A thoughtful bomboniere gift will add a distinct touch to your wedding. At the same time, it can round out and fit in with an overall theme or colour scheme. What could be more delightful than a delicious home made treat to say thank you to your guests? These iced shortbread butterfly-shaped biscuits can be made well ahead of time and then a day or two before the wedding can be quickly packaged and labelled.
Shortbread Recipe
Makes 25
- 250g butter
- 125g castor sugar
- 300 g plain flour
- 90 g corn flour or rice flour
- ½ tspn vanilla
- butterfly-shaped cookie cutters
- Preheat oven to 160° C.
- Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and creamy.
- Sift flours together and add the butter mixture, mixing until a smooth dough is formed.
- Roll out to desired thickness (biscuits shown are 8mm thick). Cut out biscuits and place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool on trays before removing.
TIP: Be gentle when removing the biscuit from the cookie cutter so you don't break any parts of the wings.
Fondant Icing
- 1 packet of ready made white icing / fondant
- food colouring
- cornflour for dusting
- non stick rolling pin
- spatula or palette knife
- cookie cutter as above
- sugar syrup*
- Remove sufficient icing from packet. If it is too firm place in microwave for 10 seconds to soften before adding colour.
- Dust a smooth working surface with a little cornflour, knead icing, add colour and knead more to distribute the colour evenly. Roll out the icing to approximately 3mm thickness and cut out butterfly shapes.
- Lightly coat biscuit with sugar syrup before using a palette knife to cleanly lift the butterfly icing on to the biscuit. When in place, lightly run the palm of your hand over the icing to make sure it is attached and there are no rough edges.
*Sugar syrup: Combine two parts castor sugar with one part boiling water to make syrup.
TIP: It is worth testing your food dye on a small piece of fondant to check the intensity of the colour.
Packaging: Cellophane bags are the perfect choice to keep your bomboniere gift fresh and for their visual appeal.
Butterfly cookie cutters available from www.littlebetsybaker.com.au