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IngredientsFor the cookies:200g (7oz) unsalted butter 200g (7oz) caster sugar 1 egg (lightly beaten) 400g (14oz) plain flour For the icing: 1kg (2lb 4oz) icing sugar (sifted) Whites of 4 eggs (lightly beaten) Squeeze of lemon juice |
Handy Hint1. If you don't have bride/groom biscuit cutters, draw paper templates (see pic) to cut around. 2. You can store the icing in the fridge for up to seven days. The egg white can separate from the sugar after a couple of days, making the icing dry. If so, remix at low speed until it reaches stiff-peak consistency again. Ensure no dried icing on the sides of your container gets into the bowl when mixing the icing. |
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Method1. Cream the butter, sugar and any flavouring you wish to add, such as vanilla or orange zest, in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until it’s creamy in texture. Don’t overwork, or the cookies will spread during baking.2. Beat in the egg, sieve in the flour and mix on low speed until a dough forms. 3. Gather it into a ball, wrap it in cling film and chill it for at least 1 hour. 4. Put the dough on a floured surface, knead it briefly and roll it to 5mm thick. Use bride and groom cookie cutters to cut out the shapes and, using a palette knife, lay on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. 5. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and bake for 6–10 minutes until golden brown at the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Wrapped in foil or cling film, the cookies will keep in a cool, dry place for up to a month. 6. To make the icing, put the icing sugar in an electric mixer, add three-quarters of the egg whites and then the lemon juice and mix on a low speed. 7. Once mixed, check the consistency. If the sides of the bowl are still dry and crumbly, add more egg white until the icing is almost smooth but not wet. 8. Keep mixing for 4–5 minutes until it has stiff-peak consistency. Spoon into a sealable plastic container, cover with a clean, damp jay cloth and seal. 9. To decorate your cookies, divide the icing between two bowls, about 250g (9oz) in one and 350g (12oz) in the other. Mix the 250g (9oz) with black food colouring. 10. Add a little water to both bowls until the icings have reached soft-peak consistency. 11. Fill one piping bag with each colour. Snip a small tip off the bag with black icing and pipe the outline of each groom in a steady smooth line. 12. Do the same with the white icing on the bride cookies. Cover the bags with cling film or damp cloth to prevent the icing drying out. 13. Dilute the remaining white and black icing with a few drops of water to create a runny consistency. Fill one piping bag with each colour and flood the centres of the cookies in the appropriate colours, being careful not to overflow the sides. 14. Flood the tuxedo centres with white first, let dry and then flood the black part. Once dry, pipe the detail on each cookie, using the soft peak icing. Leave to dry and then your cookies are ready to eat. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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