Ingredients

• 200g/8oz softened butter
• 150g/6oz caster sugar
• 2 large free-range egg yolk
• 400g/14oz plain flour
• plus extra for flouring
• 1 level tsp mixed spice
• 1 level tsp ground cinnamon
• 2-4 tbsp milk
• 100g/4oz currants
• a little caster sugar
• for sprinkling
• 1-2 tsp lemon juice
• 250g/9oz icing sugar
• about 2 tbsp cold water
• different coloured food colouring

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Lightly grease two baking trays lined with baking parchment.
• Measure the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk. Sieve in the flour and spices and add enough milk to give a fairly soft dough. Bring together
• using your hands
• to make a soft dough.
• Halve the mixture and set half to one side.
• For the traditional currant biscuits
• add the currants to the remaining half of the mixture and knead it lightly on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a thickness of about 5mm/¼in. Cut into rounds using a circular cutter. Place on the prepared baking trays. Sprinkle with caster sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes
• or until pale golden-brown. Keep a careful eye on the biscuits - it doesn’t matter if you open the oven door to check. Sprinkle with caster sugar and lift onto a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
• For the iced biscuits
• knead the remaining half of the biscuit dough mixture lightly on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a thickness of 5mm/¼in. Cut out Easter biscuits using an assortment of shaped cutters
• such as bunnies
• Easter eggs
• chicks
• spring flowers.
• Lightly grease two baking trays lined with baking parchment.
• Place the biscuit shapes on the prepared baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift on to a wire rack to cool.
• To make the icing
• pass one teaspoon of lemon juice through a fine sieve
• to remove any pips or bits. Mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice
• and then add about two tablespoons of water
• adding it little by little until you have a relatively stiff but smooth icing. Add a splash more sieved lemon juice if necessary.
• Divide the icing into separate bowls and mix in food colourings of your choice into the separate bowls of icing
• until you achieve the desired shade.
• Spoon a little icing into a piping bag and pipe your decorations onto the biscuits. For a smooth finish
• you can pipe the outline of your design in the firmer icing
• then slacken it down a bit by mixing in a little more water
• giving the icing more of a runny consistency
• and use this to fill in the designs.