A perfect snack or Christmas gift. These biscuits will taste all the more rewarding to your little ones, knowing that they made them! Keep in an air tight container for up to 4-5 days or freeze on day of baking for up to a month. These can be defrosted in less than an hour.

If you made little holes in the top, thread with ribbon, tie a knot and hang on the tree for the children to find! These biscuits do tend to go a little soft if not kept in an air tight tin - so hang them on the tree at the last minute... they won't be there long, once the children discover them! You could use coconut butter instead of dairy butter if you like, for a vegan alternative.

These little biscuits are perfect for little ones, the sweet orange and cranberry create a naturally sweet treat, without any nasties. The ground almonds are optional, but add extra nutrients for those that can eat nuts. Instead of cranberries you could use raisins.
Makes approx 25 biscuits, depending on the size of the cutter
Suitable for freezing
Suitable for 10mths/stage 3/moving on

Ingredients 

Biscuits

• 200g plain flour*
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 60g unsalted cold butter
• Zest of one orange
• 50g dried cranberries
• 60mls orange juice
• *(half of the flour can be replaced with ground almonds if you prefer - this gives the biscuits a really lovely soft texture)

Optional decorations

• Desiccated coconut
• Coconut oil or maple syrup for sticking desiccated coconut to biscuits

How to make Christmas Cranberry and Orange Biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas mark 5
2. In a large bowl mix the baking powder into the flour, then rub in the butter with your finger tips, or pulse together in a food processor
3. Add in the orange zest and cranberries, and combine thoroughly (for a better distribution of the cranberries, chop them up a little smaller). Add the orange juice a little at a time and mix in to create a dough which should be smooth but not sticky, add a little extra juice or flour to correct as needed
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, then cut out christmas shapes with the cutters of your choice. You can also add a hole so that the biscuits can be hung from the Christmas tree. To create a hole, simple use a straw to punch out a small hole
5. Use a palette knife to carefully lift the biscuit shapes off the worktop and onto a lined baking sheet. Re-roll the leftover dough and cut out more shapes. Let your little ones choose their favourite Christmas shapes, and have a go at cutting their own biscuit
6. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until just golden - keep a watchful eye - they can burn very quickly. Transfer to a cooling rack and wait as long as you can before nibbling!
7. You can add a little Christmas decoration to the top of the biscuits if you like. Simply spread the top of each biscuit with a little maple syrup or coconut oil, then press sticky side down into a pile of desiccated coconut, for a fantastic 'snowy' topping!