DAY OF THE DEAD BISCUITS

Makes about 16

For the biscuit dough

l 275g (9¾oz) plain flour

l 175g (6oz) butter

l 125g (4½oz) caster sugar

l 2 egg yolks, plus 2-3tsp egg white l Zest of 1 lime

l A skull-shaped biscuit cutter

(try Lakeland)

For the icing and decoration

l 500g (1lb 2oz) royal icing sugar

l 6 small piping bags, 5 fitted with

fine writing nozzles

l 4 gel food colourings such as red,

yellow, black and lilac

l A selection of tiny sweets,

smarties and sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.

Place the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and blend until it forms fine crumbs. Add the egg yolks, egg white and zest, then blend again until the mixture comes together in clumps. Lightly flour a work surface, tip the mixture onto it then bring together into a smooth dough with your hands. Dust with a little more flour if needed, then roll the dough out to the thickness of a £1 coin.

Cut out shapes using the skull cutter and place them on the baking trays. Bake in the oven for 14-15 minutes, until the biscuits are pale golden at the edges. Leave to cool completely on the baking trays.

Meanwhile, make the royal icing sugar up according to the instructions on the packet, until it is a thick piping consistency. Place 4tbsp in one of the piping bags fitted with a fine writing nozzle. Divide the remaining icing into 5 small bowls and cover each tightly with clingfilm.

Take the piping bag filled with plain icing and pipe a line around the edge of each biscuit, following the contours of the skull shape.

Stir a little water, a drop at a time, into one bowl of icing until it flows thickly. Place this in the piping bag without a nozzle, snip the end, then pipe inside the outlines on the biscuits, using a cocktail stick to guideitandtopopanylargeair bubbles, until the face is covered. Leave the biscuits to dry overnight or bake at 80°C/fan 60°C/gas at its lowest setting for 15 minutes, until the icing has dried.

Add a little gel food colouring in different shades of your choice to each of the remaining 4 bowls. Working with one colour of icing at a time (cover the other icings with clingfilm until you need them to prevent them crusting on top), spoon into a small piping bag fitted with a fine writing nozzle. Pipe decoration on top of the iced biscuits, then repeat with the other colours of icing. You could do hearts for a nose, ovals for eyes and differently shaped mouths.

Add sweets, smarties or sprinkles for extra decoration, then leave to dry overnight or bake again at 80°C/fan 60°C/gas at lowest setting for 5 minutes. The iced biscuits can be stored for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.