“Head of a fish” shortbread cookies for Rosh Hashanah!

 Even the kids will love having the ‘head of a fish’ on the Rosh Hashanah table, when they’re made of cookies! Crunchy sweet shortbread for a sweet new year.

One of the more ‘out there’ symbolic foods for Rosh Hashanah has to be the head of a fish. Placed on the festive table (although rarely eaten!) it symbolises our desire to be “the head and not the tail” – leaders rather than followers, or maybe thoughtful and considered rather than blindly thrashing about.

It’s also a pun, as “Rosh Hashanah” literally means the HEAD of the year.

Another theory is that fishes are often found in shoals or other large groups. They remind us either a) to “be fruitful and multiply” or b) that our blessings should be likewise abundant.

Sweet fishy treats

When my daughter Kipper was little, we bought (kosher) Haribo clown fish and then snipped the tails off with scissors. It was a fun treat for everyone, and the one time a year that Kipper had the chance to eat Haribo!

Head-of-a-fish sweet treats

However a few years ago, I decided to up our game. Our fish heads are still a sweet treat, but it’s a homemade one. And it’s a treat that not only lends itself to teatime snacking, but would also make a fun Rosh Hashanah gift to a friend with a suitable sense of humour.

Enter, the “head of a fish” shortbread cookie!

How to make the ‘head of a fish’ shape

The shape is simply a heart, turned sideways – neat, eh?

Cut out your hearts using a regular heart-shaped cookie cutter, then rotate through 90° and add some fishy details.

How to decorate your head of a fish cookies

I used a fluted round cutter and the wide end of a piping tip to impress patterns on the cookies before baking. You can use whatever you like to press scale patterns, lines etc, plus a little dot for the eye and a smiling mouth. The pattern will lose a little bit of definition when the cookies bake, so you need to press hard enough to make a lasting mark, but not so hard that you cut right through the cookie!

Once the cookies were baked and cooled, I then dusted them with edible metallic lustre to highlight their scales. A teeny dab of chocolate for the eyes and the fishes were ready to go!

Shortbread alternatives

I’ve provided a recipe here for making shortbread head-of-a-fish cookies, but you can use whichever ‘cut out’ cookie recipe you prefer. If you’re not such a shortbread fan, why not try this delicious gingerbread recipe, or these super-easy 3 ingredient Nutella cookies? Obviously you fishes will be a slightly different colour as well as a different flavour, but they should still look (and taste) great!

You can also alter the flavour of your shortbread by leaving out the vanilla and adding grated orange or lemon zest, a few drops of almond essence, or ¼-½ teaspoon cinnamon or mixed spice instead.

Looking forward to fish…

I’m sure Kipper and her friends are going to love these head-of-a-fish cookies on Rosh Hashanah! I can’t wait!

Makes 12-14 cookies.

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📖 Recipe

“Head of a Fish” shortbread cookies

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Buttery, crisp shortbread cookies in the shape of fish heads for Rosh Hashanah!

5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 12 cookies

Calories 121 kcal

Equipment

• 10cm (4 inch) heart shaped cookie cutter

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 100 g butter or margarine
• 50 g light muscovado sugar (see note)
• 4-5 drops vanilla extract (see note)
• 150 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
• Melted chocolate and edible metallic lustre dust to decorate (optional)

Instructions

 

• 100 g (3/7 cup) butter or margarine, 50 g (¼ cup) light muscovado sugar, 4-5 drops vanilla extract
  Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.
• 150 g (1 ⅕ cups) plain flour (all purpose flour)
  Add the flour and continue to beat well. The mixture will start to clump together into crumbs – at this stage, use your hands to press it into a ball of dough. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or a silicon liner.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap it. Roll out the dough between two sheets of greaseproof paper to a thickness of 4mm (3/16 inch). Use a 10cm (4 inch) heart shaped cutter to shape the cookies. Impress scale patterns using a fluted cutter, the wide end of a piping tip, or a spoon.
• Transfer the cookies to the prepared tray and bake at 170°C (340°F) for 10 minutes or until just starting to turn a pale golden colour. Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.
• Melted chocolate and edible metallic lustre dust to decorate (optional)
  Once cool, add a dot of melted chocolate for an eye, and brush lightly with edible lustre dust to highlight the scaly patterns (optional).

Notes

You can use either butter or margarine – butter gives a superior flavour while margarine has the advantage of being parve (dairy free).

I use muscovado sugar for the flavour, but the recipe will work just as well with regular white caster (superfine) sugar.

You can also the flavour of your shortbread by leaving out the vanilla and adding grated orange or lemon zest, a few drops of almond essence, or ¼-½ teaspoon cinnamon or mixed spice instead.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

"Head of a Fish" shortbread cookies

Amount per Serving

Calories

121

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

7

g

11

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Cholesterol

 

18

mg

6

%

Sodium

 

61

mg

3

%

Potassium

 

21

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

14

g

5

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

4

g

4

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

208

IU

4

%

Calcium

 

7

mg

1

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword baking, butter

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Head of a fish cookies FAQ

This post was originally published in September 2017. It was updated and republished in September 2022 and further updated in September 2024.