Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 110 g (3.9 oz) margarine
- 100 g (3.5 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1 medium free-range egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g (8.8 oz) plain white flour (all-purpose flour), plus extra for dusting
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Icing & Decoration:
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) for dusting
- 100 g (3.5 oz) pink sugar paste (vegetarian, if required)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) red sugar paste (vegetarian, if required)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) white sugar paste (vegetarian, if required)
- 30 g (1.1 oz) heart-shaped sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat to 200°C (180°C fan-assisted, 400°F, Gas mark 4).
- Mix Dough: Beat margarine, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and bicarbonate of soda. Mix until a dough forms.
- Chill Dough: Lightly flour a board, knead the dough gently into a smooth ball, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Roll & Cut Shapes: Roll dough out to about 7-8 mm thick (1/3 inch). Cut heart shapes using a cookie cutter, placing them close together to minimize re-rolling.
- Bake: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake cookies for 8 minutes or until edges are pale golden. Let cool on a wire rack.
- Prepare Icing: Mix icing sugar with 1 tbsp water to create a sticky “glue.” Roll out sugar paste (one color at a time) on a board dusted with cornflour. Cut out hearts to match the cookies.
- Decorate Cookies: Brush the back of each sugar paste heart with the “glue” and press it onto a cookie. Add sprinkles by dotting “glue” onto the icing and pressing sprinkles gently into place.
- Set & Serve: Allow icing to dry completely. Enjoy immediately or stack the cookies, wrap in cellophane, and give as a gift