How to Make Christmas Lightbulb Cookies

Ingredients

* Cooled boiled apricot jam

* Cooled boiled water

* Gingerbread dough or shortbread dough pre-made and chilled

* Flour

* Icing sugar

* White Ready to Roll Icing

* Coloured Icing of Your Choice

Equipment

* Sharp Knife

* Lined Baking Tray

* Wire Rack

* Baking Brush

* Rolling Pin

* Piping Bags

* Icing Tips - No 8, No 3

* Palette Knife

Print and cut out the free PDF template above.

Roll out the dough on a clean surface lightly dusted with flour to approximately 4mm. Cut out as many lightbulb shapes as required using the template and a sharp knife. Place the shapes on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Once cooled, brush over the top of the biscuits with a thin layer of apricot jam.

On a clean, dry surface knead a coloured icing of your choice and white icing separately until pliable.

To create the colour gradation, knead together the coloured icing and the white icing at different ratios to create four different shades. You will need approximately 20g of icing to cover one biscuit. Gradually add more white icing to the base colour to create the pastel shades.

Dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out each colour of the icing in turns to prevent drying, until 2-3mm thick.

Using the template again, cut out as many shapes from your coloured icing as required, using a clean sharp knife. Trim off the bottom section of the lightbulb where it's at its narrowest. Carefully place the icing shapes on to the top of the biscuits and smooth down gently with the palm of your hand. The icing should only cover the top part of the biscuit, leaving the bottom uncovered.

Prepare 2 piping bags, one containing a No.8 tip and one containing a No.3 tip. Using a palette knife, paddle the royal icing until smooth, spoon 300g into the piping bag containing the No.8 tip and 100g into the piping bag containing the No.3 tip.

Using the bag containing the No.8 tip, pipe 3 straight lines onto each cookie, underneath the coloured icing. Leave until all icing has hardened.

Using the bag containing the No.3 tip, pipe a curved line on top of the coloured icing on each cookie to create a light reflection effect and finish off the biscuits.