Bonfire Night Cookies Recipes

CAMPFIRE COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat the superfine sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes; beat in the egg, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed until completely incorporated. Divide the dough in half, pat into 2 discs about 1/4-inch thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes to make rolling easier. Roll out 1 disc of dough at a time on a floured work surface to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out rounds with a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter and arrange about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake, switching and rotating the pans halfway through, until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• For the royal icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 5 tablespoons water and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water if necessary, to make a thick but spreadable icing. Beat in the food coloring, a few drops at a time, to make a deep green color (for grass).
• For decorating: Spread the icing on the cookies, almost to the edges. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate covered nuts almost to the edge of the green to resemble dirt. Arrange 3 chewy chocolate candies in a triangle on top to resemble logs in a campfire. Fill the space in the center of each with snipped gummy bears to resemble a campfire and embers. Poke a marshmallow on the end of each pretzel stick and stick in the icing to form a tripod that meets in the center. Let the icing harden, about 1 hour.
• Right before serving, light the marshmallows on fire and blow it out when they are toasted to your liking.

BONFIRE NIGHT COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk for 4-5 mins until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and ginger, and continue to beat until the mixture comes together into a dough. Put the dough between two pieces of baking parchment and roll out to a 6mm thickness using a rolling pin.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the top layer of parchment and cut out cookies using a 6cm round or star cutter. Re-roll the offcuts and continue to cut out cookies until all the dough has been used (you should get 20-22, depending on the cutter).
• Arrange the cookies on a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment, spacing them at least 2cm apart (you may need two baking sheets). Bake for 7-10 mins until slightly golden at the edges. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cool, make the icing. Beat the egg white with an electric whisk until just starting to froth up, about 1 min. Add the icing sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking continuously at a medium-high speed until combined. Add the lemon juice and whisk to stiff peaks, about 5 mins - the icing should be shiny. Add more icing sugar if needed to help it stiffen up.
• To decorate, divide the icing into bowls and colour with the gel food colourings (we left some icing white, then coloured three bowls with blue, yellow and red). Spoon the coloured icing into separate piping bags fitted with small round nozzles (or snip off the ends). Pipe lines on the biscuits to create firework-like 'burst' patterns or swirls. While the icing is wet, decorate with star sprinkles, if you like. Leave to set slightly, then serve. Will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.