Chocolate Christmas Trees

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Give a creative food gift this Christmas - these tree-shaped chocolate spelt cookies call for a few simple ingredients you’ve likely got on hand, they’re super-easy to make and gorgeous on a cookie platter. The kids will love helping you decorate and eat these holiday cutout cookies.

250 g Unsalted butter, softened 0.2 g Pure stevia extract powder (or 60 g Icing sugar) 1 tsp Vanilla extract 1 Egg, at room temperature 300 g Refined spelt flour (or plain flour) 40 g Cornstarch 30 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 tbsp Milk 250 g White chocolate, chopped and melted Coloured sugar, to decorate Silver cachous, to decorate Pop sticks

1. Using an electric hand mixer, beat butter, pure stevia extract and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add egg. Beat until well combined.
   
2. Sift flour and cornstarch over butter mixture. Add cocoa and milk. Stir well. Divide in half. Press each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
   
3. Preheat oven to 160C/320. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Roll each disc out between 2 sheets of baking paper to 3mm-thick. Using cookie cutters (tree, star, or round), cut shapes from dough.
   
4. Place them onto the prepared trays. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm. Bake for 12 minutes or until firm to touch. Stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
   
5. Melt chopped white chocolate in a water bath. Spread some white chocolate over flat side of each biscuit. Press 1 pop stick onto one cookie and sandwich together with another one. Set aside until they are firm.
   aside until they are firm.
   
6. Spoon white chocolate into a small plastic bag. Snip off 1 corner. Pipe a zigzag pattern over trees. Decorate with coloured sugar and silver cachous.

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