Fruit Shaped Cookies Recipes

FRUITY COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix the marmalade with 2 tbsp boiling water. Stir into the creamed mix, then add the spices, oats, flour and baking powder. Mix in the fruit and nuts.
• Dust your hands and surface with flour and roll the dough into a long sausage shape. Cut into about 20 discs. Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, spaced out as they will spread. Bake for about 25 mins until golden brown.

FRUIT-SHAPED COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix margarine and sugar in medium bowl; stir in flour and almond extract until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Divide dough into 3 equal parts; tint and shape each portion as desired; see below for fruit options.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet; cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 300F degrees.
• Bake cookies for about 30 minutes, until they're set but not browned.
• Apples: Mix red or green food colour into part of dough; shape into small balls; insert small piece of cinnamon stick in top of each stem end and whole clove into bottom of each for blossom end; dilute red or green food colour with water and brush over apples.
• Apricots: Mix red and yellow food colours into part of dough; shape into small balls; make crease down 1 side of each with a wooden pick; insert whole clove in each for stem end; dilute red food colour with water and brush over apricots.
• Oranges: Mix red and yellow food colours into part of dough; shape into small balls; insert whole clove in each for blossom end; prick balls with blunt end of wooden pick to resemble texture of orange peel.
• Pears: Mix yellow food colour into part of dough; shape into small balls, then into cone shapes, rounding narrow end of each; insert small piece of stick cinnamon in narrow end for stem; dilute red food colour with water and brush on"cheeks" of pears.
• Bananas: Mix yellow food colour into part of dough; shape into 3-inch rolls, tapering end to resemble bananas; flatten tops slightly to show planes of banana; curve each slightly; paint on characteristic markings with mixture of red, yellow and blue food colours diluted with water.
• Strawberries: Mix red food colour into part of dough; shape into small balls, then into heart shapes (about 3/4-inch high); prick with blunt end of wooden pick for texture; roll each in red sugar; insert small piece of green-coloured wooden pick or green dough into top of each for stem.

EASY FRUIT-FILLED PASTRY HEART COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
• Place the flour, butter, cream cheese, and salt in a bowl. Cut it together with 2 knives or a pastry cutter until the butter and cream cheese is the size of small peas. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Cut the dough in half and place half in the refrigerator to stay cold. Roll the other half between 2 pieces of wax paper or parchment into a sheet about 1/8 inch thick. Lift off the top sheet, and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut 18 cookies. Before lifting the cutouts from the wax paper, put the dough onto a flat baking sheet and into the freezer for a few minutes to firm up the cookies. Set the 18 cookies aside. Repeat with the other half of the dough, also making 18 heart-shaped cookies.
• Place 18 cookies onto the prepared baking sheets so they don't touch. Carefully brush a little beaten egg around the top of each cookie, and spoon about 1 teaspoon of preserves into the center of the cookie. Top each with another unfilled cookie, press together around the edges, and crimp the edges with a fork to seal in the filling and make a pretty edge. Brush the tops of the filled cookies with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are a light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely before placing in containers.

MARZIPAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix butter and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour and almond extract until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Divide into 3 equal parts. Tint and shape dough as directed below. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 300°F. Bake about 30 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Apples: Mix red or green food color into part of dough. Shape into small balls. Insert small piece of cinnamon stick in top for stem end and whole clove in bottom for blossom end. Dilute red or green food color with water and brush over apples. Apricots: Mix red and yellow food colors into part of dough. Shape into small balls. Make crease down 1 side with a toothpick. Insert whole clove for stem end. Dilute red food color with water and brush over apricots. Bananas: Mix yellow food color into part of dough. Shape into 3-inch rolls, tapering ends. Slightly flatten sides to make planes of banana; curve slightly. Paint on markings with mixture of red, yellow and blue food colors diluted with water. Oranges: Mix red and yellow food colors into part of dough. Shape into small balls. Insert whole clove for blossom end. Prick with blunt end of toothpick for texture. Pears: Mix yellow food color into part of dough. Shape into small balls, then into cone shapes, rounding narrow end. Insert small piece of cinnamon stick in narrow end for stem. Dilute red food color with water and brush on "cheeks" of pears. Strawberries: Mix red food color into part of dough. Shape into small balls, then into heart shapes, about 3/4 inch high. Prick with blunt end of toothpick for texture. Roll in red sugar. Insert small piece of green-colored toothpick or green dough into top for stem.