Recipe: Orange, cinnamon and chocolate biscuit tree

BISCUITS

100g unsalted softened butter

100g caster sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

zest of one orange

½ tsp orange extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

260g plain flour

GANACHE

200ml double cream

150g 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped

TO FINISH

70g roasted chopped hazelnuts

Allergens are marked in bold

Preheat the oven to 160° C CircoTherm®. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

In a bowl whisk the butter and sugar together until creamy and pale. To this add the egg, zest, orange extract and cinnamon and whisk again for a few seconds. Now add the flour and combine it all well with a spoon or your hands. Bring the dough together and wrap it well. Let it rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Draw a star shape on a piece of paper roughly 20 cm big and then draw another 15 sizes, going slightly smaller with every star. Divide the dough into small portions and roll them out into circles. Using the paper stars cut out the biscuit shapes and place them on the prepared baking tray.

The bigger biscuits will bake around 15 minutes and the smaller ones for 6-8 minutes. Keep an eye on the biscuits and get them out of the oven once they start to change colour. Leave them aside to cool completely.

In a pan heat the cream and bring it to a boil. Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream on top. Stir it for few seconds until all the chocolate has melted. Let it cool slightly then put it in a piping bag.

Pipe a bit of chocolate on the points of each star and sprinkle some hazelnuts on top, which will stick to the chocolate. Now assemble the biscuit tree.

Start with the biggest biscuit and pipe some ganache in the middle. Now repeat with the other biscuits, going smaller every time. Once the tree is assembled let it set before moving it to the Christmas table.