Reindeer Cinnamon Shortbreads

I've been hunting* for a deer head for my dining room for a long time now and if I am blaming this on anyone, then it is going to be Katie from Hook, Line and Sink Her.  Her beautiful post filled with these antlered wonders has made me want something that I didn't realise that I wanted.  And the last time that happened was with a taxidermy monkey (I will probably tell you about this at some point... But for now, let's just say that he was majestic and I am kick myself daily for not buying him)

 The dining room is the most sensible option. But, as I often struggle with simple decisions such as what I want for breakfast, I am struggling to decide on which wall. I did the sensible thing of making these reindeer Ruldolf-esque shortbread cookies and then wandering around the room and holding them up in front of each wall to figure out positioning and scale.  And then eating them. 

 

(*not literally. 2013 hunting - MacBook, sofa, cup of tea, lapful of cat)

I saw this icing idea on Pinterest and they are perfect for Christmassing up a round shortbread disc. 

Ingredients
125gr butter
65gr caster sugar
190gr plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Small pinch of cinnamon

Red and black writing icing tubes

Method
1, Make the shortbread dough first by creaming the butter and sugar together.  Beat in the vanilla extract and cinnamon. It is up to you how much cinnamon you put in these as it depends on preference and also what type of cinnamon you have, some can be quite bitter. A little does go a long way.
2, Add in the flour and bring it together to form a ball of dough.  You might need a couple of extra tablespoons of flour.
3, Wrap this in clingfilm and pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4, When you're ready to bake, line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and preheat your oven to 180o/c. 
5, Roll out the dough until it is roughly half a cm a thick and cut out rounds.  It doesn't matter how big or small you make these.  I managed to make around 16.
6, Place them onto your baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until just starting to turn golden brown.  They will be soft when you take them out of the over but will firm up when cooling so leave them to cool on the baking sheet or slide the cookies on the greaseproof paper off the baking sheet and onto a heatproof surface.
7, When they are completely cold, ice them by adding a large dot of red, and then piping eyes and antlers in black. Leave to set before storing them in an airtight container.