It took a while and batches and batches of fail biscuits but finally I found a recipe that mades a non-spread sugar biscuit. You can add lemon zest or different essences for different flavours but I sort of like vanilla. I used these to make edible draughts which looked like the love child of iced gems and PartyRings.

Ingredients:

• 220g softened butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg, large
• 425g plain flour

Method:

1. Cream together the butter and the sugar – the key is to not over cream, just make sure it is all combines and smooth
2. Add in the beaten egg and vanilla essence and mix
3. Finally, add in the flour and combine into a dough (probably with your fingers)
4. Divide into 4 portions.  Working with one at a time lightly flour the worksurface and gently knead the dough until it is smooth and workable.  Sprinkle on some more flour if it feels too sticky
5. Roll out on a floured surface and cut of biscuit shapes

If you want to decorate them like I did, I used royal icing sugar and water plus paste food colouring and the flooding technique, outline the biscuit using a fine-ish nozzle on a piping bag and then fill in and tap to smooth out the icing.

The results were totally playable and pretty tasty.