It’s a great way to let them unleash their decorating skills
If you’ve got any budding bakers living in your house, this recipe from Siúcra is the ideal way to spend a few hours over the Easter holidays. And you’ll have something delicious to eat with your cuppa in the evening too!
Prep Time: 2 hours
Makes: 24 3-inch cookies
Total Time: 3 hours
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For the cookies
280g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
170g butter, at room temperature
150g Siúcra granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the royal icing
3 egg whites
450g Siúcra icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Food colourings of your choice
Method
- Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed for about 2 minutes, until completely smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add another tbsp of flour.
- Lightly flour a surface. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
- Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 180c/160°c fan/gas mark 4. Line 2-3 large baking trays with parchment paper. Using a cookie cutter – egg-shaped, bunny-shaped, duck-shaped etc – cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
- Arrange cookies three inches apart on baking trays. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking tray halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium-low speed for about 1 minute until frothy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the icing sugar and vanilla. Once fully incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks shiny peaks form.
- Divide icing up between a few bowls to colour using food dyes. Fill a piping bag with your colours and cut a very small hole at the bottom. Outline and flood with your base colours. Allow icing to set. Add decorative designs in different colours like polka dots, flowers, marbling, or stripes to the cookies. Icing will completely set in about two hours at room temperature.
