On last weeks episode of the Great British Bake Off (week 2) we saw an emotional signature challenge and an oriental technical. And, a Bake Off first - spectacular showstopping biscuits that are good enough to eat and play!
Here’s a recipe to give you the chance to become the star baker of your household.
Love unicorns and sweet treats? Well you’re in luck!
These unicorn cookies are adorable and so easy for anyone to try at home. They would make a perfect party favour! You can also flavour your cookie dough and royal icing to make it even more delicious.
- 350g plain flour
- 100g self-raising flour
- 125g granulated sugar
- 125g salted butter softened, diced
- 125g golden syrup
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 4 egg whites
- 900g icing sugar
- Sift the flours together into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and mix well with an electric mixer..
- Add the butter and beat until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
- When all the butter is evenly mixed in, make a well in the centre and add the syrup, vanilla and the egg.
- Mix well and stop as soon as a ball has formed.
- Roll out the dough evenly and use your unicorn cutter to cut the shapes out. Place on to a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 170°C, or until golden brown.
- While the biscuits cool start to make the icing.
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, starting with the liquids first. Add the dry ingredients and whisk or beat for about 5 minutes if using an electric beater or whisk.
- Continue whisking until the ingredients form a thick, smooth paste that is bright white in colour and has the consistency of toothpaste.
- If you are not using it immediately, cover the surface of the icing with cling-film to stop it drying out and refrigerate.
- You will need two types of icing. Line icing which should be the texture of toothpaste. This is used to out line your cookie. Flood icing which is a little runnier than the line icing (just mix in a few teaspoons of water) - this is used to fill the biscuit.
- When making the outline to fill with flooding icing you need to make sure that you join up your trail to form an unbroken wall around the shape of the unicorn. If there are any gaps the flood icing will flow through.
- Colour some line icing pale pink and outline the unicorn biscuit. Then flood the biscuits with the same colour icing which you can water down a little. You then need to leave to dry. While the biscuits are drying colour your remaining line icing a deep pink, orange and leave some white. Pipe a flower head band onto the unicorn using different start nozzles. Using the white icing pipe on the mane and the horn. When all icing is completely dry paint on the unicorns nose and horn with gold paint. You can then used a black food pen to draw on the eyelashes. You could make your unicorn even more magical with a touch of glitter or pearl decorations. Leave to dry before devouring them, if you can wait that long!
- You'll need a unicorn cookie cutter for this recipe.
Three top tips for icing:
1. Be well equipped-You can only pipe prettily with the right equipment so make sure you have a unicorn cookie cutter, icing bags, nozzles, gel colours and edible paint (Lakeland or Amazon is great for all of thesethese)
2. One batch of icing
You don’t even need to make more than one batch of icing for this design. You can simply adapt each stage from your original white ‘line’ icing, adding water and colouring to the remaining mixture as required. Simple.
3. Buy a biscuit recipe book
If you need more help/ideas with your icing skills, get yourself a copy of this brilliant book by my fave biscuit company Biscuiteers.
