Biscuits for icing with children

I've blogged different recipes for making iced biscuits with children before but this is the latest one I've tried. It's possibly not my favourite, I think I prefer the shortbread ones I made once but these still turned out really well and were quick and easy to whip up.

When we're bored during the holidays, making a batch of biscuits with the children, letting them choose the shapes and then spend an hour or two decorating them is a great way to fill a cold, wet day.  We were lucky to be sent a whole load of Dr Oetker baking goodies recently including lots of fab writing icing tubes and it all got put to good use!

I do tend to let them go a bit wild with the icing and sugar and try not to get too het up when my kitchen is covered in little bits of sugar and food colouring - after all, it can all be cleaned up and at least they're being creative and not sat in front of the Disney Channel again! 

This recipe makes around 24 biscuits, obviously depending on what size cutter you choose to make!

Biscuits for Icing

Ingredients

100g unsalted butter, softened

100g caster sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

275g plain flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 190c/gas mark 5 and a line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl or stand mixer until combined. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract a little at a time until combined with the butter and sugar mixture.

Stir in the flour until the mixture comes together as a dough. If you are struggling to get it to come together, add a couple of drops of water. 

Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. 

Using biscuit cutters, cut shapes out of the dough and carefully place onto the baking tray.

Bake in the oven for 8-10mins. The biscuits should be pale golden. Remove from the oven and set to one side to harden for around 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

See, simple.

A great way to relieve the boredom!