Embossed Christmas biscuits

1. Sift the flour and baking powder.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
3. Add half the dry ingredients and beat in on a low speed. Add the remainder and stir in gently.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Form the dough pieces into discs and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for about 5 hours or until firm.
5. Heat oven and line two baking trays with baking paper. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 15mm.
6. Cut out with festive cutters or use rubber stamps. Dip rubber stamps in flour, tap off excess and press into raw dough in rows, leaving a border between biscuits with a serrated pastry wheel and transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking trays.
7. Bake one tray at a time in a 180 ºC preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden. Remove tray from the oven and leave the biscuits on the tray until firm. Slide baking paper with biscuits off the tray onto a surface to cool completely. Repeat process until all the biscuits are baked.
Makes 60.