she paints the kitchen red

Fondant Biscuits

The end of this year marks the graduation of my first batch of students – and it is sure going to be bittersweet. It’s funny how I grew close to a particular bunch of lovely kids – even the circumstances were baffling… I only taught half of the class when they were in Year 1 and was their Assistant Supervising Tutor for Project Work last year. I was never their home tutor but this is one class that I believe I would remember for quite a long time to come.

I remember the first thing I baked for them nearly 2 years ago – chocolate cupcakes with chocolate fudge frosting. It was towards the end of the year, when the exams were nearing. And as they say… the rest is history.

I guess the perks of teaching older kids is that interaction is much more meaningful. Last year I brought a group of them out to break fast, and then we spent a night playing lanterns during the Mid Autumn Festival and the year culminated in a barbecue after the exams.

Tomorrow I am meeting them for a meal and since their exams will be after the holidays, I made them these:

adapted from Cookies Galore; Jacqueline Bellefontaine

125g butter, softened
40g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g plain flour
4 tbsp cornflour

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flours and mix to form a soft dough.

3. Roll out the dough between sheets of clear plastic (I just plonked it in between greaseproof paper) and roll out to about 5mm thick. Cut out cookies as desired.

4. Bake till crisp and golden, about 8-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring on a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Roll out ready-made fondant and use the same cutters. Dab the cookie with a little milk to ensure that the fondant shapes stick. Deocrate as desired.

I should start thinking of what to give them nearing their graduation, eh? 🙂