Sweetheart Cookies

Jeanette van den Berg

ingredients
serves 10-12
100 g (4 oz) butter100 g (4 oz) sugar
30 ml (2 tbsp) coffee essence
1 egg
275 g (10 oz) plain flour
for the decoration
100 g (4 oz) icing sugar, sieved
1 - 2 tbsp (15 - 30 ml) warm water
a few drops of red food colouring
pink and cream ribbons 12 mm (1/2 in) wide
method
1. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Stir in the coffee essence and egg, and mix thoroughly.

2. Fold in the flour and turn the mixture onto a board dusted with icing sugar.

3. Knead gently and roll out to 6mm (1/4 in) thickness and cut into heart shapes.

4. Cut a smaller heart shape in the centre for the ribbon.

5. Place on a baking tray and bake for approximately 15 minutes at 180°C (350°F) Gas 4 and leave to cool.

6. Put the decoration ingredients into a bowl and mix until smooth. Spoon into a piping bag with a fine plain nozzle and pipe around the edges of the cookies and round the shape in the centre.

7. Allow to dry and thread the ribbons through the cookies and tie.