Il Christmas It's in the air, with its load of magic, sparkling lights and…sweet temptations!
This year, why not give a special touch to your Christmas recipes with a natural and versatile ingredient like honey?
Honey, a precious gift of nature
Honey is a extraordinary food, rich in beneficial properties and with an unmistakable flavor. Its natural sweetness makes it perfect for replace sugar in many preparations, giving a unique aroma and a touch of authenticity.
We like it because:
- it's a food design, which does not require any particular conservation techniques;
- can be used as sweetener;
- from immediate energy: a perfect ally, therefore, if consumed before intense physical activity;
- è highly digestible;
- is full of vitamins, mineral salts and amino acids;
- in the kitchen it can enhance many preparations;
- Is a great one ally in case of colds and sore throats: consumed alone and/or with a teaspoon and in herbal teas, hot milk and syrups, it can relieve cold symptoms and help us feel better (although it clearly cannot replace medicine!);
- her sweetness is irresistible!
Honey Spiced Cookies: A Delicious Idea for Christmas
Here's a quick and easy recipe, perfect for kids, to use honey in a traditional Christmas recipe: spiced honey biscuits.
Ingredients:
- 300g 00 flour (you can also mix it with rice flour and oat flour)
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 gr honey
- 15 g ginger powder
- 120 gr butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
image: Pexels.com
PreparationSoften the butter at room temperature and, when ready, pour it into a bowl along with the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, honey, and egg yolk. Mix well until smooth. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for thirty minutes.
After this time, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to obtain a sheet of about half a centimeter and then cut out with the Christmas cutters you have at home.
Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes. Once the cookies have cooled, store them in a glass jar or tin.
The icing for decorating the cookies
Honey can also be used to prepare the classic white icing which lends itself to decorating spiced Christmas cookies: here's the recipe to make it!
- 180 g of icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons of honey
- water to taste
Sift the icing sugar and mix it with honey and water until you obtain a thick, white mixture without lumps.
Decorate the cookies by spooning a little icing onto each cookie. Let the decorations cool and then transfer the cookies to bags or boxes.
image: Pexels.com
A special tip
For an even more special result choose a natural and organic honey, as the Honey from the Cigno Estate: its genuine flavour and superior quality will make your Christmas recipes even more special.
Format: 400g glass jar.
Organic Italian honey from Tenuta del Cigno è A one-hundred-percent artisanal, hand-made product that crystallizes over time; it's important to emphasize that this process indicates the product's good quality. When honey crystallizes it means that it has not undergone industrial treatments and is therefore natural and authentic.
It presents itself with beautiful intense yellow color, warm and close to gold, to emphasize its sweetness. It has a delicate flavor, surprising for its authenticity, with notes of lavender, wildflowers, and thyme. The aroma is vaguely floral, with hints of acacia flowers, and the flavor is sweet and delicate.
Furthermore, the Cigno Estate Honey it's organic And it isn't subjected to high-temperature processes: once the beekeeper has extracted the honey, that is, removed it from the comb, it is cold-processed without heating the honey and consequently altering the product. This way, all of its nutritional properties are preserved, and the product doesn't undergo any filtration process before being bottled.
The honey from Tenuta del Cigno tells the story of its land of origin, the scents and flowers of the place where the bees have gathered their honey: the fifteen hives of the farm They are surrounded by four hectares dedicated to the cultivation of the first and only organic Lavanda di Modena®, with a registered trademark, and a French-style vegetable garden dedicated to the cultivation of aromatic and medicinal herbs. All these essences, scents, and aromas "contaminate" the farm's honey and the well-being of the bees, giving this product notes of wildflowers and aromatic herbs like thyme.
It is possible to purchase honey and other farm products by contacting the farm: info@tenutadelcigno.com, tel. 059 465063 (Monday/Friday 09/13 – 14.30/18)
Merry Christmas and…sweet creations!