Itty Bitty Baby Cookies
For cookies
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85 g/3ozs butter, softened
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140g/5ozs white caster superfine sugar
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1 egg
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1 teaspoon vanilla
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180g/6ozs all-purpose flour plus extra for rolling
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Royal icing mixture (see below)
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Kopykake edible writing pens (from Little Betsy Baker)
For Royal Icing
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1 egg white (30grams/1 oz)
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1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
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150grams sifted icing sugar
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gel colours to reflect desired skin tones
DIRECTIONS
Step 1 - Make cookies. In a large bowl, 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).
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with a small, round cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 cm apart on parchment paper. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Step 3 - Make Royal Icing by beating egg white with lemon juice until foamy on low speed increasing to medium speed. You want two textures for the Royal Icing, a stiff one to pipe the outline and a runnier one to fill in the outline. Add sifted sugar by the spoonful while beating until desired consistency is reached. You want it a little stiff in order to pipe the outline however, if it is too stiff, add a tiny little bit of warm water. Always cover your Royal Icing with cling wrap as it dries out easily. Spoon some of the royal icing into a piping bag or a strong ziplock bag and pipe a fine outline around the cookies. Allow to set a little for 20-30 minutes.
Step 4 - Divide the remaining royal icing into three bowls or however many shades of skin you would like to make. Tint each one carefully-a little goes a long way and my pink hued skin colour ended up bright pink so I had to remix it. Add a little water (not too much and using a small spoon, fill in the edges. Place aside to set for several hours (or overnight) until completely set.
Step 5 - Using the edible ink pens draw on little faces!