Pumpkin Cookies

To make the cookie dough, cream the butter and sugar together until well blended. Add the egg and vanilla extract

Sieve the flour and cocoa powder together into a separate bowl. Beat into the butter to form a dough. Divide the dough in half and wrap in cling film. Leave in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Place the dough in between two sheets of baking parchment. Roll out to an even thickness of 4mm.

For the big pumpkin cookies, use a 10cm cookie cutter to cut out five circles. Using the parchment, lift the circles onto a baking tray and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Take the excess dough, form back into a ball and allow to chill for 10 minutes before re-rolling between two sheets of baking parchment. Cut out smaller cookies with a 4cm circle cookie cutter, then place on a large baking tray lined with baking parchment. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

reheat the oven to 180?C/160?C fan/gas mark 3. Bake the small cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden, leaving the bigger ones in for an additional 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

In a bowl, melt the white chocolate according to package instructions. Set 100g aside in a small bowl. Stir a few drops of orange food colouring gel into the large bowl of white chocolate. Smooth the orange chocolate onto the big and small cookies until completely covered. Allow to set in the fridge for 10 minutes

Add a few drops of green food colouring gel to the smaller bowl of melted white chocolate. Using a piping bag, pipe a few ‘leaves’ at the top of each cookie. Allow to set.

In a bowl, melt the dark chocolate according to package instructions. Transfer to a piping bag. On the small cookies, pipe triangles for the eyes and the nose and a half moon shape for the mouth. Allow to set.

For the big pumpkins, using the dark chocolate, pipe two half-moon shapes for the eyes, a triangle for the nose and half-moon shape for the mouth allowing some squares of orange for the teeth.