When I was a child the only pet that I was allowed until a certain age was a goldfish. Cats were too much like a fully grown organism for my parents to handle (and therefore for us to handle as children) and my parents have never been dog people although I desperately wanted a cat or a dog. So my first pet was a goldfish. We had a rectangular fish tank that sat on the wall unit and we’d buy the goldfish in a plastic bag and bring it home. I used to find the transporting of the fish in the plastic bag the most exciting part of fish ownership. It seemed the closest I’d ever get to taking a fish for a walk.
You may know now that I am notorious for feeding people. When I cut a slice of cake for someone, it’s a huge hulking slice, when I cook a meal, there’s always seconds or thirds. Inside I am an Italian nonna worrying that someone might waste away. I used this thinking when feeding the fish. “A little pinch” read the directions. I of course would pinch as much fish food as I could between my small pink fingers and then add a bit extra just in case the fish were feeling particularly hungry. I figured they would just leave what they didn’t want but they ate every little scrap quickly so I thought that I had given them just the right amount. Alas I’m afraid it was my overfeeding them that probably killed them. Before you call PETA on my pint sized self, I should add that our cats lived long happy lives. And yes this could have been mainly because I wasn’t in charge of feeding them.
I never rekindled my desire to own fish although an albino axylotl would be the aquarium pet that I most desire. I do still like watching fish, particularly the colourful ones or the black ones with the googly eyes. The idea for these cookies came from a wonderful cookie book called “Bake Me I’m Yours…Cookie” by Lindy Smith which was loaned to me by Alison. These cookies are easy to make, the dough is the usual cookie cutter dough that I love to use as it rolls and re-rolls without any adverse effects. The icing is easy and the key tool is…a straw of all things! I worried about not having a scallop edged cutting tool when all I needed was a humble straw.
So tell me Dear Reader, what pet did you always want to have when you were growing up (or now?)
Goldfish Cookies
Makes approximately 20-25 cookies (depending on size of cookie cutter)
- 85 g/3ozs butter, softened
- 140g/5ozs white caster superfine sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 180g/6ozs all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons jam (smooth jam preferred)
- 250g packet orange fondant
- small amount of yellow fondant
- small amount of chocolate fondant
- small amount of white fondant
- fish shaped cookie cutter
You will also need a straw chopped in half and a butter knife
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough between two sheets of greaseproof paper 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with a fish shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
3. Lightly brush the tops of the cookies with jam. Roll out the orange fondant using greaseproof paper or cornflour to prevent it from sticking. Brush tops of cookies with jam. Cut out fish pattern using fish shaped cutter and then place on top of the cookie. Using a butter knife, draw patterns in the tail and the fins. Using the side of a straw, draw scales on fish.
4. Make fish eyes using the straw. Punch a hole with a straw and poke a skewer through it to eject the little piece. Using the straw again punch out a small ball in the yellow fondant and then place on top of the hole and then poke the skewer through to put it into the place. Roll a tiny ball of chocolate fondant and place on top of the yellow eye.
5. Roll white fondant balls in various sizes for air bubbles.
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80 Comments | Add your own
Lorraine,
The fish cookies are adorable and they bring back sweet memories. I admire your patience to do the cookies decoration one at a time.
They are so pretty! You are a talented woman…
Cheers,
Rosa
It was always the dog that I wanted – and eventually my parents caved! I miss my poodle now that I’m travelling so much
I’ve never wanted fish, except I’m totally with you on the axolotl, mostly because I want to tall it Aristotle the Axolotl
Oh my goodness! Those are lovely – I adore them!!
I’ve actually always wanted to have a puma as a pet – is that weird? =) Can you imagine it just lounging on the couch and I go to squeeze in there to watch TV? Awwww – cute kitty.
How cute are these!! I love how their little eyes give them so much personality..
Wow, you are like a cookie artist
How cute! Strikes me as a perfect party food if you were taking kids to the aquarium!
We’re dog people, not cat people and I grew up owning dogs and fish… never had a desire for anything else..
How cool is that to use a straw to make those patterns! And if you must know – I have always wanted a third labrador…shhh… don’t tell Dan!
Oh god you got me going on a whole loads of pet anecdotes I could spew out but I will save them for a future blog post of my own rather than cluttering up your comments!!!
Suffice to say I did have a pet goldfish from the fair in a plastic bag which my mother recently confessed she only let me win as she assumed it would die within a fortnight. It lived for two years.
Cookies look amazing, I can’t believe you can get something that looks so complicated just by using a straw.
These cookies are so CUTE!!! The fact that you just need a straw and a little artistry is fantastic! I hate recipes that require tons of specialty equipment – they intimidate people!
Like you, the only pet I was ever allowed to have was a goldfish. I found it belly up in the fish bowl one day. It either died of heat stroke that summer or of over feeding (a la Lorraine!)
ps: that line about being an Italian nonna had me practically rolling on the floor with laughter
Oh Lorraine how adorable. I’ve always had dogs growing up. When I was 8 my mum decided to get a duck and it used to attack the dog and all my friends. It was an evil duck. These cookies would be perfect for a childrens party. They would so much fun to make.
hehe that’s cool
I’m not really an animal person. Wouldn’t mind a fluffy little puppy
oh these are so cute!! i also had some goldfish when i was little . pity they didn t last long cause my mum dropped something in the fish tank and it broke
I also had a bird though 
Oh my. These are so cute and fun!
I’ve always wanted one of those miniature horses – I’d call him “Strepsil” as in “a little hoarse… Also a rabbit that would be named “Stuart”…
now I understand why you have a menagerie of pet cookies – these are so cute and so clever – the straw is genius!
The only pet I remember really being my own was my duck but we had lots of other pets around the house
Did you read the book about the boy who fed the fish too much and it grew and grew and grew until it filled a swimming pool – can’t remember the name but it sounds like you were lucky it didn’t happen to you
I desparately want a pet dragon, but can’t for the life of me figure out where to get one!
Ah – that’s not so bad! My big brother (when he was only little) decided he’d help out by feeding the fish. Unfortunately, he hadn’t learned to read yet and decided that the Milo tin looked alot like the fish food one. Alas, dozens of tropical fish floating in chocolate, malty water. 40 odd years ago, but still a worthy story!
Too cute to swim! I love these little fellas – us cats like to eat fish . . .and a dozen at a time.
So cute!
I always had poodles growing up- and I still do!
Fabulous! I am sure my daughter would love to make them with me so we’ll have to give them a go.
thanks for the recipe.
You really need to start your own shop selling some of your novelty cookies/ items! They are amazing.
Ok, those are awesome cookies!
I’m not an animal person. I could go for the Goldfish Cookies though.
These are SO cute! Love them. And who would think a straw could work such wonders?
My first pets were goldfish as well, I think most parents like the idea of goldfish coz they’re small and not as difficult to look after.
I now have a lovely Pomeranian though, and I miss him loads when I’m away in London!
Those are the cutest cookies EVER!!
nigella, these cookies are way too cute to eat. it reminds me of my husband’s 100-gallon salt water fish tank that he had a couple years ago. fishes are so peaceful!
super cute! I had goldfishes but they were more like my dad’s. never got into fishes.
I have a dog all my life and at some point, I will like to have a cat…
The only pet I was allowed to have was a goldfish too! We kept it in a bowl next to the sink…one day it jumped into the sink while my mom was cooking pasta…she drained the pasta into the sink without even noticing the fish and that was the end of him, lol! Your goldfish look adorable, Lorraine!
these are adorable! i always wanted a kitten, but i wasn’t allowed one until i was in third grade. i named her anastasia and she slept with me every night through high school.
do you have any tips for making fondant? mine never seems to turn out quite right.
Johanna I know the book you mean but can’t think of the name either, it was my favourite book growing up!
I’ve always loved cats, mum and dad always bought the standard domestic short hair, I did think they were boring, but still preferred them to dogs.
When I moved out with my bf who was in the army and hates cats, I convinced him that a cat would be a great companion for me when he was away. I got a burmese and called her Mojo and love her to pieces, she has so much personality and my only regret is that I didn’t get two!! She also has the bf wrapped around her little paw finger
Huh – I love feeding people and also overfed & killed my goldfish – but never made that connection!
The cookies look gorgeous!
These are gorgeous! And I know two small people, who just happen to live in my house, who will adore them. Thanks.
A straw! Of course! How low-fi, I love it.
I want a dog. I do not however have any free time, spare money or the desire to stay living in Perth for the long term, so I remain dogless.
So cute….I love the eyes too – definite personality there!
They look wonderful Lorraine! Congratulations
Your fish look so beautiful ~
oooh these cookies are ADORABLE!!
I have two cats – and they are both a little crazy
Adorable….but crazy!
That’s a very clever use of a straw! And the cookies are so cute.
I’m surprised you want to keep an axylotl. I use to have one….it would creep me out. They are quite ugly. And hard to try and feed (mind you, I would be trying to feed it with chopsticks)
Awwww, these are seriously cute cute cute! And you can’t blame your younger self — if a few flakes are good, a lot must be better, right?!?!
You are going to think I’m weird. I have always been a dog person and had dogs growing up. What I have always wanted was either a pet lion or tiger. I know I said I was weird.
But I think they are such beautiful creatures. It is a pity that they are wild and will eat me whole given a chance!
Oh they are so cute! Our kindergarten glass had 2 axylots as pets, I loved them so much.
Oh how whimsical!! DEfinitely a far cry from the Goldfish crackers they sell in USA!
so cute!!!! ^^ I bet they taste cute too!
They are so cute, I will have to try your cookie recipe, mine never rolls that well.
Love the contrast of the orange fish of blue backing, and little fondant bubbles! Too cute to eat!
My brother had two axylotls – a black one and ‘clear’ albino one. With your love of all things gory, you would love seeing the ‘insides’ of the albino one, with it’s transparent skin!!
These are the sweetest things!
How fun! So impressive! I especially love the straw idea. xoxo Mum
The fish are gorgeous! LOL to taking the fish for a walk in a bag
Wow, You’re so creative!
When I first saw the photo of the cookies, I would have never guessed that you used a straw to make the patten. Genius!
And I too have to admit that I am a feeder. My poor Mr. BB who has a small appetite and BMI has to tackle my massive portions at dinner every night
they are so adorable.
I always wanted a horse. Until about a week after I actually got one.
So cute!!!
I think like a million other kids, I wanted a dog. I got a rabbit instead.
I don’t think I want anything now though, I can barely keep track of myself, let alone a pet!
What an alternative way to eat fish! he he
so cute. By the way I love pets, currently I have 3 dogs and 4 cats!!
These are cute. I am not sure if they are better than your bird biscuits or not. I love the amount of effort you put into the details.
Too, too cute and picture perfect, these would be great for kids parties.
I always wanted a white horse with a long,flowing mane and tail. Might have something to do with all those Westerns I used to watch on TV. Lol Nowadays, we have lots of horses but not a white one in sight!
these are just adorable, and so clever with the straw!
I always wanted a cat when I was wee, but we ended up with a second hand guinea pig that hated people and a rabbit who peed on you… it was a bit of a disappointment
Awww, these are so cute and the icing design so cleverly crafted! I’m an overfeeder too but luckily I managed to keep a whole bunch of big fat goldfish alive for more than 15 years! I’ve had cats, dogs, guinea pigs, chickens, goldfish, swallows – they used to nest in our eaves every summer so I reckon they count as part of the household and pigeons (involuntarily)!
What a cool cookie cutter you have there! And woohoo great job on designing the fondant – I thought you had a mold or something before but no! It was all done by your creative hands!
Wow I can’t believe how intricate the icing is on these cookies – they are like miniature works of art
HOW CUTE!!!!!
goldfish? can’t stand ‘em–what a useless pet. ever try to nuzzle one? it doesn’t work out well.
i always wanted a monkey as a pet. still do, actually.
awesome work on the cookies, lorraine!
These cookies are very cute! But please tell me where I can get a fish shaped cookie cutter???
Lorraine how cute. Who would have thought of a straw? Love seeing your creations, keep it up.
These are so cute, Lorraine! I love them and would never have dreamed a straw did the design work. I just love coming here to see what fabulous things you have created. It sounds like a great book!
We always had dogs and, believe it or not, turtles! I killed every fish I ever had. I even started a salt water tank once but never got it going right.
How adorable! I love these cookies!
I want an axolotl tooooo!!! And a hedgehog. Ooh and an armadillo! As it is now I just have a tortoise, but he’s awesome in his own sleepy, grumpy way so I can’t really complain.
Lorraine, these are sooo adorable and creative! Thanks a lot for sharing these wonderful ideas.
These are the cutest cookies ever!! I want them!
I’ve never had fish, but I do love watching them. They’re so calming.
a goat. How I would love a goat or two.
No waaaay! How adorable are these cookies? I always wanted a pet Gizmo, like in Gremlins. But I don’t know how well I could keep them from midnight snacks
Question: are these from your Aldi cookie cutter set?
Waw, Lorraine!!
Brussels calling!! These goldfish cookies look better then the actual fish in the aquarium!!
hahahahaha,..real beauties,…nearly to lovely to eat!! MMMMMM,….
Those are sooo cute! Perfect for kids (and adults). Another job well done!
these look gorgeous! well done!
We had dogs growing up, and I am pining away for a fur baby of my own at the moment! Unfortunately, the boy has a little more sense than me and wont let me get one until the backyard is fixed!
Super creative and talented….I love these!!!!
What darling cookies!!! Hahaha, glad you don’t feed the cats! I’ve always wanted a big dog, but I’m happier than ever with my 3 rescued kitties and 4 birds (and man). LOL.
too cute. cant ever get sick of cookie cutters can we?
im going cookie-cutter-shopping later.
my sister thinks im obsessed hahaha!
So cute! You sure have patience when it comes to decorating. I find little intricate things annoy me because my lack of patience and/or time.
These are fantastic little cookies with great details. When I saw the post, I totally thought of the goldfish cheese crackers, but this is sooo much better!
these are so cute!
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