Is this doable for an amateur baker? Christmas biscuits (pic included)

Biscotti are very easy and they keep really well too. I recommend this recipe from BBC Good Food.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/fruity-biscotti

I think as long as you keep it simple then it’s definitely do able

And tbh I’d be well chuffed with a box of homebaked goodies for christmas even if they looked a bit ‘rustic’

Are you good with finicky things that require attention and precision? I have inattentive adhd so it’s 50:50 whether I’ll forget I have something in the oven, or hyperfocus to perfection.

Do a test run now and see how you get on. Ime it’s not always easy to find the right size box for the size and shape of cutters you have available. When you measure, allow a little extra for the spread.

Double a standard mixture, so you can play around to see what combination fits together well.

If you’re dipping, use tempered dark chocolate. If the taste of milk chocolate is preferred use it in the middle of a sandwich because of the blooming issue described by another poster. Also it tends to reset a bit soft, so the texture is better as a filling. I don’t think it’s actually possible to temper modern milk chocolate (someone can correct me if I’m wrong) and it’s difficult to get it right with high quality chocolate too.

Split the work up, so you’re not pulling an all nighter. You can get boxes, and packaging ready in advance, make and freeze or refrigerate your dough, break up chocolate into pieces etc. They have a short shelf life so think carefully whether you have several hours to devote to this at an already extra busy time of year.

Because they need eating up, make small batches. You’re not competing with commercial tins full of additives. I’d be thrilled to get a box of wonky biscuits - homemade are so delicious! Shall I send you my address?

I think I have that recipe saved @Cackley but yet to make it. I will say if you have a gingerbread man cutter, if you turn it upside down it's now a reindeer!

One other biscuit you could make are florentines. As long as you don't get distracted as I did one year and over baked them they turn out fine, plus they look really festive.

Id do it..... Even if they don't turn out as planned they are made with time and love. A lot better than just picking up an item and buying it, not really much thought or effort there
The people eating them will not be bothered about what they look like it's that they taste nice

Do you have a digital kitchen scale that measures in grams? I've found weighing rather than measuring makes a big difference in my baking. I bought a cheap Amazon basics and have never looked back.

Thank you for that - I've never seen them before! I learnt to pipe with a bag at school (many years ago) so it's like using a pen for me, but I can see that if you're not used to a bag, the bottles might be a bit less fiddly.

Lakeland do a cutter set which is like Christmas jammy dodgers with different shapes on the lids - stars, snowflakes, houses etc.

use a basic recipe and for the sandwich use different spreads - bonmaman do a toffee apple spread which is delicious. Nutella, biscoff, lemon curd etc. you can decorate further with icing if you want but this method is really simple and reliable.

@Letthemeatgateau

Something along the lines of these. I'm not a great cook or baker but I find these were good for me. For some reason I just can't get the hang of piping bags.

Piping bottles

Or buy white writing icing that’s really easy!!

I think it's a nice idea, but just bear in mind that a lot of "food" in adverts or phographs isn't actually food. I went out with a guy who sculpted in polystyrene and other materials, and a lot of his contracts were with the food industry. So creating exact replicas using actual food ingredients is going to be nigh on impossible.

But baking Christmas treats is a lovely idea and something we have done when DS was younger. The more chocolate-based ones were made early on and frozen.

If you are very precise with thicknesses and weights, then you can get a more uniform appearance, but we tended to go for the rustic look.

Totally agree about style over substance.

A pet hate of mine are those OTT cakes with all kinds of things sculpted in fondant icing where the actual cake is really synthetic and almost irrelevant.

Give me a wonky homemade biscuit with quality ingredients any day!

In my personal experience, being a baker is one thing, but being artistic is another… and sometimes you need to be both!

I would say I’m a pretty good baker. In the sense that I bake yummy blondies, bronuts, cookies etc. And they really do taste delicious. But getting them to look good is a whole new kettle of fish! I mean my raspberry and white choc blondies don’t necessarily need to look great, but I’ve tried dipping home made cookies in melted white choc and icing holly/berries on them, so they look like Christmas puddings. And they just look like shit 🤣 but taste amazing!

On the flip side, I have a close friend who bakes as a side hustle and does all the local markets and things. Her speciality is blondies and brownies and she does all fancy flavours and fancy designs- they look amazing. But I’ve had quite a few over the years and it’s definitely style over substance. They taste quite dry and flavourless. And it’s not just me- other people have said this (I know, I know, we sound so bitchy). I genuinely believe mine taste better but look like crap.

So basically- who knows if you’ll be able to make them look as fab as the ones in the pic, and taste delicious..:but definitely give it a go! I’m sure they’ll be great!

I make biscuits every year at Christmas time. It takes hours but I enjoy doing it and people seem to appreciate it. I don't give them as a gift though. There is a tin sitting around at home which gets offered to visitors and a tin gets taken to work. In my personal option, shop bought taste better but on the other hand I know my biscuits have low sugar and all natural ingredients. Just choose a recipe you know will work and don't underestimate the time involved. I normally set aside a whole day for baking biscuit but I work with a few different kinds of dough which slows things down.

I make almost industrial quantities of gingerbread men for my village Christmas fête every year. They aren’t stacked in a presentation box, but they are sufficiently uniform to look good together. I think people want homemade biscuits to have natural variability, so don’t worry about perfection.

There’s only one way to find out - make a practice batch. From my own experience (and I mean this as no slight), a mediocre baker can turn out some pretty decent stuff with a good amount of perseverance, patience, and trial and error. If you’re looking to make them as gifts (and subject budget) then have a few practices to work out what you can (and can’t) do, make way more than you need so you can pick the good ones, and pack them into a nice presentation box.

You are giving me ideas OP! I might do the same after reading this.

Would it be OK to bake then freeze immediately and defrost before icing? I'm thinking I could give it as a gift but couldn't be baking the day before and they tend to go off quickly.

@YoureKillingMyPeace I think I'd be the same! One year I made all my friends some flavoured shortbread and made a nice bag and bow, it turned out pretty nice but nothing like that picture above!

Just go for it, you can eat any ones that caught a bit in the back of the oven (I always do).

I made some bauble-shaped shortbread last year for a neighbours gathering and they were popular. Any imperfections are usually hidden under a sprinkle of sugar and no one is going to be examining them in detail.

Homemade is so much nicer even with slightly wobbly icing.

My DH's cultural traditions includes making Christmas biscuits - lots of different types with totally different ingredients and methods. It's lovely but it's a major faff and lots of work. However, it would be a lot less work if you only used one dough. If the dough is one that freezes well you are onto a winner, and can get this done in three phases: 1) make and freeze dough, 2) cut out and bake, 3) decorate.

Unless you have the patience of a saint (or if you do want it to look like in the pic), don't do this with small children. If you want to do with small children, I'd recommend you do step 1 & 2 before getting them involved, except for a small amount of cutting out shapes during step 2. The make or break with biscuits is knowing your oven (e.g. does it bake evenly) and timings - they go from underdone to burnt in a flash!

Give it a go! I love getting a tin of homemade Christmas biscuits, and since it's unusual in the UK, people love receiving them as gifts. We get quite unsubtle hints about whether or not we will be making them again this year!

I don't think a piping bottle would be better than a bag...

Also, chocolate if not tempered can bloom and not look good after a while, unless you use them quickly. Also you could dust in cocoa or icing.

You can freeze dough and biscuits at various stages which can make for much easier time management!

I'd definitely go for it. If you have time and you won't get stressed, it should be enjoyable. You'll learn a lot and be developing skills to achieve effects you're really proud of.

Very doable, made them with a succession of children and they always turn out well.

Go for it, they are definitely doable. Good sharp cutters and a good oven and you'll be fine.

Got to ask @Justonemorecoffeeplease What's a piping bottle? I only ever use bags as they're so easy to control, is a bottle better?