Biscuit heaven

P34: VALENTINE’S HEARTS P36: MAPLE FROSTED SOUR CREAM COOKIES P37: GO NUTS COOKIES P37: MAPLE-GLAZED APPLE COOKIES P38: BLOOD ORANGE ROSEMARY COOKIES P38: SPICED MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES

Valentine’s hearts

MAKES 24

For the biscuits

170g (6oz) caster sugar
170g (6oz) salted butter
170g (6oz) golden syrup
1 large free-range egg
1tsp vanilla extract
480g (1lb) plain flour
130g (4½oz) self-raising flour

For the icing

900g (1lb 14oz) royal icing mix 150ml (5½fl oz) cold water Red food colouring gel

1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. For the biscuits, sift the flours together into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and mix well. Add the butter and, using just the tips of your fingers, rub the ingredients together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2 When all the butter is evenly mixed in, make a well in the centre and add the syrup, vanilla and egg. Mix well, drawing in any of the flour left at the side of the bowl, and stop as soon as a ball has formed.

3 Place the dough on a sheet of parchment. Begin by gently squashing down the dough with a rolling pin or your hands, cover with a second sheet of parchment, then use the rolling pin to roll out properly until 5mm (¼in) thick.

4 To cut out heart biscuit shapes, either use a heart-shaped cutter or create your own using a greaseproof paper heart shape, then cut round the edge carefully with a sharp knife.

5 Bake in the oven for 15-25 minutes depending on the size of your biscuits, or until golden brown.

6 For the icing, sieve the icing sugar, then add the cold water. Whisk for 5 minutes using either a standard or electric whisk. Whisk slowly to start with to avoid clouds of icing sugar covering you and your kitchen.

Continue until the ingredients form a thick, smooth paste that is bright white in colour and has the consistency of toothpaste.

7 Separate into four bowls, one with a large amount of icing and the other 3 with around half that amount.

8 Add a sparing few drops of food colouring to one of the smaller bowls, ensuring it is fully combined to make your pink line icing. Add red food colouring to another of the smaller bowls, again making sure it’s combined – this is your red line icing.

9 The final smaller bowl will need a couple more spoonfuls of water adding until it reaches the consistency of custard – this is your white flood icing.

10 Add a sparing amount of red food colouring to the larger bowl. Again, add more water until it reaches custard consistency – this is your pink flood icing.

11 Now it’s time to fill your piping bags. When snipping the tip be careful not t