Although I live in London, I’m actually from Bulgaria – it is a small but lovely European country on the Balkan peninsula. We have a lovely weather, all four seasons are clearly present, we can go to Black Sea in the summer or go skiing in Rhodope mountains in winter. We have a very rich history (this is the oldest country in Europe) and so many customs and traditions that are still preserved, that other countries might envy. One of those traditions is the celebration of Spring, or as we call our national holiday on 1^st March – “Baba Marta”, meaning Grandma March. All Bulgarians give each other small adornments made of red and white yarn, called “martenitsa”. A typical Martenitsa consists of two small wool dolls, Pizho and Penda. Pizho, the male doll, is usually predominantly white; Penda, the female doll, is distinguished by her skirt and is usually predominantly red.

The red and white woven threads symbolize the wish for good health. They are the heralds of the coming of spring and of new life. The white colour symbolises purity, red is a symbol of life and passion, and so some ethnologists have proposed that, in its very origins, the custom might have reminded people of the constant cycle of life and death, the balance of good and evil, and the sorrow and happiness in human life. The Martenitsa is also a stylised symbol of Mother Nature, the white symbolizing the purity of the melting white snow and the red setting of the sun, which becomes more and more intense as spring progresses. These two natural resources are the source of life. They are also associated with the male and female beginnings, and in their balance, with the need for balance in life.

We wear martenitsi from 1^st March until we see a stork. Storks are migratory birds which leave Europe for much warmer Africa during the winter. However, they always return to their exact homes (nests) announcing the beginning of spring. This is why when we see the first stork, we know the spring has come and hang our martenitsi on a blossoming tree.

Namely for this holiday, I decided to make sugar cut-out cookies and decorate them with white and red fondant, to celebrate the beginning of spring. For the male and female “dolls” I used a gingerbread family cookie cutter set, and for all the flowers I used fluted round cookie cutters.

Since this was the first time that I worked with fondant, I’d like to share some tips that will help you. First, sprinkle the work surface (I used a glass board) often and thoroughly with powdered sugar or cornstarch to prevent the fondant from sticking. Brush a thin coat of apricot glaze (or corn syrup) on the sugar cookie and gently place the fondant on top. You don’t need anything special to stick fondant on fondant, just use a little bit of water. Just dip the tip of a paintbrush and brush the surface of the ornament where you want it to stick. Working with fondant is like playing with playdough, so all you need is imagination!

Ingredients for the sugar cookies:

• 360 g flour
• 250 g butter, softened
• 225 g sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. baking powder

Ingredients for the fondant decoration:

• 300 g white fondant icing
• 250 g red fondant icing
• 40 g black fondant icing
• 40 g apricot glaze
• Edible markers (mostly black and red colours)
• Glass of water

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, stir in the sugar and the butter.
2. Mix in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
3. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients and gradually add them to the butter mixture while stirring. Stir until a smooth dough is obtained. Divide the dough into 2 equal sized balls, wrap them in cling film and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
5. Roll out one of the dough balls until 1/5 inch thick and cut out the cookies.
6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the sugar cookies on top leaving some space between them. Bake for about 8-10 minutes and leave aside to cool.

How to decorate cookies with fondant:

1. Brush a very thin coat of apricot glaze on all sugar cookies.
2. Sprinkle the work surface with powdered sugar. Roll out the fondant to a thickness of 1/8 inch and use the same cookie cutters to cut out the fondant.
3. Gently place the fondant pieces on top and lightly press with fingers. 
4. Repeat the procedure until you run out of cookies. Decorate half of them white, and the other half – red.
5. Use black fondant to make hats and hair for the martenitsa cookies. You can use white and red fondant to shape different ornaments – waistcoats, belts, aprons, dresses, whatever you like. To attach the ornaments to the already covered with fondant cookies, dip a paintbrush into the glass of water and gently brush them.
6. Once you have finished decorating, use colourful edible markers to draw faces on the martenitsas and additional enrichments.

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