CATHERINE WHEEL COOKIES

When you have organised your Bonfire Night soiree, one of the major considerations, after your fireworks of course, is the food you will offer to your family and friends.

Now, for the most part, we are all partial to the burgers, jacket potatoes and warming meat and potato pie but why not get the kids together and make some brilliant Catherine Wheel cookies.

They are super easy to make and this recipe will give you around 30 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz butter (or margarine)
• 8 oz caster sugar
• 1 lb SR flour
• Finely grated zest of an orange
• 1 large beaten egg
• 2 tbs milk
• 8 oz icing sugar, 4tsp lemon and two shades of food colouring

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees (fan only) 180 degrees C or gas mark 4

Method:

Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl with the butter (or margarine) and rub together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs or just put the ingredients into a food processor (This can be done with a blunt knife too if you just keep chopping!). When you have the dry ingredients mixed, add the beaten egg, milk and orange zest and mix until you end up with smooth firm dough.

You can now either roll out to around 4-5mm and use a round cutter or, make a sausage around the same thickness as a rolling pin and divide into 30 and make into smaller balls and flatten out on the baking sheet.

Bake for around 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Place on a cooling tray and once all of the cookies are cooked and cooled, make the icing. Just put the icing sugar into a clean bowl and add the lemon juice until you have a smooth thick icing. Take around 4 tsp out and add the colouring. You will then need to create a ‘piping bag’. If you are unsure on how to do this, you may find this link from YouTube just the thing:



Apply an even layer to each of the cookies and then using your paper piping bag, create swirls on the top and set aside to dry.

You could change the cookies by adding chocolate chips and chocolate swirls.

Beautiful and a great addition to any Bonfire Night event.