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A handy recipe to dip into when you want to express your love. It could be a birthday or Valentine's, or just to brighten up someone's day.
Ingredients:
180gms plain flour
125gms unsalted butter
55gms caster sugar
Royal Icing:
2 egg whites
450g icing sugar
Food dye
Method:
Line 2 trays with parchment paper
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the flour and continue to mix until a smooth dough forms. Roll out onto a lightly floured surface and using a rolling pin roll out to appx 1.5cm thick.
Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make the biscuits and then place them on the lined baking trays. Reroll the dough that is left over and continue until you have used it all.
Place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 190⁰c. Place baking trays in the oven and bake for appx 8-10 mins, until slightly golden around the edges. Take out the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
For the icing, mix a splash of water with 2-3 large tablespoon of icing sugar. The amount will vary depending on how many biscuits you are decorating. Start with a little water and keep adding until you have a thickish consistency that you can pipe, (you don’t want it too runny). Depending on how many colours you want to use you can split this and then add the dye. Use a piping bag to decorate.
To make the icing place the egg whites and icing sugar in a large bowl and whisk for few minutes, (slowly to begin with).
Once you have the desired consistency, (you can add extra egg white to make it a little runnier, or more icing sugar to thicken it up) either split the mixture into a few bowls if you are wanting a variety of colours, and add the food dye to each bowl, mixing it in until it is fully incorporated. Cover each bowl of icing until you use that colour as it will dry out otherwise.
Use a piping bag and nozzle to decorate the biscuits and allow to dry.
Enjoy
Gaby Van Clarke
Here's a bit of fun for Christmas which the kids will love having a go with. You'll need the cookie cutters, but they come in all shapes, sizes and designs nowadays.
Also known as a Berliner in Germany and a ponchik in Poland, Michael used to queue up excitedly for similar ones as a child, at the bustling Bakery in the Old Kent Road.
Hanukkah (Chanukah) is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple in the 2nd century BC.