The month of October is well underway. And who says October says… trick or treat. I’m not use to celebrate Halloween, but I love all the activities that can be relate to it. So you will imagine that making Halloween themed iced cookies or cakes really gets me thrilled.
With all the events of the past few months, it’s unclear how the mood will be like on Halloween. But nothing prevents you from soaking up this atmosphere and making the recipe that I am offering you today : almonds and honey iced cookies. Perfect for keeping the kids busy for the weekend or just relaxing. Yes relax, sit well comfortably with the sound of your favorite music on the background.
This recipe requires a little bit of organization because it can quickly become « crazy » if you do not prepare your workspace a little. I will explain everything to you a little below.
About the recipe
My Inspiration for this halloween iced cookies
I was inspired by the book « My Biscuiteers book of iced biscuits »
A book full of great advices for successful decorating cookies.
How to make the cookies
First, make the cookies. Separate the dough in 2 equals parts and let it rest for at least 3 hours in the fridge. Personally, I left it overnight.
Out of the fridge, I leave the dough for a few minutes at room temperature to make it easier to roll out.
Putting your disc of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper, can help to lower it if it sticks a little. Otherwise, flower it very lightly.
Once lowered, I put it back in the fridge for about 30 minutes and I cut it with my cookies cutters.
The Royal Icing
To decorate the cookies you need to make royal icing, It is an icing made from egg whites and caster sugar. You can flavor it with aromas or even unsweetened cocoa.
Be careful, adding cocoa can change the consistency of the royal icing.
For the food coloring, I use americolor food coloring gel. Colors comes really quickly and with a very little amount of product. Usually 2-3 drops are enough.
How I organize myself.
Before starting the halloween iced cookies, I choose the cookie cutters that I will going to use and I decide which colors I will decorate my cookies with. If this is your first time, I recommend that you don’t choose too many shapes. The more shapes, the more colors and the more work there will be.
It is really important to let the cookies totally cooling down before putting the royal icing on it. Or it will melt and not stand.
While the cookies are cooling down, I prepare the royal icing. Once ready, I separate everything according to the number of colors I would need and I put everything in different pastry bags or bowls.
For example, for the cookies in the photo I needed orange, black, white, red and green icing
- For the red and green icing I needed a very little amount. The equivalent of a tbsp. So I put them in a small container.
- For the orange and the black I put some in a pastry bag (for the outlines – about 2 tablespoons), and another in bowls.
- For the white I put it in a pastry bag.
If at first the colors seem a bit « light » don’t worry, the colors tend to intensify after a few minutes of standing.
How I do for a smooth icing?
Using the pastry bags, I first outline the cookies. I let it dry for a few minutes and with a spoon I fill in « the inside » and smooth it out with a skewer or toothpick.
And if you’re more on a Christmas mood these days, you can try my chocolate and gianduja cookies!
Almonds and honey halloween cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 350 g flour
- 100 g sugar
- 120 g butter
- 100 g almond flour
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 60 ml honey
- 1 egg
The royal sugar
- 300 g caster sugar
- 2 white eggs
- Optional if you would like to flavored your icing : almond or vanilla extract or cocoa
- food coloring, color of your choice
Instructions
The cookies
- In a bowl, sift the flour, add the caster sugar and mix.
- Add the butter cut into cubes, work the whole with the fingers until obtaining a sandy texture.
- Once the butter is well incorporated, add the almond powder and mix.
- Dig a well in the center of the mixture and add the honey, egg and almond extract.
- Mix everything until it forms a ball.
- Once the ball is formed, cut it into 2 equals parts and flatten them to obtain 2 discs of the same size.
- Put the 2 discs in a Ziploc, separated by a sheet of baking paper.
- Let stand at least 3 hours. I let it overnight.
- Out of the fridge, flatten the 2 dough pieces, about 5 millimeters thick. And put back in the fridge for 1/2 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F / 180°C
- Using a cookie cutter, cut the desired shapes
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden.
- Once cooked, let cool completely
The royal icing
- Mix together icing sugar and egg whites until smooth.
- Separate the preparation in different bowl, the number will depend on the colors you have chosen for the decoration of your cookies.
- Add the food coloring, and mix until you got the color desired.
- Decorate your cookies with a pastry bag.
Notes
Cups and once
350 g flour = 2 1/2 cups
100 g sugar = 1/2 cup
120 g butter = 4.2 oz
100 g almond flour= 1 cup
60 ml honey=1/2cup
Icing
300 g caster sugar = 2 3/4 cups
It is really important to let the cookies totally cooling down before putting the royal icing on it. Or it will melt and not stand.
