Instructions

Step One

1. Weigh the flour and the sugar with the Sweet Spice blend into a mixing bowl

2. Add the butter and rub together with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles wet sand, making sure there are no buttery lumps

3. Beat the egg with the vanilla, then add to the bowl

4. Mix briefly with a knife to combine, then use your hands to knead the dough together–try not to overwork the dough, or the biscuits will be tough

5. Shape into a disc, then wrap in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes

6. Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4

7. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment

Step Two

1. Dust a work surface with flour

2. Halve the dough, then roll one half out to the thickness of a £1 coin

3. Use cookie cutters to stamp out as many biscuits as you can, then transer them to one of the baking sheets, leaving a little space between the biscuits

4. Repeat with the other half of the dough

Step Three

1. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the biscuits are pale golden

2. Cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire ranck to cool fully

3. When cool, decorate to your liking

Step Four (Optional)

1. To decorate the biscuits as per our video, add enough water to the icing sugar to make a thick icing–it should hold its shape without spreading when piped

2. If using two colours for the icing, split the icing mixture into two equal portions and add your chosen food colouring gel to each portion. (Follow the insrtuctions on the fool gel for quantities)

3. Using one of the colours, add to a piping back with a narrow nozzle or opening and draw an outline around the biscuits.  Then fill in with lines or patterns as desired, using one or more colours as desired

4. Leave to set for 10 minutes

Once finished these will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.