Cardamom, Almond &

Honey Bee Cookies

MAKES: ABOUT 30 CARDAMOM COOKIES

Semolina Shortbread (see recipe below), plus ¾ tsp ground cardamom (for the best flavour, finely grind the seeds in a spice grinder) plain [all-purpose] flour, for dusting

BUTTERCREAM

75g butter, at room temperature (or vegetable shortening or coconut oil to make vegan)

125g icing sugar

½ tsp vanilla bean paste,

1–2 tbsp milk or plant-based milk, to soften as necessary

½ quantity of Royal Icing (see recipe below) black gel food dye

PLUS

honey, or a thick maple syrup or agave syrup to make vegan flaked [slivered] almonds yellow gel food dye

1 Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

2 Make the shortbread (see below), adding the cardamom along with the flour. Add a little yellow food dye to colour the shortbread, if you like.

3 Roll out the shortbread on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick, and use a 4-cm diameter round cutter to stamp out about 60 cookies.

4 Place these on the prepared baking sheets and preferably chill in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes.

5 Preheat the oven to 180°C [350°F/ Gas mark 4] and bake the cookies for 10–15 minutes until just starting to colour at the edges.

6 Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl, then cream together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix. Add the milk to soften to a pipeable consistency, and mix well to create a fluffy buttercream.

7 When the cookies have finished baking, leave to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to