Making these cute letter Fathers Day cookies is a great way for kids to show much they love their dad (or Grandad!)
Fathers Day this year (2022) is on the 19th of June, so get cooking kids.
A Brief History
Fathers Day as we know it was founded in 1910 in the US by a lady named Sonora Smart Dodd. While attending a Mothers Day service in 1909 Sonora felt that fathers were equally deserving of recognition.
Sonora’s father was a civil war veteran and widower who brought up his six children single handed. To honour him she petitioned for a Fathers Day on June 5th, the anniversary of his death. The petition was accepted in her native Washington state but deferred to the third Sunday in June.
Many English speaking nations have adopted this day to celebrate their Fathers and in some its even a public holiday!
Fathers Day Cookies
Ingredients
- 100 g butter unsalted, softened
- 100 g Fairtrade caster sugar
- 1 egg medium, free-range, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp Madagascan vanilla extract
- 200 g Plain flour plus extra for dusting
For the decoration
- 250 g Ready-to-roll soft white icing
- 2-3 tbsp Icing sugar
- 1 tub Party sprinkles to decorate
- 1 pack Colour writing icing
- 1 tub Silver balls to decorate
Conversions
Instructions
- Cream the butter with the sugar until just light and creamy in texture. Be careful not to overwork, or the cookies will spread during baking. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the flour and mix until it forms a dough. Gather into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 0]1 hour[/timer].
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Fan 170°C/gas mark 5. Take half the dough, place on a floured surface and knead briefly. On a sheet of baking parchment, roll out the cookie dough to ½cm thick.
- Draw a large D and A on to stiff card, cut out and use as templates. Place the templates on top of the dough and carefully cut out three letters to spell DAD. Remove any excess dough. Slide the cookies, still on the baking parchment, on to a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown at the edges. Repeat with the other half of the dough and any trimmings – you should get six large letters, ie two DADs.
- Keep the cookies on the parchment paper and transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes. Carefully slide off the paper.
- Use the cookie letter templates to cut out corresponding shapes from the ready-rolled icing. Mix the icing sugar with a few drops of water to make a paste, then brush a little on to each biscuit before placing the icing on top. Decorate the iced cookies with sweets of your choice and the writing icing.
You may also like one of my other favourite recipes …
