Lockdown recipe of the day: Royal Iced Cookies by Chef Bernice Warn, Capsicum Culinary Studio Chef.

Everyday we dig in the fridge or the cupboard trying to either find something to snack on or to find something we can bake, do and keep ourselves busy. Luckily for us, a few chefs across the different Capsicum Culinary Studios sent us a few recipes to make the Easter and lockdown period manageable.

Today we feature Bernice Warner from Capsicum’s PE campus, and this is what she had to say, “These are easy and fun to make and you can get the whole family involved when it comes to the icing,” says Warner. “Give each member of the family a piping bag and icing and let them create their own designs subject to the theme you are baking - whether it be chicks or bunnies, rainbows, bones or even flowers.”

For the sugar cookies:

• 400g cake flour

• 1 medium egg

• 200g butter or baking margarine

• 200g castor sugar

• 5ml vanilla essence

Method:

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light pale and fluffy in a stand mixer or bowl with an electric hand mixer.

2. Add the beaten egg and vanilla essence until well combined.

3. Mix in the flour until a dough ball forms.

4. Wrap in plastic wrap and set to chill in the fridge for 20min before rolling out.

5. Pre- heat oven to 200’C.

6. Roll out on a lightly floured surface the chilled dough to about ½ cm and with assorted cookie cutters cut out shapes and place on a prepared and lined baking tray. Allow space in between the cookies during baking as they bake better that way.

7. Bake for +- 15minutes or until golden around the edges. Remove and cool on a cooling rack until ready to decorate with the Royal icing.

Royal icing:

• 1 egg white

• 400-500g sieved icing sugar

• 5ml lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Method:

1. Whip the egg white until soft peaks form on the whip attachment in your mixer bowl and start adding a half a cup of icing sugar at a time while mixing on low speed until incorporated before you add the next amount of sugar until there is no more left.

2. Add the lemon juice and mix for a few minutes on high speed. The mixture will become very white and glossy. It's now ready to use.

3. Select your food colouring and divide into the amounts of colour needed to decorate your cookies

4. You will need piping bags or zip lock bags for this.

5. You may change the consistency of your icing with a small amount of water if too firm.  Note too much water will cause the icing to run excessively.

6. Allow the decorated cookie to dry for a few hours before consuming…the rest may be sealed in an air tight container.