Pretty teatime cookies

Basic cookie dough

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Makes 1.5kg dough

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• 450 g butter, cubed, at room temperature
• 210 g caster sugar
• 1 x 385 g can condensed milk
• 700 g plain flour
• 20 ml (4 t) baking powder
• 2.5 ml (½ t) salt

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1 Preheat the oven to 160 ° C. Spray 3 large baking trays with nonstick spray.

2 Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the condensed milk and beat until smooth.

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3 Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the butter mixture.

4 Mix well to form a dough.

5 Divide into 3 parts and wrap in clingfilm. Let rest for 20 minutes or until firm in the refrigerator.

6 Working with 500 g of dough at a time and freeze the rest. Leave overnight in the refrigerator to thaw when needed.

7 Roll the dough 5 mm thick on a clean, lightly floured work surface.

8 Use a cookie cutter of your choice to cut cookies and place on the baking sheet.

9 Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Pretty teatime cookies

• 500 g of the basic biscuit dough makes  20 cookies

1 Preheat the oven to 160 ° C and spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2 Roll 500 g of the basic biscuit dough 5 mm thick on a clean, lightly floured work surface.

3 Use a cookie cutter and cut  cookies with a diameter of 7 cm from the dough and arrange on baking sheet.

4 Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Decorate cookies

1 Divide 500g plastic icing in three parts and color each with a different gel food coloring.

2 Sprinkle cornstarch on a clean work surface and roll out the icing. It must be thin.

3 Cut circles just smaller than the cookies and small circles for the middle of the cookies.

4 Spread the basic Royal icing on each cookie and paste the circles on the cookies.

5 Decorate cookies with fine sugar flowers.

Basic Royal icing

Mix 1 egg white and 250 ml (1 cup) sifted icing sugar until smooth