Christmas gifts: Adam Liaw's recipe for salt and brown sugar cookies

1. Sift the flours and baking powder together. You may need to make the dough in two batches, depending on the size of your mixer. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, cream the butter and sugars together, then add the eggs and a couple of tablespoons of cold water.

2. Reduce the speed to slow and scatter in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until a dough forms. Divide the dough into four portions and wrap each with cling film. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Dust your benchtop and a rolling pin with icing sugar. Roll out one portion of dough until it's about ½ cm thick. Cut into your preferred shapes with cookie-cutters (or a Stanley knife and stencil) and transfer to a non-stick baking sheet.

4. Scatter the top of each cookie with a little sea salt and lightly press the salt down into the surface of the dough. Refrigerate for a further 10 minutes before baking. Heat your oven to 180C. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until they start to brown at the edges. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Repeat for the remaining dough.

Adam's tip Stamp individual messages into your cookies to give them an even more personal touch. Cookie stamps are available from baking suppliers. This recipe will make 50 to 100 biscuits, depending on your cookie-cutters