Counting Badge Cookies
Ingredients (makes approx. 24 cookies):
For the cookies:
- 250g butter
- 125g caster sugar
- 375g plain flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
To decorate:
- 500g fondant icing
- Bright gel food colourings
Note: Make sure you have a grown up with you to help with baking!
Method:
- Preheat oven to 160°C (Gas mark 2/325°F).
- Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
- Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, then whisk together until pale and fluffy.
- Sieve in the flour, then add the vanilla extract. Whisk again until the mixture comes together in a dough.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to around 1cm thick. Using a small round cookie cutter, cut circles from the dough, then carefully transfer them to the baking trays.
- Bake for around 15 minutes until golden.
- Once cooked, leave the shortbread rounds to cool on the baking trays for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Divide the fondant icing in two. Keep half white, then split the other half into 3 or 4 pieces and colour them with bright gel food colourings.
- Roll the white fondant out and cut fluted circles using a similar sized cookie cutter to the one you used to cut out the cookies. Place a white fondant circle on the top of each cookie.
- Roll out the coloured icings and cut numbers from them using mini number shaped cutters. Pop a number on top of each cookie – sticking it in place with a splash of water if needed.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container, layered with baking paper to separate them, until ready to serve.