I was watching a TV show about a month ago showing an expensive cookie recipe using butter, flour, egg, almond meal and caster sugar (extra fine sugar for everyone in the US). The TV host made up the dough, rolled it out thinly (3-5mm).
She used a 11 inch angel cookie cutter and cut out angel shapes, then also cut out stars in the middle of the angel. In the star space she put in crushed candy.. (I used hard fruit drops) in reds or greens. When cooked at 350 deg the cookies baked and the candy melted in the star shape. They were called Stained Glass Almond Angels.
Before she put the shapes in the oven, she poked a hole at the top of each angel and when baked they can be hung from the Christmas tree.
I decided to try this and, boy did I wish I tried another recipe. It was pretty expensive, not frugal at all.
Well, I tried my normal run of the mill inexpensive butter, flour mixture and hey presto, I got the same results.
Still tasted nice and my DD10 said that it was better than the other. She said the original recipe was too rich for her liking.
I'm making some of these again tonight so that I can give out some Christmas presents to friends at church. I'm also trying a "ALMOND AND MACADAMIA NUT PRALINE" recipe which was on the same TV show, but here in Australia Macadamia nuts are a lot cheaper as they're native to Australia.
I intend to make this and wrap them in some pretty cellophane and there you have it, another inexpensive pressie for people I love and would like to give something nice to but who can afford to buy presents for everyone? I know we try and most of us end up bankrupting ourselves in the process.
There are so many inexpensive baked goodies that we can give out, including gift in a jar cookies. I love that idea.
Have fun out there, and remember, it's what's in your heart and not your purse that matters.
God bless,
Bev in Australia