Party Cookies

Set a oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 baking sheets. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy, then beat in the syrup and vanilla essence.

Sift in half of the flour and work it into the mixture. Stir in the smarties and the remaining flour and work the dough together, using a spatula.

Roll the dough into 16 balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced well apart to allow for spreading. Do not flatten them. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until pale golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely