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:
- Cream together the butter and the sugar – the key is to not over cream, just make sure it is all combines and smooth
- Add in the beaten egg and vanilla essence and mix
- Finally, add in the flour and combine into a dough (probably with your fingers)
- 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
- 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.