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If you want a glimpse into baker Kim-Joy's brain, check out the inspiration behind this recipe.
“Imagine you’re walking through a magical forest and there are mushrooms at your feet, frogs hopping around your ankles and bumblebees buzzing peacefully in the air,” she says.
“You arrive at the forest kitchen and decide to make some quick, buttery thumbprint cookies based on what you’ve seen.”
Magical Forest Fingerprint Cookies
Brands: 16
Ingredients:
200g salted butter (or use 80% vegan butter), softened to room temperature, cut into cubes
90 g granulated or powdered sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (increase to 1 teaspoon if using pre-ground cardamom as the flavour is not as strong) (you can also omit this if you prefer)
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
280g plain flour (or use a gluten-free flour blend plus ¾ tsp xanthan gum)
100 g of your favourite jam (use apricot or sweet jam for the bees; any red-coloured jam, such as strawberry or raspberry, for the mushrooms; add green food colouring to the apricot jam or sweet jam for the frogs)
To decorate:
Flaked almonds (or you can pipe wings after baking using white frosting)
40 g icing sugar
Black food coloring
Method:
1. Line a baking sheet with baking paper or a silicone mat.
2. Add the butter, sugar, ground cardamom and vanilla to a large bowl and beat with a spoon or spatula until smooth and spreadable.
3. Add the flour (or flour plus xanthan gum) and mix until the ingredients are combined. The dough should be slightly sticky, but soft and easy to handle.
4. Divide the dough into 16 roughly equal portions, then form each portion into an irregular ball and flatten it with the palm of your hand.
5. Place on the prepared baking sheet. If making the bumblebees, press each cookie with your finger or a measuring spoon to create oval-shaped indentations in the center of each one, then press the flaked almond wings in just above the indentation. To make the mushrooms, press the cookies with your fingers to create the top of the mushroom, then press down to create the stem using a chopstick or something similar. For the frogs, press each cookie to create a round indentation, then use your fingers to press down to create two smaller indentations on top for the eyes.
6. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 140°C fan-forced.
7. Using a small spoon, spoon a little jam into each hollow (depending on the design you're making – see photos), so that it's flush with the surrounding cookie. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
8. Meanwhile, make the quick icing for decorating. Whisk together the icing sugar and a teaspoon of water, then add black food colouring to colour. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and cut a small nozzle into it. For the bees, add half a teaspoon of white icing to a small piping bag and cut a small opening in the end. Mix the remaining icing with black food colouring to colour it. Add three-quarters of this icing to a piping bag and cut a slightly larger opening (this piping bag is for the bees' stripes). Add the remaining quarter to a third piping bag and cut a small opening (this one is for the eyes/mouth). For the mushrooms, you only need white icing, so put it straight into a piping bag. For the frogs, keep two-thirds of the icing white. Tint the remaining third black. Put it into separate piping bags.
9. Once the cookies have cooled, you can finish decorating them! Use the photos as a guide, but feel free to add your own embellishments. Store them in an airtight container for a week or two.
'Bake Joy: Easy And Imaginative Bakes To Bring You Happiness' by Kim-Joy (Quadrille, £16.99, available 29 August).
