Directions

Chocolate Cookies

1. Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat for 6-8 minutes until pale and creamy. 

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.

3. Add the flour and cocoa and beat until the mixture just comes together to form a smooth dough

4. After the cookie dough is made roll it out on a silicone baking mat or parchment (baking) paper, so you don't have to transfer the large cookie shapes later, to approximately 5mm thick and spread it far enough to cut out the large cookie shapes later. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up the dough to make cutting out easier.

5. Place your cookie cake template carefully on top of the rolled out dough and cut out the shape using your plastic cookie cutter tool or a blunt butter knife. Take your time and keep the blade as upright as you can so that the edge of the cookie is cut straight. After cutting around the outer edge and inner edge (if you want the inside removed also for some shapes) carefully lift off the cookie dough away from the cutout shape. Slide the baking mats with the cookies on top onto a cookie sheet or baking tray and put the cookie cutouts back into the fridge to chill while the oven heats up or at least 15 minutes. This will help the cookie to keep its shape when baked.

6. Bake for 12-20 minutes.

7. Leave the cookies on the trays until completely cool.  I like to leave mind overnight.

8. Use leftover cookie dough to make smaller cookies to top your cookie cake.  You can use a cookie stamp set like this one we sell here to create personalised messages on your cookie toppers.

Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream

1. Place butter into the bowl of an electric mixer. With mixer on medium speed beat the butter until creamy.

2. Add the icing sugar and cocoa powder and beat on low speed until it just comes together and then increase to high speed and beat until well combined, smooth and glossy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

3. Add 1-2 drops of food grade peppermint essential oil to buttercream and mix until combined.

4. If the buttercream is too soft to pipe you can pop it into the fridge to firm up a little or add more icing sugar to the mixture.

Assembling Cookie Cake

1. Carefully place one wreath cookie onto serving cake or board.  

2. Pipe chocolate buttercream onto this cookie.  You can refrigerate your cookie with buttercream at this stage for 15-30 minutes if the buttercream is soft.  This will harden the buttercream enough to put the top cookie on.

3. Carefully place other wreath cookie on top of piped buttercream.  If the buttercream is soft refrigerate for 15-30 minutes before topping your cookie cake.

4. Place cookie cake topper ingredients on top of buttercream in any design/style you wish.  You can now serve it or refrigerate it for later or even tomorrow.  The cookie will soften slightly if served the next day and make it easier to cut and serve.