These super-sweet Catherine wheel cookies are the perfect thing for Bonfire Night, but you could make them in other colours at different times of the year too. Their fun tops are simply made from a quick icing recipe of egg whites and icing sugar, which give a really clean, crisp finish. This classic biscuit icing is really easy to pipe on, allowing you to get beautiful results every time.
Ingredients
- 175g butter, softened
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 egg whites
- 450g icing sugar
- red, orange and yellow food colouring
- You will need:
- Disposable piping bags
Method
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Then sift in the flour. The consistency should be soft and doughy. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to firm up for 15 – 30mins.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Once the dough is firm, on a lightly floured surface roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut into circles using a cutter, arrange on a lined baking tray and chill for a further 30mins.
Bake for 15mins. They will look quite pale. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
To make the icing whisk together the egg whites and icing sugar, using an electric mixer. Divide into three and colour one of each third with a different food colouring. Use to fill disposable piping bags. Pipe spirals of each colour onto the biscuits, and leave to set for at least two hours, or overnight.
Top tip for making Catherine wheel cookies
You want your icing to have the consistency of toothpaste – so that it holds its shape well. If you need to fill small gaps use a toothpick to drag the icing into the area you need.
