These pretty cookies make perfect gifts over the festive season.
Makes 45 small cookies.
INGREDIENTS: 250 g (1 c) butter; 125 ml (½ c) sugar; 125 ml (½ c) yellow sugar; 1 extra-large egg yolk; 5 ml (1 t) vanilla essence; 750 ml (3 c) cake flour; 3 ml (½ t) baking powder; 5 ml (1 t) bicarbonate of soda; pinch of salt; 125 ml (½ c) crushed boiled sweets (Sparkles).
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease a baking sheet with melted butter or nonstick spray. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla essence. Sift together the remaining ingredients except the sweets and stir into the butter mixture to form a soft dough. Roll out the dough and cut out cookies using a star cookie cutter. Make a hole in the middle of each cookie and leave them to rest in the fridge for 10 minutes. Bake for about 4 minutes, remove the cookies from the oven and spoon the crushed sweets into the holes. Bake for another 3 minutes or until the sweets have melted and the cookies are done.
Pack into boxes or tins lined with tissue paper.
* See YOU this week (26 Nov issue) for our wonderful gift guide packed with budget-friendly buys and ideas for homemade goodies such as braai sauce, chutney, shortbread biscuits and fudge.
