Iced Biscuits
These wonderfully pretty iced biscuits from The Primrose Bakery make a gorgeous edible gift or a show-stopping centrepiece for an afternoon tea.
From the book
The Primrose Bakery Book
Inspirational, easy to follow recipes
Sweet treats for every occasion
Stunning cakes and bakes
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Introduction
We have been making these biscuits for so long now that we felt we should include them in this chapter. However, we must give full credit to Nigella Lawson here, as they first came to our attention via her How to be a Domestic Goddess cookbook and have been very slightly tweaked by us since then. We find countless occasions to have an excuse to bake these, with so many fantastic cutters to be found – which we both look out for on our travels – and colours to be used.
Ingredients
| For the biscuits: | |
| 85g | unsalted butter |
| 100g | golden caster sugar |
| 1 | large egg, free-range or organic |
| ½ tsp | good-quality vanilla extract |
| 200g | plain flour, sifted, plus more for rolling |
| ½ tsp | baking powder |
| ¼ tsp | salt |
| For the icing: | |
| 150g | icing sugar |
| 2–3 tbsp | boiling water, or as needed |
| A few drops food colouring |
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Line 1 or 2 baking trays with baking paper. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl, and then add the egg and mix well. Gradually add the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix.
On a floured work surface roll the dough out to a thickness of about 5mm, then cut into your desired shapes and place, well spaced out, on the baking tray(s). Bake for about 10–12 minutes, until the biscuits are a light golden brown. They will cook quickly – so keep an eye on the cooking time – and will continue to cook a little once they are out of the oven. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make up the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add about 1 tablespoonful of boiling water at a time. Beat well to a thick but still liquid consistency. If you add too much water, simply add more icing sugar. Add 1 drop of food colouring at a time.
When you are ready to ice the biscuits, lay them out on a flat work surface. If you want the icing to have a perfect fi nish, it is best to use a piping bag to pipe an outline around the biscuits and allow to dry, then fill in the remainder with a slightly thinner consistency of icing. For details, wait until the base coat is dry to the touch, then use a piping bag with a different colour icing. If decorating with sprinkles or sweets, this is best done when the icing is still a bit damp.
These will keep for 2–3 days in an airtight tin or wrapped in clingfi lm and stored at room temperature.
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