Pistachio Pops

YOU WILL NEED: two 12-hole baby muffin trays and 24 baby cupcake cases.

1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Line your muffin trays with the paper cases.

2 Whizz the pistachios in the food processor for a couple of minutes to grind them into a powder. Scrape down the sides with a knife and whizz again. Set aside on a plate.

3 Whisk together the egg and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy and pale – this should take no more than a couple of minutes. Add the grated courgette, and beat again until fully incorporated. Finally, add the pistachio dust, flour, baking powder and salt to the mixture. Give one final whisk for a minute or so, to make sure that everyone inside the bowl is on the same page. Add the most microscopic amount of green colouring with the end of a toothpick and stir to mix thoroughly.

4 With the help of two teaspoons, carefully plop a small dollop of the mixture into each case, making sure to leave a little space (say 1cm) at the top. The idea is to end up with delicate little drops, rather than loud and noisy exclamations that are popping out of their shirts!

5 Bake the cakes in the oven for 15 minutes, then take them out and cool them on a wire rack whilst you prepare the icing.

6 To make the icing, simply combine the icing sugar, tablespoon of water and the vanilla extract with a fork or sauce whisk until smooth. Run a little colouring paste through it with a toothpick until you arrive at a nutty shade of green. Beware: a tiny amount of colour goes a very long way . . . If you are using the icing at a much later stage, place a sheet of cling film directly on to the surface to prevent it from
forming a skin.

7 When the Pops are cooled, ice them individually with a teaspoon. Finally, add a whole pistachio to the top of each Pop and off you go!