A whimsical treat for the autumn season!

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened   
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Red food colouring (optional)

For the decoration:

• White fondant
• Chocolate chips or dark chocolate ganache
• Pink food coloring
• Small heart cookie cutter

Instructions:

Make the dough:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.   
4. Gradually add the dry and wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.   
6. If desired, divide the dough into two portions and add red food colouring to one for an autumnal-coloured effect.
7. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Roll and cut the cookies:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness.
3. Cut out fox shapes using a cookie cutter. You can use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the ears and nose.
4. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between them.

Bake the cookies:

1. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
2. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Decorate the cookies:

1. Roll out the white fondant and cut out small circles for the fox’s face and heart shapes for the ears.
2. Attach the fondant pieces to the cookies using a little water or edible glue.
3. Use a toothpick to add details like eyes and whiskers to the fox’s face.
4. Melt some chocolate chips or dark chocolate ganache and drizzle it over the cookies to create a cute little nose.
5. For a festive touch, you can add a small pink heart to the top of the fox’s head using pink food colouring and a toothpick.

Enjoy your adorable autumn fox cookies!

Tips:

• If you don’t have a fox cookie cutter, you can use a circle cookie cutter and cut out the ears and nose separately.
• To make the cookies even more festive, you can roll out the dough with a rolling pin with a fall-themed pattern.
• You can also use different colours of fondant to create different fox variations.

Happy baking!