Easter Shortbread Biscuits

Ingredients

Shortbread

100g anchor butter (soft, room temperature)

60g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

160g plain flour (extra to dust)

Zest of 1 lemon

Royal icing

1 egg white

200-250g icing sugar (sifted)

1tsp lemon juice

Yellow, green food colouring

Royal icing mini eggs, royal icing flowers

Method

Shortbread

1. Whisk together butter and caster sugar till it is pale and fluffy using an electric whisk, for about 30s. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add egg yolk along with lemon zest. Whisk for further 10s – 20s.
2. Sift the flour on top of the butter. Gently fold in the flour using a spatula till it come together as a dough.
3. Roll the dough between two pieces of floured baking paper to a 3-4mm thickness. Transfer on to a baking sheet. Chill it in the fridge for 30mins, or in the freezer for 10mins.
4. Preheat the oven to 170C Fan.
5. Once chilled, take the rolled dough out. Remove the top baking paper. Cut little egg-shaped biscuits using egg shaped cutter and transfer to a lined baking sheet. Repeat till you used all the dough.
6. Chill the shaped biscuits in the fridge for further 15mins.
7. Bake them in the preheated oven for 10-12 mins, till the edges are starting to get light golden brown and the middle of the biscuits are golden.
8. Take them out of the oven and let them cool on the sheet for further 10mins.
9. Carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Royal icing

10. Whisk egg whites with lemon juice and half the icing sugar using a balloon whisk till smooth.
11. Then add rest of the sifted icing sugar, till it comes together to a thick icing.
12. Spoon couple of tablespoons of icing in a piping bag and set aside. This will be used to border the biscuits.
13. Add few drops of water while you mix to get a flooding consistency to coat the biscuits. Colour it in whatever colouring you want to use.
14. And then decorate. Be creative.
15. Enjoy with your friends and family. Happy Easter everyone.