• Heat the oven to 170C. 
• Sift the flour into a bowl, add the sugar and mixed spice and mix well together.
• Work in the butter with your fingertips - keep it in one piece and gradually work in the dry ingredients.
• When the mixture starts to come together, add the finely chopped raisins and mixed peel.
• Knead the chopped raisins and mixed peel into the mixture until the dough comes together in a ball. 
• Pat down on a work surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about 1/2 cm (1/8 in) and cut out with a plain edged (8 cm) cookie cutter.
•  As you cut the cookies place them on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment or a mat.  
• Gather together the remaining dough and cut more cookies, repeating  until all the dough has been used and all the cookies are on a baking sheet.  I used two baking sheets. 

To glaze

• Mix together the lightly beaten egg white with a tablespoon of caster sugar, then brush the tops of the cookies with this glaze. 
• Bake in the oven at 170C 8-10 minutes until firm and pale golden brown. Lift onto a cooling tray with a spatula.

To make the crosses

• Once the cookies are completely cool.  Place the white chocolate buttons into a disposable piping bag, clip the end of the bag, The place the closed end into a bowl of boiled water and leave until the chocolate has melted.
• Carefully snip the end of the piping bag and pipe a cross on top of each cookie.  This is quite tricky as the chocolate wants to run.  As an alternative, you could use ready-made royal icing to pipe the crosses. 
• Leave until the chocolate is firm, then pack carefully into an airtight container until ready to serve.