Christmas Trees, Angels and Stars

Ingredients
- softened unsalted butter - 320g (110z)
- caster sugar - 180g (6oz)
- salt - 1/4 teaspoon
- plain flour - 500g (1lb)
- White Frosting
- icing sugar - 500g (1lb)
- organic or free range egg whites - 2
- lemon - 1, strained juice
- glycerine - 1 -2 drops (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 150degC.
Cream together the butter, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy. Sift the flour and beat into the creamed ingredients to make a rough dough. Divide the dough into four pieces and and flatten each one into a patty shape about 4cm thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 -2 hours or until firm. Remove from fridge one at a time and roll each piece out between two sheets of baking paper to about 5mm (1/4inch) thickness.
Use Christmas cookie cutters (Christmas trees, angels, bells, stars, gingerbread men) to cut out shapes. Transfer shapes carefully, using a palette knife, to trays lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake cookies for 20 minutes, then turn down heat to 100degC (200degF) and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and transfer to cake racks to cool. Decorate when cold.
Fit a piping bag with a nozzle with a fine point and half fill the bag with white frosting. Pipe decorative patterns over cookies and decorate with cachous and coloured sugars.
For the White Frosting: Sift the icing sugar. Whisk the egg whites until stiff in a mixing bowl and gradually add the icing sugar, lemon juice and glycerine (if using). Keep beating until thick. Cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to use, or put into a plastic container with tight fitting lid (the frosting dries out quickly when exposed to air).
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