Tuesday 13 January 2015

Lego biscuits for the birthday boy

If the weather had been kinder and cooler, I might have made a cake for my nephew's birthday.  It was forecast to be a scorcher (38 or 39 C) and so biscuits seemed more practical.  And I couldn't think of a better theme than lego.  When I was told the day before his birthday that he spent his waking hours doing lego, I felt I had chosen well.

I wanted to make vegan biscuits (cookies if you live in America) but decided the family would appreciate butter rather than margarine.  I usually stock and bake with Nuttalex vegan margarine and am sure it would work here.  However it does help to get the quantities right.

When I made the dough it was really really soft - like butter with a little flour.  I blamed the hot weather and went off to the pool while it chilled.  Out of the fridge it was difficult to handle and the biscuits spread like wildfire (or a bushfire if you live in Australia).  I checked and double checked and found I had put in only three fifth of the butter.

Once I fixed the quantities, it looked like a real dough and the biscuits mostly kept their shape.  It was after dinner and Sylvia was just about ready for bed by the time I started decorating.  She helped sort the m and m's into colours and mix some of the icing.  We may have even sampled a few.  Knowing what was going on in the kitchen did not make for a settled child that evening but she slept eventually.

Meanwhile I kept icing the biscuits and arranging m and m's on them.  I know that some people would pipe a square outline and fill it with royal icing.  I prefer my icing without egg white, I don't like piping and I didn't want to lose part of my icing in piping bags.  So I just used thick icing and a knife.  It wasn't fast work but it looked close enough for jazz.

When I took the biscuits to Geelong, everyone was impressed.  How did you match the colours? they asked!  Just luck, I replied.  Then I remembered that the yellow had been all wrong and I had added more dye.  So I guess it was a bit of trial and error.

When I found that there were not enough yellow and red me and m's, I mixed red and yellow which matched the orange.  I also discovered that there is only an m on one side of the chocolates but by the time I noticed, I was too far gone with the biscuits to take much care.

It was such a hot day that the party started at the pool.  It seemed that all of Geelong had turned out for Dash's birthday.  I have never seen it so crowded and crazy.  Sylvia ran into someone on the water slides and got a blood nose!  Back at my parents' house, the party food was quite traditional which meant lots of meat.  My sister made a great lentil salad for me and cheese sandwiches for Sylvia.  And I really loved these dips.

There were lots of party games.  My sister had found a pinata that just need to be filled.  It was so hot that going outside in bare feet for herbs was very painful.  Which meant the pinata had to be in the shade of the back porch.  And done quickly before all the little chocolates melted.  There were no shortage of volunteers to give it a hefty thwack with the cricket bat!

The kids also played Pin the Tail on the Donkey.  No one knew where the donkey was so a makeshift donkey was outlined by yours truly.  Then the kids took over.  They all had a go at colouring in.  My niece Ella made it into a unicorn donkey.

We found a scarf, tied it around each child's eyes and spun them around.  Then they had to blu tak the tail on the donkey.  (That's right!  No pins on my parents' doors!)  You can see where we wrote each initial.

It was decided to let the kids run under the sprinkler in the backyard before the storm started brewing.  By the time they all had their bathers and the sprinkler was creating a mist, the sky was grey and the cool change was well on the way.  Which made it more like an Irish summer's day than an Australian one.  Perfect for my little Irish nephew!

And there was cake and fairy bread and little pink iced cakes and chocolate crackles as well as the lego biscuits.  Dash ended the day by putting together a lego monster truck he got for his birthday.  To paraphrase The Lego Movie, everything was awesome!

I am sending these biscuits to the following blog events:

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Dashing Car Birthday Cakes
Two years ago: NCR Spring onion soup
Three years ago: Scienceworks - history meets science in Spotswood
Four years ago: CC Nigella's Sugar Roasted Peaches
Five years ago: Airplane Cake for Dash
Six years ago: Curry traditions – of sausages and potatoes
Seven years ago: You say biscuits, I say scones!

Lego Biscuits
Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Biscuits (cookies):
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1 cup vegan margarine (I used butter)

1/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Decoration:
4 cups icing sugar
4 tablespoons soy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
food dye
smarties or m and m's

To make biscuits: 
Stir together margarine and icing sugar until creamy.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until it comes together into a dough.  Briefly knead into a ball and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.  Preheat oven to190 C or 375 F.  Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 0.5 to 0.25cm thick.  Cut into squares or rectangles.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

To decorate:
Make icing (frosting) by mixing icing sugar, milk and vanilla until you have a thick spreadable paste.  Add extra spoonfuls of milk if required.  Divide icing into 4 or 5 small bowls and colour each to match one of the colours of the m and m's or smarties.  Carefully ice the biscuits in a square and then position smarties to be evenly spaced like lego blocks.  (NB: if you use m and m's it is best to position the chocolate with the m side down!)

These kept for a few days in an airtight container but the fresher the better as they did get a bit soft.

On the Stereo:
A: Agnetha Faltskog

29 comments:

  1. That is the coolest bit of baking I've seen in a while. How creative! It also inspired me to see if there are any vegan Smarties equivalents, given how the rest of the recipe is vegan - turns out there indeed! That's brightened my morning no end!

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    1. Thanks Joey - I knew the skittles were vegan but chocolate filled would be my preference so am glad to hear there is a vegan version. Sounds like the recipe is calling your name :-)

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  2. These are gorgeous biscuits - and I too am impressed with the perfectly matched icing / colours and the effort at getting all the right coloured M&Ms in the right place. They sound like a perfect match for the weather and the birthday boy. You've also reminded me how much I enjoyed the Lego Movie :)

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    1. Thanks Kari - the Lego Movie was lots of fun - I was a bit worried the icing would be melty in the hot weather but it was fine though it was so thick it sometimes set a bit quickly. I was quite pleased too that the colours matched because before I started I had wondered how I would do it. (In looking back I wonder if the green could have been a bit lighter but it was close enough)

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  3. I love how you perfectly sum up an Australian party in the summer, especially the part about going out to get herbs barefoot as that's something I deal with a fair bit! Well done on the biscuits, you are far more patient than I am!

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    1. Thanks Veganopoulous - I run outside for a quick trip in bare feet too often in the extreme heat - but it does tell you just how hot it is :-)

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  4. Those cookies are CRAZY adorable!! I'm sure your nephew was pretty happy with them.

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  5. That is one seriously fantastic recipe! I absolutely love it! I love the story of how you created them too, all your trials and errors. Simply fantastic! (ps. I now have the Lego Movie tune stuck in my head! "Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team....!"

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth - sorry about the lego movie tune - we had it in our head for ages after the movie :-)

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  6. Sounds like a fabulous party. Your biscuits look scrummy.

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  7. I love traditional kids parties with proper games and party food! Your biscuits are fab. The colour is perfect. Very eye-catching and I should imagine they disappeared in a flash. We mostly have traditional garden parties for my little one (although I suspect she may decide it is too 'young' for her this year). As her birthday is in our summer, we always have to stuff the piñata with non-chocolate sweets to avoid the melting. I LOVE the bee piñata!!

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    1. Thanks Kate - we have never done a pinata - sylvia just loves them but her parties have been more casual that that. I love doing the traditional party food but am not so good on the games

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  8. Your biscuits are gorgeous! And you did so well to match the colours. The kids at the party must have loved them. And it looks like a great party too. Love the bumble bee pinata! xx

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    1. Thanks Charlie - matching the colours seemed just luck - and the kids did love them

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  9. You never cease to amaze me Johanna! I wouldn't have wanted to go to sleep either after helping with those awesome Lego Cookies!!!

    Thank you so much for sharing the party with us Johanna. It's frezing here and an "Irish" Summer Party just warmed up my day!!!

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    1. Thanks Louise - it has cooled down here - hope that means a little of our warmth has gone your way

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  10. Your lego cookies are very impressive! I love the look of the royal icing piped cookies, but they are such a ridiculous amount of fussing around to do (not to mention that I have done my back making them in the past) that I am with you on the "just use thick icing".

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    1. Thanks Cakelaw - royal icing looks very professional but I am always wary of the raw egg in it - and I am sure it would do my back in too

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  11. oh my these are awesome. E would love these too, sadly plans for his birthday on Sunday are well advanced and adding these into the mix would be a step too far for on my list of things to sort! We shall certainly bookmark them for another time, he'll love helping ;o).

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    1. thanks nic - hope E's party went well - I can't claim they are quick - baking them was straightforward but the icing takes some time - but they are great for kids to help with

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  12. Wow I love these biscuits! What a cool idea. I think I'll make these for Lexie's next bday, he loves Lego :)

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    1. Thanks Kate - lego is great for kids - I love seeing them get creative with it - hope lexie enjoys them

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  13. This is a genius idea! When I first saw the post I thought to myself how did she make them and now I know! I'm sure the kids loved them. Thanks for entering AlphaBakes, a brilliant entry.

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    1. Thanks Ros - I felt the same when I saw them on pinterest - but they are easier than they look

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  14. These are completely adorable! What a great aunt you are =)
    Sounds like a fun birthday.

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  15. Ahhhh, I love them! Please can I have the bumper orange one at the bottom, cos everyone one knows the orange Smarties taste best :)
    Janie x
    PS thanks for sharing with Ta Time Treats :)

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  16. Oh gosh, how very clever Johanna, I bet they were super popular and probably something the kids will always remember. They must have taken ages to make.

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  17. These Lego biscuits are just amazing. My grandson would love them.

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