Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
120g unsalted butter
75g caster sugar
50g soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp almond essence (optional)
1 egg
275g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Edible gold paint (optional)
Method:
Cream together the butter and sugar until pale, then add the egg and essences.
Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix until just combined.
Cut off around 1/4 of the dough and use this to create your pattern, adding food colouring of your choice to small amounts.
Roll out the coloured dough (sprinkle some flour on the work surface if necessary) and use your cutters to cut out a range of shapes and colours. Set these aside on a piece of baking paper, and place in the fridge for at least half an hour.
Once they are much firmer, roll the plain dough out to about 1.5cm thick (much thicker than you would want your biscuits) onto a sheet of Bacofoil non-slip baking paper.
Arrange your coloured shapes on top of the plain dough (which will be softer than your shapes) and place another piece of Bacofoil non-slip baking paper on top. Carefully roll your rolling pin over the top, until the dough is just less than 1cm thick, and the shapes are now evenly set into the dough.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Take your cookie cutter and cut out as many shapes as you can to make the most of your design. You can do it in multiple batches if necessary.
Place them on a baking tray lined with Bacofoil non-stick baking paper and bake for 10-12 minutes, keep an eye on them as too much browning will ruin the design.
Once cool, use some edible gold paint to highlight your design, but this is completely optional!
Enjoy!