Halloween black cat cookies

Ingredients

• 250g unsalted butter, cubed and softened at room temperature
• 2 cups (250g) icing sugar
• 4 cups (500g plain flour), sifted
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
• 60ml water
• 2 Tbsp strawberry jam 
• 600g ready to roll black fondant 
• Silver cachous for eyes 
  
  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan forced). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place butter, vanilla and icing sugar into the mixing bowl of the stand mixer. Attach the flat beater and pouring shield (if available) and mix on speed 2 until incorporated. Increase to speed 6 and mix for 2-3 minutes or until very pale, light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly with a spatula.
3. Add flour, a little at a time and mix on speed 1 until flour is combined into butter mixture. Do not over mix.
4. Add water and mix on speed 1 until mixture just comes together. Remove dough and knead lightly. Cut dough in half.
5. Roll out the first half of dough between two sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Cut out dough using a cat cookie cutter ( or your choice of halloween cutter )  and place on prepared trays 2cm apart to allow for spreading.  Bake for 10–12 minutes or until golden. Transfer biscuits to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Icing 

1. Place jam in a small saucepan, heat over a low heat until warm. 
2. Roll out icing between 2 sheets of plastic cling film to 4mm thick, using the same cutter used for the cookies cut out a cat in the icing. 
3. With a pastry brush, brush a small amount of jam onto the cookie, place cut icing onto cookie, stud cachous into icing for eyes, repeat with remaining cookies.