Step by step method

1. Make the Cookies:

2. In a bowl, place the Stork White Margarine and sugar. Cream together for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and egg, mixing again until fully combined.

3. Prepare the Dough:

4. Sift in the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in cling film, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. Preheat the Oven:

6. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a baking tray with baking paper.

7. Roll and Cut the Dough:

8. Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of 3 mm. Use your cookie cutter to cut out shapes and arrange them on the prepared baking tray. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

9. Make the Icing:

10. In a mixing bowl, place the Stork White Margarine and whisk to soften. Sift in half of the icing sugar and mix to combine. Sift in the remaining icing sugar and mix again. Add the vanilla essence and warm milk, mixing until smooth and combined.

11. Colour the Icing:

12. Divide the icing into five bowls. Leave one bowl of icing white, and add a small drop of food colouring to each of the other bowls to create pastel colours (pink, yellow, turquoise, and purple). Mix well.

13. Decorate the Cookies:

14. Spoon the white icing into one of the piping bags, snip off the end, and pipe some icing onto each cookie. Use an offset spatula to smooth the icing and create a base for decorating.

15. Add Details:

16. Place the other coloured icings into their respective piping bags fitted with small writing nozzles. Use these to decorate the cookies with details like lines, zigzags, and dots.