Spider Cookies
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 120 minutes plus setting time
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes 12 cookies
These cookies are best done over a 2 day period
- 85g/3ozs butter, softened
- 140g/5ozs white caster superfine sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Zest of 1 orange
-
180g/6ozs all-purpose flour (or a bit more, I needed about 30g/1oz more for this batch)
-
180g/6ozs icing or confectioners sugar
- 30g/1oz. egg white (around 1 egg white)
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (you may need a few drops more)
- Black, yellow and red food colouring (you can also use more colours)
- Black fondant
Step 1 - Using a beater attachment, beat the butter and sugar until pale. Add the egg, cinnamon and orange zest and beat until combined. Then on the lowest speed, add the flour until it becomes a pliable dough. If it is too sticky, gradually add some more flour (if it too sticky, the dough will spread). Shape into a flat disc and wrap in cling film. Rest in fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight (I actually did mine 3 days in advance).
Thermomix directions: place the butter and sugar in the Thermomix bowl and set to speed 3, 20 seconds. Then add egg and vanilla and set to speed 3, 10 seconds. Then add the flour and set to speed 4 for 10 seconds.
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line two baking trays with parchment. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment. This dough can roll and re-roll again easily but needs to be rolled between paper. Dip an 8cm/3.1inch cutter into some flour and cut out circles. I usually peel away the excess dough and use a brownie lifter to gently place them on the prepared trays about 1/2 an inch apart. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on the tray and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 3 - Make the royal icing. Mix the icing sugar and the egg white together. I do this in a food processor because I'm lazy and hate sifting icing sugar. But just a lil' warning, it does create lots of tiny little bubbles so it's best if you rest this covered for about 15 minutes before using it to let the bubbles dissipate. First I whizz the icing sugar so that the lumps disappear and then add the egg white. You want to be able to draw a line and have it hold so add more icing sugar if necessary.
Thermomix royal icing: Place the icing sugar in the Thermomix bowl and set to speed 6, 10 seconds. Add the egg white and set to speed 5, 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides and add lemon juice and set to speed 4 10 seconds. Check that the icing is of pipeable consistency adding more icing sugar (if too liquid) or lemon juice (if too stiff) if needed.
Step 4 - Take 2 tablespoons of white royal icing out and place in a small piping bag. Pipe a white outline around each cookie and let it set hard (around 15-20 minutes). Then take 3 tablespoons of white icing and add a few drops of water so that it becomes runnier in texture (be careful to not add too much water or the white background will not be a solid white colour). Spoon into the centre of the cookie spreading it out to the borders with the back of the spoon. Poke any air holes with a toothpick and allow to set completely, ideally overnight.
Step 5 - Roll out some small balls for the body and head of the spiders in black fondant and set aside.
Step 6 - Add some black edible colouring to 2 tablespoons of the remaining royal icing and place in a small piping bag. Place the body and head of the spider in the centre of the cookie and affix with royal icing. Draw eight legs around the body.
Step 7 - Add some red colouring to 1 tablespoon of royal icing and place in a piping bag. Pipe a red dot on the body of the spider and red eyes. Allow to set completely.
Note: you can also make yellow royal icing and make the alternate spiders I created too.