Christmas cookies

We’ve been crazy busy the last couple of weeks and it seems like ages since I cooked with the kids. This weekend I wanted us to do some Christmas craft so we made cookies yesterday and decorated them today – it kept the little’uns entertained for ages!

It was great to take a step back and watch the kids enjoying themselves decorating these cookies. They also enjoyed eating them, hardly waiting for the icing to set.

The cookies were made using the same recipe I used to make star biscuits, although I left the vanilla essence out because I thought the icing and decorations would give it enough flavour.

It doesn’t really matter what type of decorations you use but I did find a shimmer spray on offer at the supermarket which the kids were fascinated by – when I sprayed it it fizzed before leaving the iced biscuits sparkling.

Ingredients

Makes 10 large cookies

For the cookies

• 125g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 100g margarine
• 50g caster sugar

For decoration

• 150g icing sugar
• 1 & 1/2 – 2 tbsp water
• A few drops green food colouring
• Sprinkles, chocolate strands, shimmer spray etc

Method

To make the cookies

1. Heat your oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
2. Measure the sugar and margarine into a mixing bowl and mix them together with a wooden spoon until the margarine is soft, you can’t see the sugar any more and the mixture has lightened. 
   

   
3. Sift the flour into the margarine and sugar mixture and stir well to combine. When ready you will be able to roll the mixture into a soft ball.
4. Spread some flour on your worktop, put the ball of cookie dough on the flour and sprinkle some more flour on top of the dough.
5. Roll the dough to around the thickness of a £1 coin, then cut out your cookies and place them on the baking tray.
6. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the cookies are just turning golden. Place on a cooling rack until completely cool.

For the decoration

1. Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the water gradually until all the icing sugar is combined and the mixture is thick and gloopy.
3. Spoon some of the icing onto a snowman cookie and add whatever decorations you have, then place aside and let the icing set.
4. Once all the snowmen have been decorated add a few drops of green food colouring to the remaining icing and mix well until the colour is even.
5. Spoon the icing onto the Christmas trees and decorate, then leave until the icing has hardened.

 

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