Easter Biscuits

1 cup butter (at room temperature) 1 cup white sugar 1 egg 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Store-bought royal icing Gel food colouring in variety of colours

1. With an electric beater, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well.

2. Sift flour and baking powder together and whisk into butter mixture. Then stir in the vanilla extract.

3. Press the dough into a ball and cover with cling film. Let it rest in the fridge for about an hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking sheet with silicone baking paper.

5. Roll out the dough between two sheets of silicone baking paper (or on a floured surface) and use animal-shaped cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

6. Place biscuits on the lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet until they are set enough to transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before decorating.

7. Mix royal icing according to package instructions. Divide into 3 bowls and add 1 drop of gel food colouring of your choice to each bowl. Mix well and ice biscuits by first piping an outline onto each biscuit. Then add another ½ teaspoon of water to the left-over icing of each colour and fill in the blank middle of each biscuit.