The Angel cutters came as a kit with red ribbon and a pin to make the all important holes for threading the ribbon.
White Chilli Chocolate
Lastly, the jewel in the crown: half a bar of Dartmoor Dragon. This is a powerful white chocolate bar containing Naga chilli from the Dartmoor Chilli Farm. Too hot to eat on its own, at least for CT and I, it makes an excellent addition to baked goods; I found this out when I used it in the pastry for the persimmon tarts I made a couple of weeks ago. It packs a powerful punch, even when diluted by flour, butter and sugar.
Chilli Shortbread Biscuits
As I think I may have mentioned, there was no mistaking the kick in these chilli shortbread biscuits. Luckily, they’re also truly delicious. Shortbread is probably our favourite type of biscuit and these didn’t disappoint. They were crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the middle with a nice rich buttery flavour. The angels sandwiched with buttercream, were slightly less hot and had the additional orange flavour for the full Christmas effect. I’ve never made hanging biscuits before and surprised myself with how effective they looked. Will they last until Christmas? No comment.
Chilli Shortbread Biscuits – The Recipe
- 50 g white hot chilli chocolate
- 170 g unsalted butter - cubed
- 85 g golden caster sugar - plus a little extra for dusting
- 175 g flour (half plain, half wholemeal)
- 80 g brown rice flour
- pinch of rock salt
- orange buttercream (optional)
- Soften the chocolate by putting it in the mixing bowl and placing it on a heater for ten minutes or over a pan of hot water.
- Add the butter cubed and leave for a couple of minutes to soften, but not melt.
- Cream the butter and chocolate with the sugar until pale in colour and fluffy in texture.
- Add the dry ingredients.
- Stir until everything is incorporated, then form into a ball with your hands and leave in a cold place to firm up for half an hour.
- Roll out on a floured board to about 3mm thickness.
- Stamp out shapes using whatever cutters grab your fancy. I made 12 largish snowflakes and 18 slightly smaller angels.
- Leave to firm up in a cold place for 15 minutes, then pop into a pre-heated oven (180°C) and bake for 10 minutes.
- For hanging decorations, make a whole in the top of each snowflake whilst they are still hot, by pushing in a narrow skewer or similar metal implement.
- Dust all of the snowflakes with sugar and half of the angels, (if making) then transfer to a wire rack to cool and harden.
- Sandwich the angels with orange buttercream, using the plain ones as a bottom and the sugared ones as a top.
If you can’t get hold of white chilli chocolate, just add ½ tsp hot chilli powder such as cayenne to the flour.
Linkies
We Should Cocoa is being hosted this month by Rebecca of BakeNQuilt who has chosen cookies (or biscuits). So if you haven’t done so already, you still have three days left to get your entries in for any type of biscuit that includes some sort of chocolate.
These chilli shortbreads also fit very nicely with the festive theme of this month’s The Biscuit Barrel with Laura of I’d Much Rather Bake Than …, so a few of those are winging their way in that direction.
As the base recipe I used for this was bookmarked from Miranda Gore Brown’s book Biscuit, I am submitting this to Bookmarked Recipes with Jac of Tinned Tomatoes.
Using local produce where possible is something I have always tried to do and usually manage to include local eggs, flour or milk in my bakes. This time in addition to Cotehele flour, I have used some chocolate bought from the Dartmoor Chilli Farm at a farmer’s market in Plymouth. So, I am entering Shop Local over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these chilli shortbread biscuits, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them. For more delicious and nutritious recipes, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.
Chilli Shortbread Biscuits. PIN IT.
Thanks to Eddingtons for sending me the cooking cutters. Their products are widely available online and in cook shops and department stores.
Dan
22nd November 2013 at 12:16 pmI like the snowflake cutter set. It’s great for making Christmas biscuits.
Choclette
23rd November 2013 at 5:36 pmThanks Dan, they are useful indeed and pretty too.
Elizabeth
22nd November 2013 at 3:06 pmI am a massive fan of chilli and these hot cookies sound fantastic! Thank you for sharing with #ShopLocal 🙂
Choclette
23rd November 2013 at 5:38 pmThanks Elizabeth. These were definitely on the hot side, so a good way of making decorative biscuits which the kids will leave well alone 😉
Angie Schneider
22nd November 2013 at 3:12 pmThose snowflake biscuits are just beautiful and festive!
Choclette
23rd November 2013 at 5:39 pmThank you Angie – they got me into the party spirit nicely.
Foodycat
22nd November 2013 at 3:24 pmWell, this looks like a very good use for my snowflake cutters!
Choclette
23rd November 2013 at 5:39 pmHaha, thanks Alicia.
Rebecca - Bakenquilt.com
22nd November 2013 at 6:04 pmBeautiful cookies. I’d like to be around when some unsuspecting soul tries to pinch an ornament off your tree and is surprised by the heat!
Choclette
23rd November 2013 at 5:40 pmYes Rebecca, I may have a cruel streak lurking in there somewhere 😉
Laura Denman
22nd November 2013 at 6:36 pmThese look beautiful. I’ve never made hanging biscuits either but this year I’m trying to persuade my mum to give all sorts of things a go for Christmas so we will wait and see! I’m ever so glad you shared them with the Biscuit Barrel challenge!
Choclette
23rd November 2013 at 5:42 pmThanks Laura. Do give them a go, they look rather splendid. I’m going to try and make some more nearer the time for my mother’s tree.
belleau kitchen
22nd November 2013 at 6:53 pmLOVE the frosting of sugar on these and the added chilli, very naughty… but I particularly love the angel sandwiches (and the orange cream!)
Choclette
23rd November 2013 at 5:45 pmThank you lovely Dom. I must say I am very pleased with these. Both snowflakes and angels are delicious and I’m pleased to say my biscuit tin still feels heavy.
laura@howtocookgoodfood
24th November 2013 at 6:30 pmYou could not have chosen a biscuit more suited to my tastes than these. I love good white chocolate and know the south Devon chilli farm well so this is certainly a recipe I will be baking over Christmas and I will make your chocolate mincemeat, taking it to one of my classes to see what the students think!
Choclette
26th November 2013 at 9:03 pmI think we probably have quite similar tastes Laura. It will be interesting to see what your students think of the mincemeat – I’m certainly a convert 😉
Nazneen Hamilton
24th November 2013 at 9:38 pmWhat pretty snowflake cutters! So adorable. Love the flavouring of these biscuits too, chocolate chilli, yum!
Choclette
26th November 2013 at 9:04 pmThank you Nazneen, I suspect these cutters are going to be used rather next month 🙂
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
25th November 2013 at 3:52 amI love those snowflake cutters, can think of so many treats to bake but first I want to start out with these biscuits! Yum!
Choclette
26th November 2013 at 9:05 pmThanks Pamela. If you do make these, would love to hear how you got on.
Jacqueline Meldrum
28th November 2013 at 5:50 pmThey are so pretty Choclette, who could resist?
Thanks for entering them into Bookmarked recipes, the roundup is now up.
prwilson
28th December 2013 at 12:59 amChristmas and Shortbread go together so well.
Rhizowen
17th December 2018 at 7:34 pmShort and sweet, just how I like my biscuits. Hot stuff.
Choclette
19th December 2018 at 8:22 amHot stuff for sure and perfect Christmas tree decorations to boot 🙂