Ingredients
- 2 tbsp of icing sugar
- 40 edible eyes decorations
- 50 g of caster sugar
- 1 pinch of fine sea salt
- 100 g of plain flour
- 50 g of cocoa powder
- 125 g of ready-to-roll white fondant icing
- 75 g of cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 squeeze (approx.) yellow gel food colouring
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt.Step 2
Add the cold butter and rub the mixture between your fingertips until sandy. Add 2½ tbsp cold water and continue mixing by hand until a dough forms, adding an extra 1 tbsp water if needed.Step 3
Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to stop it from sticking and roll out to 2.5mm thick.Step 4
Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Use a 5.5-6cm circular cookie cutter to stamp out the cookies, then place on the lined trays, keeping them a finger-width apart. Re-roll the trimmings to cut out more cookies, until all the dough has been used up – you should have around 20 cookies. Bake for 12 mins, or until firm to the touch but still a little soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on the tray – they’ll harden a little more as they cool.Step 5
To decorate, squeeze a little yellow food colouring over 100g white fondant icing and knead to combine, adding a bit more colouring if needed until your desired shade is reached. Place between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out to about 5mm thick, then cut into 5mm-wide strips long enough to cover the width of the cookies; set aside.Step 6
Roll the remaining 25g white fondant into 40 pea-sized balls, then flatten with your thumb and gently shape into little wings for the bees.Step 7
In a small bowl or cup, mix the icing sugar with 1 tsp cold water to make a ‘glue’. Using the back of a teaspoon (or a small paper piping bag), spread a little of the icing glue on the back of a yellow strip, then press onto a cookie – you’ll need about 3-4 strips for each cookie. Stick on the wings and edible eyes in the same way, and leave to set for at least 1 hr. The cookies will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.