Halloween Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 150degC. Cream together the butter, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy. Sift the flour and beat into the creamed ingredients to make a rough dough. Divide the dough into quarters. Wrap in plastic wrap and and flatten each piece into a patty about 4cm thick. Refrigerate 1 -2 hours or until firm (or place in freezer for 15-20 minutes). Remove from fridge one piece at a time and roll each piece out between two sheets of baking paper to about 5mm (1/4inch) thickness. Use the warmth of your hands to press down on the dough before rolling if it’s very very firm. Use a pumpkin-shaped cutter to stamp out shapes. Carefully transfer shapes, using a palette knife, to trays lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn down heat to 100degC (200degF) and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and transfer to cake racks to cool. Decorate when cold: Knead the fondant until soft and pliant  (you might need to use a little sifted icing sugar if it’s sticking to the bench top) – or you can soften it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Roll it out between two sheets of baking paper to 2mm thickness.  Cut the rolled fondant with the pumpkin cookie cutter. Meanwhile gently warm the apricot jam. Brush a little of the jam (or piping gel) over the tops of biscuits and lift the pumpkin-shaped fondant onto the biscuit. Work with one at a time. Remove modelling paste from packet. It’s easier to work with 125g at a time. Soften in the microwave for about 10 seconds, remove and knead until pliant.  Add a few drops of black food gel and knead until evenly distributed and you have the colour you want. Stamp out triangular eye  shapes and mouths with small sharp canapé or hors d’oeuvres cutters, and place on top of the fondant using a little apricot jam or piping gel to secure them in place.