Pistachio Cream and Salted Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

This might be a bit controversial but I don't particularly love thick cookies. Don't get me wrong, they look spectacular. For photography purposes who can beat a picture of a fat cookie, big as your hand stuffed with chocolate and topped with candy bars. And for video purposes the break and pull shot with oozy filling spilling out is hard to beat.

But I need more than pretty looks, I need substance, and soul, and layers of flavour and texture instead of dense sugary propped up dough.

Enter these pistachio and salted chocolate brown butter cookies. Caramel undertones of browned butter, fragrant vanilla, crunchy chopped pistachios, smooth creamy pistachio butter, melt in your mouth dark chocolate, crisp cookie and flakes of salt weaving together to produce a harmoniously satisfying experience with every bite.

I made quite a few versions of this cookie while creating my favourite, adding a few grams extra flour here, taking out some butter to come up with the most pleasing mix between buttery candy like texture that was firm enough to keep it's shape and hold up to cookie like treatment. 

In the final version I have melted the butter with a tablespoon of milk powder which results in a crazy amount of browning in the butter. If you are not keen to brown the butter, you can just melt the butter and you will still end up with a lovely cookie, if you are not browning the butter and just melting it, reduce the amount of butter to 130 grams(4 5/8oz) to account for evaporation during the browning process.

As these cookies are soft and buttery, they need to rest on the trays to cool. 

\I shaped my cookies after baking using a round cookie cutter, by placing the cutter over the cookies and swirling them around in little circles. If are not quick enough or bake the cookies too much this technique will not work.

I bought my pistachio cream from Costco - I have seen the exact same brand on Amazon (CLICK HERE). If you don't want to buy pistachio cream you can save yourself some money and time, leave it out and the cookies will still be delicious. While I was making the cookies I thought they would make be amazing with Nutella and hazelnuts in place of the pistachio.

Happy Baking XX

Linda M

Pistachio Salted Dark Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

makes 10 cookies x 10cm (apex 4") in size (60gram or 2oz uncooked dough). Store in an airtight container up to 3 days. Uncooked dough can be portioned into cookie serves, frozen wrapped in plastic wrap and defrosted for baking. 

I shaped my cookies after baking with a circle cookie cutter around 10cm (4 inches) across .

140g (4 7/8oz)salted butter

1 Tbsp dried milk powder

170g (6oz) plain (all purpose) flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 baking powder (baking powder)

120g (4 1/4oz) brown sugar

50g (1 3/4oz) granulated white sugar

1 egg room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

120g (4 1/4oz) dark chocolate cut into chunks - reserve some for adding to top half way through baking as mine was chunks I reserved around 55g (1 7/8oz) if you have chips reserve a few chips per cookie

45g (1 5/8 oz) or 1/3 cup shelled raw pistachios chopped (reserve 1 Tbsp of finely chopped nuts) 

70g (2 1/2oz) pistachio cream

1 tsp flaky salt

Prior to starting to brown the butter have a heat safe container which can hold 2 cups of more ready to pour the hot butter into. 

In a saucepan heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Stir with a rubber spatula or whisk so the butter cooks evenly. When the butter is melted add the 1 tbsp of milk powder. Continue to cook until the milk solids start to brown and immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and pour into the heat safe bowl. Make sure you scrap all the browned milk solids from the saucepan into the melted butter.

Allow the butter to cool a little while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, brown sugar and white sugar into a large bowl.

Add the melted brown butter, egg and vanilla to the large bowl of dry ingredients and mix until combined using a large spoon or spatula. Make sure all the ingredients are wet and mixed in.

Add the chopped chocolate (making sure to save some to add later to the top during baking) and the chopped pistachio and mix until distributed evenly. Pop bowl into fridge to chill around 30 minutes.

Cover 2 cookie trays with parchment paper or silopat mat* Divide the cookie dough into 10 equal portions of about 60g (2 1/4 oz) each. Shape into a tall cylinder and poke an indent into the top of each cookie. Add pistachio cream into the middle indent of each cookie. Chill the dough for at least another 30 minutes. You can chill for longer up to overnight if you like but keep the cookies in an airtight container if chilling for longer than an hour.

Preheat oven to 175C (350F) fan forced. Once oven is heated put cookies in oven and bake for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, add extra reserved chocolate on top of cookies, rotate tray positions and return to oven to bake further 6-7 minutes until the cookies start to brown around the edges.

Remove from oven, if you are shaping the cookies using the round cookie cutter, quickly do so by putting the cutter over the cookie and swirling it around if a small circle lightly to result in an even shape, Sprinkle the reserved finely chopped pistachio and flaked salt onto the top of the cooked cookies.

Allow cookies to cool on tray until set.

* I trialed baking the cookies on both a silo pat mat and parchment paper. The silopat mat ended up a more pleasing shape as they spread more evenly, the parchment paper lined trays ended up a crispier cookie, both were very good, I will probably use the silopat mat for aesthetic purposes in future.

Original photos and recipe from the Bubble and Sweet blog ©Linda McCubbin 2025. I love when people share my blog ideas and give credit. Please feel free to link back to my blog for non commercial purposes or contact me. Affiliate links and adds may earn me money, however all ideas and opinions are my own.

Linda Mccubbin is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US in 2011 (under my previous name Linda Vandermeer).

Sweet bunny cookies with floral headbands and a new You Tube tutorial

 

Similar Bunny Cookie available here on Amazon

I'm making bunny cookies for Easter and just couldn't find a cutter I truly loved in any of the stores around here. What is going on in the world? All I could find is little mini cutters with matching embossers like they sell on temu or shein for  a couple of dollars.....and I just felt they had no character and definitely did not match the cookies I had in mind.

So I decided to go back to basics and hand cut the cookies. I hand drew a design I wanted, copied it onto some clean card stock and used it as a template for a couple of test cookies. Then I remembered my brother has a 3D printer and I sent him a photo asking if there was any way we could make a cookie cutter.

True story, a few hours later he was at my door with a cookie cutter that he had made downloading the picture I sent. Have I mentioned in the past he is a top tier brother that can be relied on to enable my cookie or cake craziness at the drop of a hat? Some of you might remember when he helped me mount a unicorn head cake to a mirror on a wall (HERE).

Anyway it is dangerous information to know that he can whip me up any cookie shape I need in next to no time. There are actually no cookie limits now!

So with my newly created cookie cutter I have been working on a theme for this years Easter cookies and have come up with a few designs that I like.The kids favourite is this sweet bunny with floral headband for which I've also made a matching floral egg. 

I've popped up a YouTube video of me making the cookie so you can follow along and make your own. Basic written instructions plus my sugar cookie roll out dough are below.

I hope you find them as cute and delicious as we do.

Happy Baking

xx

Linda

Bunny with floral headband instructions 

Ingredients

12 Bunny Cookies (see below for recipe)

white fondant

How much fondant will I need. This is a tricky one as everyone rolls out their fondant different thicknesses and lots of cookie cutters look the same but are different sizes. I find this best way is to roll out one fondant cookie shape then weigh the fondant and multiply it by the number of cookies you are making, then add a little bit excess. Remember fondant dries out quickly so always keep it wrapped in plastic wrap and in an airtight container.

Royal icing mix (around 1 cup powder)

food colour (pink and leaf green)

black edible marker 

pink edible paint (can use food colour diluted with a little rose spirits)

pink edible dusting powder

Equipment

Bunny cookie cutter (similar one available on Amazon here)

small daisy plunger flower cutter approx 13mm (1/2 inch)

small 5 petal plunger flower cutter approx 8mm (1/3 inch)

mini 5 petal plunger flower cutter approx 6mm (1/4 inch)

small plastic rolling pin

foam pad 

assorted brushes 

piping tips (round 1 or 2) x 2 small leaf tip 349 (or similar)

Piping bags and couplers X 3

Here is a link to amazon with some cutters and fondant tools like the ones used in the video

https://amzn.to/3E79Fly

Step1 - Bake your bunny cookies for these instructions we make 12 bunny cookies

See below for recipe

Step 2 - Make floral decorations

I like to make my floral decorations before hand. For this design you will need 1 small daisy, 1 small 5 petal flower and 1 mini 5 petal flower. If you don't have these exact sizes you can make a similar design with other plunger cutters.

For 12 bunny cookies you will need 12 pink small daisy's, 12 pink small 5 petal flowers, 12 pink mini 5 petal flowers and 24 white mini 5 petal flowers.

Colour a small amount of fondant pink. I used over the top pink gel food colour. Dust your bench with cornflower/cornstarch and roll the fondant out with a plastic mini rolling pin until a couple of mm thick (1/8 inch). Press out the flower shapes and place onto a foam pad.

Using fondant tools (Dresden/veiner and ball tools), shape the flowers. Press small indents into each of the daisy's petals, and using the ball tool gently press each of the 5 petals on each flower. Using the below picture as a guide for each bunny make 3 flowers. Set aside in a pain palette to dry overnight.

Step 3 - cover the cookies with white fondant (or what ever colour you like)

Once the cookies are cool, cover them with white fondant. To do this dust you work bench with cornflour/ cornstarch and roll the fondant out until a few mm (1/4 inch) thick. Using your bunny cookie cutter press out the bunny shape. Lightly brush the cookie with water using a clean brush and adhere there fondant to the cookie by lightly pressing down with the rolling pin. Gently roll the fondant out to the edges of the cookie if needed. You are aiming for a smooth even finish.

Allow the fondant to dry out a little then store in an airtight container in a single layer overnight.

Next day

Step 4 - Mix up royal icing

Following instructions mix up royal icing. You are just making accents and 1/3 of a cup of each colour is enough. The pink and white should be a consistency they pipe a Nice rounded dot. The green will need to be a stiff peak consistency if you want the leaves to hold a nice shape. I put the icing into plastic wrap and then slide them into my disposable piping bags, that I have already cut off the tip and popped a coupler into. When I am ready to use I snip off the tip of the plastic wrap and screw on the tip I am using with the coupler.

Step 5 - Add the floral decorations and royal icing accents

Using the white royal icing, adhere the flowers around the base of the bunnies ears. Pipe a white dot into the small pink mini flower. I add a few dots around the flowers for a little visual interest.

Using the pink royal icing, pipe a bunny nose and pipe pink dot in the centre into the 2 flowers with white centres.

Using the green royal icing pipe on leave accents as per the picture.

Step 6 - Paint on the ears

Using edible paint, paint on the bunny ears. If you like you can use pink royal icing to pipe ear centres.

Step 7 - Draw on eyes

Using the edible marker draw a small semi circle with lashes for the eyes. If the fondant has not set a little be very carful as the marker will press down and leave an indent.

Step 8 - Add a rosy cheek

Using edible dust on a dry brush, dust a small circle on the cheek. Using a seperate clean brush dust off any excess.

Step 9 - Share and enjoy your cookie greatness

Linda's Best Ever Roll Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

460 grams plain flour (16 1/4 oz all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
230 grams unsalted butter (8 1/8oz)room temperature
220 grams caster sugar (7 3/4 oz superfine sugar)# 
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
#use regular white sugar if you do not have caster/ superfine sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the sifted flour mixture until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Line a few baking trays with parchment/ baking paper.

Dust workbench with plain flour and using a large rolling pin roll out the dough until around 1/2 cm (1/4") in thickness. If the dough is to hard you may need to work/knead it a bit until you can roll it out.

Cut out cookies shapes and place the cookies on the prepared trays. (Knead and reroll dough as necessary, if it becomes to soft you can pop it back in the fridge.)

Pop the cut cookie dough trays into the fridge to chill again for around 30 minutes until firm (or in the freezer for 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F) and cook the cookies until they just start to turn golden, around 15 minutes (less or more depending on cookie size).

Cool on trays for 5 minutes and then carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool completely prior to decorating.

- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week.

Original photos and recipe from the Bubble and Sweet blog ©Linda McCubbin 2025. I love when people share my blog ideas and give credit. Please feel free to link back to my blog for non commercial purposes. Affiliated links and adds may earn me money, however all ideas and opinions are my own.

Raspberry Heart Linzer cookies

One of the things about owning a cafe was I rarely found enough time to blog or develop new recipes. Once customers found something they liked, I would be churning out the same cookies day after day. I can't call it a problem though as these Linzer cookies were always super popular and often sold out.

The cookies are lovely, buttery but still manage to be light with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon and once filled are not overly sweet and the perfect treat to have with afternoon coffee or tea. 

At the cafe they were filled with raspberry jam or lemon curd (raspberry was the biggest seller) and at Christmas we would change the heart cut out to a mini Christmas tree.

The cookie recipe calls for Almond Meal which is simply ground almonds. I actually often buy my almond meal from Costco and find it to be of good quality, I prefer the one with the skins removed but if you can only find ground almond still with their skin on the recipe would still work.

If you like you can freeze the dough in smaller batches before baking if you like, although I did scale my recipe back for you to make a smaller batch than I normally would.

The cookies can be stored for a few days, but I find them best if stored without the jam filling and then filled not long before you plan on eating them.

*I usually pop the unused egg whites into a ziplock bag in the freezer to use later to make meringue or macarons.

The dough is quite buttery so make sure you use the kitchen bench and rolling pin well with flour. I use an offset metal spatula to lift the cookies onto my baking tray.

I hope you enjoy these as much as my family and friends do.

xx

Linda

Linzer Cookie Recipe makes 16-18 double cookies filled with jam (7cm or 2 3/4")

170g unsalted butter (6oz) 1 1/2 sticks

100g caster sugar (3 1/2 oz)

1tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 egg yolk

160g plain flour (5 5/8 oz)

75g ground almond meal (2 5/8 oz)

pinch salt

To finish

around 1/2 cup raspberry jam 

icing sugar (powdered sugar) for dusting 

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon on low until combined with an electric mixer (I use a stand mixer) then increase speed to high and cream until light and fluffy.

reduce speed of mixer to medium low and mix in egg yolk until combined. Scrap down the sides with a spatula as needed.

At low speed mix in the flour, almond meal and salt and mix until combined.

Put some plastic wrap on the counter, tip the cookie dough onto the plastic, wrap securely and pop in the refrigerator until it's firm enough to work with. 

Dust counter and rolling pin with flour, cut away 1/4 of the dough and roll out until 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles and place on baking tray. 

Try cutters like this from Amazon (link to product)

On half of the circles cut out/remove a smaller heart shape in the centre as per the picture.

Bake at 160 C for 12-15 mins or until just turning golden. Allow to cool on trays.

Split the cooked and cooled cookies into 2 lots, the whole round cookies and the cookies with hearts cut out. Using a sieve, dust icing sugar (powdered sugar) onto the heart cut out cookies.

Place the whole circle cookies so the bottoms are facing up (the side that was on the bottom during cooking). Heat the jam in the microwave and then spoon 1/2 to 1 tsp jam on each round cookie and spread almost to the edge with a knife or spatula. Press the sugar dusted heart cookie on top of the jam.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I love bunny cookies or how to make squiggly cookies

Oh my it's nearly Easter!

How did that happen so fast. I know I've moved house and been keeping busy trying to keep the kids lives as normal as possible with all the changes but seriously......... Easter that's like quarter of the way through the year.

If you're as bewildered as I am these simple bunny cookies might make you happy.

They are modern, easy and fun.

My son, The Destroyer, loves this type of hand painted cookie, he calls them the squiggly ones.

I admit I have a soft spot for them too and have been using them as filler cookies for other sets quite a bit lately. They are even lovelier if you happen to have some edible gold on hand.

I didn't have a chance to make up instructions for the bunny cookies but I have in the past made sweet deer cookies and the process is exactly the same.

CLICK HERE for the link to my post showing how to decorate them yourself.

See below for my cookie recipe.

Happy Baking

Shop the shoot Guide




Confetti Paper Plates from Bash Party Goods (mine purchased at Lark)
Purple spot chalkboard cards part of set from Kmart
Washi tape from Kmart
Purple Marshmallow Puffs - Big Lolly Australia

Sugar Cookie Recipe (makes 24 regular cookies or 60 small)

460 grams plain flour (16 1/4 oz all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
230 grams unsalted butter (8 1/8oz)room temperature
220 grams caster sugar (7 3/4 oz superfine sugar)# 
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
#use regular white sugar if you do not have caster/ superfine sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the sifted flour mixture until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Line a few baking trays with parchment/ baking paper.

Dust workbench with plain flour and using a large rolling pin roll out the dough until around 1/2 cm (1/4") in thickness. If the dough is to hard you may need to work/knead it a bit until you can roll it out.

Cut out cookies shapes and place the cookies on the prepared trays. (Knead and reroll dough as necessary, if it becomes to soft you can pop it back in the fridge.)

Pop the cut cookie dough trays into the fridge to chill again for around 30 minutes until firm (or in the freezer for 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F) and cook the cookies until they just start to turn golden, around 15 minutes (less or more depending on cookie size).

Cool on trays for 5 minutes and then carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool completely prior to decorating.

- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week.

Hopefully I'll hop too it and type up some instructions for these Bunny Love cookies soon Xx

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the Children's cookbook Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! Published in the USA in 2011 the book is still available at Amazon and many online bookstores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original ideas, photography and recipes Linda Vandermeer please do not reuse without permission except for non commercial purposes where you may use 1 image, give credit and link back to original post.

Hello Sweetie cutie patootie treats for Valentines Day

Valentines Day is one of my favourite days of the year. I mean how could I not love a day filled with hearts, love and lollies (candy).

This year I have come up with some cute heart cookie faces that were inspired by some Hello Kitty Pez dispensers I picked up at The Reject Shop and using a heart cookie cutter they sent me.

I'm calling them 'Hello sweetie!' My kids thought they were super cutie patootie and of course they adored the Pez dispensers.

I teamed them up with water colour and edible gold leaf decorated heart cookies to make a sweet set. Just add the Pez and some extra lollies and you have a perfectly cute little bundle.

Pink decorating set, pink twist marshmallows and pez from The Reject Shop

I also made up another set of cookies for The Reject Shop savvy blog using some of the baking products they have out at the moment. I was a bit smitten with the pink pastel squeeze bottles for decorating in The Art of Baking decorating set they sent me.

Happy Baking

Hello Sweetie cookies 

Heart Shape Cookies (see cookie recipe below)
Heart Cookie Cutter 
White rolled fondant
Violet, red and pink fondant
White food colour
Black edible marker
Pink edible dusting powder
Small Rolling Pin
Ball tool
Veining/Dresden tool
Brush and water
small thin brush
Another dry brush

^fondant dries out quickly, when not in use store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. To use fondant knead until pliable and smooth and roll out on a workbench dusted with cornflour (cornstarch). 

Knead white fondant until smooth and pliable. Dust workbench with cornflour (corn starch) and roll out fondant until quite thin then using the heart cutter cut out a fondant shape.

Brush water onto the cookie and adhere the fondant, use the rolling pin to smooth the fondant into place.

Take a small amount of red fondant a little larger than the size of a pea and roll into 3 tiny balls. Press the balls flat. Brush a little water on the top corner of the cookie and press 2 of the flat shapes onto the cookie - see picture above for example. Use a ball tool to press an indent in the center of the round shapes to make a bow. Press the third round shape into the middle of the other 2. Pain dots onto the finished bow using the thin brush and white food colour.

Draw eyes onto the cookie using an edible food colour pen. * On some of the other cookies I used black fondant to make bigger open eyes, you can play around and make the eyes however you prefer.

Pinch off 2 very small pieces of pink fondant and shape into lips, adhere to the cookie as per picture making a top and bottom lip. Press the ball tool in the middle to make the lips into a pucker. If necessary use the veining tool to push the lips into shape.

Use the dry brush to gently apply a little bit of pink dusting powder to the cheeks by brushing in small circles.

Sugar Cookie Recipe (makes 12 large cookies)

460 grams plain flour (16 1/4 oz all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
230 grams unsalted butter (8 1/8oz)room temperature
220 grams caster sugar (7 3/4 oz superfine sugar)# 
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
#use regular white sugar if you do not have caster/ superfine sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the sifted flour mixture until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Line a few baking trays with parchment/ baking paper.

Dust workbench with plain flour and using a large rolling pin roll out the dough until around 1/2 cm (1/4") in thickness. If the dough is to hard you may need to work/knead it a bit until you can roll it out.

Cut out cookies shapes and place the cookies on the prepared trays. (Knead and reroll dough as necessary, if it becomes to soft you can pop it back in the fridge.)

Pop the cut cookie dough trays into the fridge to chill again for around 30 minutes until firm (or in the freezer for 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F) and cook the cookies until they just start to turn golden, around 15 minutes (less or more depending on cookie size).

Cool on trays for 5 minutes and then carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool completely prior to decorating.

- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the Children's cookbook Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! Published in the USA in 2011 the book is still available at Amazon and many online bookstores.

I was provided with product and paid to write the blog post featured over on The Savvy blog. The ideas created and words expressed are my own.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original ideas, photography and recipes Linda Vandermeer please do not reuse without permission except for non commercial purposes where you may use 1 image, give credit and link back to original post.

A touch of Whimsy water colour cookies

Do you have a favorite cutter? One that when you pull it out you know that the cookies you make will be super adorable no matter what you do.

This Deer Aimee cutter from Cakes by Bien is one of my go to cutters it's just about as cute as you get, so when my friend asked me about it for her daughter's first birthday party I was a bit excited.

I know it's not completely normal to get excited about cookies but you know I write a blog about baking so you'll just have to humor me. Deer cookies = big excitement for me :)

Anyhoo the whimsical theme was based on the birthday girls super sweet bedroom colours so I came up with a set of cookies and macarons to tie in with it.

These 'A Touch of Whimsy' water colour cookies were some of the filler cookies. You know easy to make cookies that match in with the more complicated design but still look great. But I think you can tell from the first photo they are impressive enough to have all on their own.

And the fabulous thing about the technique in this tutorial is that you can apply it to pretty much any cookie shape with any colour theme and it will look just as pretty.

I'm hoping to pop up a video tutorial of me making these cookies on my you tube channel soon, plus I will definitely have tutorials for the other A Touch of Whimsy cookies soon.

Happy Baking

If you love these deer cookies check out my previous deer cookie posts here:
- Deer Heart Linzer Cookies
- Oh Deer! These cup edge cookies are too cute
- Sweet Deer cookies with silver leaf

A Touch of Whimsy Deer Cookies
I've added edible gold leaf to the cookies but if you don't have it just leave it off and they will still be super cute.

Deer Cookie Cutter (mine from Cakes by Bien)
Small Plastic Rolling Pin
Cornflour (cornstarch)
Ready Roll Fondant^ (around 300 grams (just under 11oz)
Roll out sugar cookie dough (recipe below)
Gel food colour (I used teal and violet)
brushes
water
1 sheet Edible Gold Leaf (I used transfer sheets)

^fondant dries out quickly, when not in use store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. To use fondant knead until pliable and smooth and roll out on a workbench dusted with cornflour (cornstarch)

Using the cookie dough recipe roll make deer shaped cookies. The dough will make around 60 small cookies. Bake as per instructions until golden.

Knead the fondant until pliable. Dust the workbench with cornflour (corn starch) and using the small rolling pin roll out the fondant until quite thin. Use the deer cutter to cut out a fondant shape.

Lightly brush the cookie with water and place the fondant onto the cookie. Gently press the fondant down onto the cookie using the rolling pin to smooth into place.

Take a small amount of teal food colour with the edge of a toothpick. Place some water into a spoon or paint palate and use a paint brush to mix with the water. The colour should be a bit washed out. Dry the brush a little on a piece of paper towel and then lightly brush the side of the paint brush along the fondant covered cookie. If the colour becomes too weak mix in a little more gel food colour.

Repeat the same with the violet. If you find the violet is too dark you may like to add a little rose or pink to the mix to brighten it a little.

Allow the food colour to dry.

Brush a little extra water onto the back of the cookie and adhere a small amount of gold leaf to the fondant covered cookie.

Allow to dry and store in airtight container for up to 5 days.



Sugar Cookie Recipe (makes 24 regular cookies or 60 small)

460 grams plain flour (16 1/4 oz all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
230 grams unsalted butter (8 1/8oz)room temperature
220 grams caster sugar (7 3/4 oz superfine sugar)#
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
#use regular white sugar if you do not have caster/ superfine sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the sifted flour mixture until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Line a few baking trays with parchment/ baking paper.

Dust workbench with plain flour and using a large rolling pin roll out the dough until around 1/2 cm (1/4") in thickness. If the dough is to hard you may need to work/knead it a bit until you can roll it out.

Cut out cookies shapes and place the cookies on the prepared trays. (Knead and reroll dough as necessary, if it becomes to soft you can pop it back in the fridge.)

Pop the cut cookie dough trays into the fridge to chill again for around 30 minutes until firm (or in the freezer for 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F) and cook the cookies until they just start to turn golden, around 15 minutes (less or more depending on cookie size).

Cool on trays for 5 minutes and then carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool completely prior to decorating.

- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the Children's cookbook Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! Published in the USA in 2011 the book is still available at Amazon and many online bookstores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original ideas, photography and recipes Linda Vandermeer please do not reuse without permission.