Directions

Chocolate Cookies

1. Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat for 6-8 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the flour and cocoa and beat until the mixture just comes together to form a smooth dough. After the cookie dough is made roll it out on a silicone baking mat or parchment (baking) paper, so you don't have to transfer the large cookie shapes later, to approximately 5mm thick and spread it far enough to cut out the large cookie shapes later. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up the dough to make cutting out easier. 

   
   

2. Place your cookie cake template carefully on top of the rolled out dough and cut out the shape using your plastic cookie cutter tool or a blunt butter knife. Take your time and keep the blade as upright as you can so that the edge of the cookie is cut straight. After cutting around the outer edge and inner edge (if you want the inside removed also for some shapes) carefully lift off the cookie dough away from the cutout shape. Slide the baking mats with the cookies on top onto a cookie sheet or baking tray and put the cookie cutouts back into the fridge to chill while the oven heats up or at least 15 minutes. This will help the cookie to keep its shape when baked.

3. Bake for 12-20 minutes. Leave the cookies on the trays until completely cool.  I like to leave mind overnight. Use leftover cookie dough to make smaller cookies to top your cookie cake. 

Caramel Fudgy Vanilla Buttercream

1. Place the 50 grams of chopped butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat and stir until the sugar disolves. Increase the heat to high, add the milk and bring to the boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add ½ a cup of the icing sugar, whisking until smooth. Allow to cool while you make the buttercream mixture. Stir it occassionally to stop the edges from solidfying.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy. Leave it beating at medium speed as you gradually add in the remaining 4 cups of icing sugar, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. This can take 7 – 8 minutes. Once the sugar has been incorporated into the butter add the vanilla.

3. Add in the fudge icing mixture that should be just warm and beat well.

4. Beat in the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you are happy with the consistancy and the icing is thick, smooth and glossy. NOTE: If your buttercream looks like it is split - don't panic! Just keep on beating it and it will come together to form a smooth creamy icing.

5. Add sea salt flakes (optional) to give the buttercream a salted caramel flavour.

6. The buttercream is now ready to pipe onto your cookie cake. You can chill it in the fridge if it needs to thicken up a little before piping.

Cookie Cake Assembly

1. Place your first cookie onto the tray, serving plate or cake board. Pipe the buttercream onto the cookie (I used a 13mm round nozzle) and put this in the fridge to firm up for 10-20 minutes. Then place the second cookie on top of the first very gently and pipe your icing onto this one. Take your time to create a neat piped effect but don't worry too much as any unruly buttercream can be covered with decorations in the next step. Refrigerate again for 10-20 minutes and then you are ready to place your cookie cake toppers on.

2. Carefully place your decorations into and onto the buttercream however you desire. I try not to be too precise with them because I like the random placing and look.

3. Chill again before serving to make the cookie cake easy to cut when serving. If the buttercream is too soft you risk it oozing out the sides when you cut into it.