I've been amazingly busy with Christmas preparation and thank God my workplace is off for Christmas closure until 2016. Finally, I get to have some fun minus work and to attend lots of gathering with family and friends.

That being said, Junior's children church will be hosting a Christmas Pot Bless and so I've decided to bake some cookies for the kids to enjoy!

Danish butter cookies is a traditional and very popular Danish Christmas recipe (and cookie jar favorite too!). These cookies are incredibly easy to make and only require a handful of "common" ingredients.

This is one of the best and delicious Christmas snacks that will surely be enjoyed by the kids.

Danish Butter Cookies

115gm Unsalted Butter (softened)
35gm Icing Sugar
125gm Plan Flour (all-purpose flour)
1/4 tsp Baking Powder

Directions:

• Preheat the AirFryer to 170°C.
• Place the butter in a large bowl and beat with a whisk until very soft and pale. Add in the icing sugar and beat until smooth. 
   
    
   
  
• Sift in the flour and baking powder and beat together to form a soft and sticky dough.
   
  
• Spoon the dough into a pipping bag fitted with a fluted nozzle. Pipe the dough onto the baking sheet (make sure the baking sheet fits the AirFryer basket) according to your liking.
   
   
  
• Gently place the baking sheet on the AirFryer basket and cover it with the lid. AirBake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until set and pale golden around the edges.(Tips: The baking sheet will be flying in the AirFryer because the cookies dough are too light)
   
  

• Alternatively, you can bake it in the oven at 170-180°C for about 10-12 minutes.
• Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. 
   
   
   
  

As Christmas is around the corner so I decided to bake a very Christmassy bread - Cinnamon Raisin Bread. This bread is rich in flavor with a burst of raisins in every bite.

What could be better than waking up to the aroma of this warm baked bread!?

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

1 cup Milk (240ml)
30gm Butter
381gm Bread Flour
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
1.5 tsp Salt
1.5 tsp Cinnamon Powder
2 tsp Instant Yeast
3/4 cup Raisin

Placing all the ingredients except raisins in bread maker pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer (usually wet ingredients then follow by dry ingredients).
Select Sweet cycle, use Light crust with 1.5 lbs bread size.
Add raisins when the bread maker beep to indicate that it is time to add the additional ingredient.
Remove baked bread from pan and cool on wire rack before slicing.

 

I've always love  to eat Panettone and it is a special bread because it is only available during the Christmas season....my yearly Christmas treat. Panettone is also known as the Italian Christmas bread, it is very similar to fruitcake and traditionally served during the holidays. This bread is truly a holiday treasure to so many families including mine!

This bread has long history among the Itallian community, one legend holds that in the late 1400s, a young Milanese nobleman fell in love with the daughter of a baker named Toni and created "Pan de Toni" to impress his love's father.

So here is my A to Z in Bread Maker Panettone, even the bread turns out to be very colorful and Christmassy. This Italian Christmas bread is made in a bread maker so it takes very little preparation time. Happy Baking!

Panettone [Italian Christmas Bread]

100gm Whipping Cream
140gm Water
130gm Condensed Milk
1 tsp Salt
14gm Butter
423 Bread Flour
2 tsp Instant Yeast
100gm Mixed Fruits (or/and candied orange peel - gives more fruity kick)
1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract (or Rum)

Put all the ingredients except the mixed fruits in the bread maker pan (according to your model's instruction). Usually I will put all the wet ingredients then follow by dry ingredients, and lastly add in the yeast.
Set the bread maker to Sweet Mode with 1.5lbs and Light crust. Only add in the mixed fruits when the machine beeps to indicate that it is time to add the additional ingredient.
Let the bread maker do all the baking, once it is done remove baked bread from the pan and let it cool on wire rack.