Ingredients

• 225g/8oz salted butter
• at room temperature
• 225g/8oz caster sugar
• 3 large oranges
• finely grated zest only
• 1 large free-range egg
• lightly beaten
• 450g/1lb plain flour
• plus extra for flouring
• 250g/9oz icing sugar
• ½ - 1 tbsp cocoa powder (not the sweetened hot chocolate)
• 1 - 1½ tbsp liquid (juice from the zested orange above)
• orange food colouring

Directions

• For the biscuits
• beat the butter and sugar and orange zest together in a bowl until light and fluffy.
• Lay out a sheet of cling film on a clean work surface.
• Add the egg to the mixture and beat together. Add the flour to bring together as a dough.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate it for at least 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Flour the work surface and then roll the dough gently
• using a floured rolling pin
• until about 0.5cm/¼in thick.
• Cut out the biscuits using biscuits cutters of your choice.
• Transfer to a baking tray using a palette knife
• ensuring the biscuits are well spaced apart. Bake for 10-15 minutes
• or until lightly golden-brown.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool.
• For the icing
• sift the icing sugar and divide it between two bowls. Sift the cocoa powder into one of the bowls.
• Gradually add the liquid to each bowl
• a teaspoon at a time
• until the icing is thick but runny. If it is too runny
• add more sifted icing sugar.
• Add a drop of orange food colouring to the white icing.
• Put the icing into two separate piping bags. Pipe orange and brown patterns onto the biscuits. Leave to harden to serve.