Festive Spice Cookies

Sieve the flour, spices and salt together into a bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add the honey and beaten egg. Stir to fully combine. Sift in the dry ingredients in a few batches. The mixture will be a bit stiff but still soft and not dry.

Divide the dough into two batches and wrap the halves in cling film. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 3-4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line several large baking trays with greaseproof paper, or if they are non-stick simply butter them and set aside.

Lightly flour the work surface, then roll out one half of the dough. Stamp out festive trees using a tree-shaped cutter. Lay on the baking sheets with spaces between them, then add on the smarties or other coloured beans.

When you have stamped out enough to fill the tray, place in the oven and bake for 8 - 10 minutes. They want to be golden in colour but still fairly soft as they harden up a little after cooking. Repeat this process until all the mixture has been used up. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.