FRUIT-SHAPED COOKIES

Fruit-Shaped Cookies image

This requires a fair bit of work, but the end result will please kids and adults alike and look spectacular on a dessert tray.

Provided by Lennie

Categories Dessert

Time 1h30m

Yield 4 dozen cookies

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

1 cup margarine or 1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2-1 teaspoon almond extract, your choice re how strong you want the flavour to be
food coloring
colored sugar sprinkle
whole cloves
cinnamon stick

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.