Alice in Wonderland cookies
Perfect for older children to try, especially if they love the book. We advise that you bake half the mixture and freeze half to bake another day, as it makes a large batch. Q Makes about 50 biscuits Q Prep 1 hr plus chilling Q Cook 1 hr and 30 mins unbaked
FOR THE VANILLA DOUGH 400g plain flour
200g unsalted butter, at room
temperature
1 large egg
280g caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cream of tartar
FOR THE CHOCOLATE DOUGH 200g unsalted butter, at room
temperature
350g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1 large egg
280g caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 Line two 900g loaf tins with cling film. To make the vanilla dough, rub the flour and butter together until it looks like fresh breadcrumbs.
2 Mix the egg and the sugar together in another bowl with a fork, then add to the flour mix. Add the vanilla, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Knead into a smooth dough. Press into one of the prepared tins with the back of a spoon until level, cover and chill for 30 mins.
3 To make the chocolate dough, rub the butter, flour and cocoa together as before, then add the other ingredients and a pinch of salt. Knead and press into the remaining tin, and chill alongside the other dough.
4 When both the doughs are firm, take out of the tins, remove the cling film and trim the blocks so they both have straight sides. 5 Cut each block into eight long slices lengthways, then cut each slice into three strips. Stack alternating strips to create a chessboard pattern, four wide and six high – a cut through should be about the size of a playing card. Repeat with the rest of the strips so you have two blocks. Wrap well, then tap the sides on a surface so they are compact and flat. Chill for 20 mins more.
6 Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Cut each dough block into ½cm-thick slices crosswise. Lay the biscuits on the baking sheets and bake for 15-17 mins, or until lightly golden at the edges (you may need to bake in batches). If you like, trim the edges or cut a shape from the centre immediately (we used heart, diamond, club and spade mini cutters to create fun playing card designs). Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. PER SERVING 164 kcals, fat 7g, saturates 4g,
carbs 22g, sugars 11g, fibre 0.8g, protein 2g, salt 0.1g