Christmas Pudding Shortbread

I found this recipe in the Better Homes & Gardens magazine, and it's a great one to keep on hand!  Chances are, you'll have most, if not all, of the ingredients on hand. They're super easy to whip up and make gorgeous little gifts if wrapped up in some cellophane.  It's a great chance to pull out those Christmas Cookie Cutters and get the kids involved too!  I didn't have any demerara sugar, so I just mixed up some caster sugar and cinnamon and sprinkled that on instead - delicious!

Ingredients
125g butter, at room temp
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup rice flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
extra flour for kneading
1 eggwhite, whisked
1/3 cup demerara sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 160C. Line 2 large oven trays with baking paper. 

Put butter, brown sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat using electric beaters until light and creamy. 

Sift flour, rice flour, cinnamon, cloves, mixed spice and nutmeg over butter mixture and stir until well combined.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until mixture comes together.

Roll out dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Using a 7cm round fluted biscuit cutter, cut 15 rounds from dough, re-rolling as required. Cut rounds from dough, re-rolling as required. 

Put rounds on prepared trays, brush with eggwhite and sprinkle with demerara sugar. 

Bake for 15-20 mins or until light golden and firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.