Easy cookie recipe for Remembrance Day

EASY COOKIE RECIPE FOR REMEMBRANCE DAY

Every year at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month Australians and other nations pause to remember the soldiers who fell during the war. While Ancaz Day commemorates the day Australians went out to war, Remembrance Day is a day of remembering the end of the war.

If you are uncertain about explaining Remembrance Day to your kids, baking and decorating some cookies are a meaningful and fun way to teach them about the ceremony.

“Mummy, what Is Remembrance Day? Why do I have to stay silent for one minute?”

Remembrance Day marks the end of the First World War which officially ended at 11am on 11th November 1918. Once a year, countries around the globe like us, fall silent for one minute at 11am on the 11th of November to pay respect to our fallen soldiers. It’s a way to say thank you to the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“But Mum, why do we bake cookies and make them look like red flowers?”

The red poppy is a symbol that reminds us of the fallen soldiers. It was inspired by a poem written by Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae called “In Flanders Fields”. It is a field covered with beautiful red poppies symbolising the area where the soldiers fought and fell.

The red poppy has become a symbol of remembering those who sacrificed their lives in the war. It is now a tradition to wear a silk poppy to remember those who fell. We figured making poppy cookies would be an equally meaningful way to remember the event. 

COOKIE INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Measure unsalted butter and put into the bowl and leave it at room temperature to soften.
2. In a large bowl, gently mix the softened butter until it’s creamy, add sugar and salt and beat well. Beat until it’s pale and fluffy.
3. Dividing egg into 2, pour in one at a time, mix the egg into butter. The egg should also be at room temperature. If you add cold eggs, the temperature will drop and the butter will harden and separate.
4. Adding vanilla extract, keep whipping to make sure your butter is mixed well.
5. Sift in flour. Add milo powder mixed with dried banana smashed / green tea powder / dried strawberry smashed into the mixed butter. Mix with a spatula using a cutting motion.
6. Once the dough has been mixed well, wrap the dough with cling wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
7. Flatten the dough on the baking paper by using a rolling pin, then put it back in the fridge for about 10 minutes. This is because the dough will get soft while rolling. Putting it back in the fridge allows for better shape when cutting. 
8. Cut with a cookie-cutter and place on the baking tray lined with baking paper. Roll the remaining offcuts into a ball, wrap in cling wrap and put back in the fridge for 10 mins. I used a 5 cm cookie-cutter and made 12 cookies from each.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 160c for 15 minutes. It varies from oven to oven, you might need to adjust cooking time by 1-2 minutes.

DECORATION

1. Trace an outline around the cookie using the red icing, following the flower shape. Once the outline is set, fill each flower petal with red icing. Pipe small dots in the middle of each petal with the white royal icing. Use a toothpick to draw the white icing to the edge of the poppy. 
2. Once the icing on the petal is set, pipe a white circle in the centre of each cookie. 

“Be creative and have fun”

SUGGESTED TOOLS

• Mixer or hand mixer
• Baking spatula
• Bowl
• Rolling pin. An empty wine bottle works fine too!
• Cookie-cutter
• Baking paper
• Cling wrap
• Piping/ frosting bag DIY from a Ziploc bag and tape

We hope our cookie recipe will bring some meaningful lessons about Remembrance Day to your family. Share how your cookies turned out in the comments.

“Lest we forget”

We publish a new blog every Saturday sharing cooking tips, inspirations and authentic Southeast Asian recipes. Stay tuned to get inspired!

References: For Teachers For Students, BBC Remembrance, BBC Newsround