I have made so many Easter biscuits I have lost count. I started making them as a teenager for my family, then I made them with my own two children. I have continued making them every year with children in school as presents to take home in the Easter baskets we had lovingly made to carry them. The children would run out to their parents and show them the present they had made and the pride and love shone from their eyes just before they started eating the biscuits!!

​Recipe ( this recipe is for the plain biscuit that can be iced and decorated)

• 200g self raising flour 
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g unsalted butter 
• 1 egg beaten 
• Rind and juice if half a lemon 

For the decoration 

• Easter biscuit cutters , there are lots in the shops at Christmas this time of year and they can be bought online too. 
• Disposable piping bags
• Fine round hole  piping nozzle ( tip) 

Royal icing 

• 2 egg whites 
• 300g icing sugar plus a more to get the right consistency if needed
• Half a teaspoon lemon juice
• Half a teaspoon glycerin 
• Gel food colouring , lemon , pink green or more of your favourite colours 

Pre heat the oven 325-350F , 180C ,160C fan assisted , gas 3-4
Grease and line 3 baking trays , I use silicon sheets so they don't need greasing and can be washed and used again.

Method 
Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter until it disappears and the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

Tip - When I am sifting flour or rubbing in biscuit mixture or pastry I place the mixing bowl in the sink so that any accidental spills go into the sink.
Add the grated zest ,lemon juice ,beaten egg and mix to a stiff paste.
Lightly flour a surface and knead the dough for a few turns to make sure the dough is smooth .
Roll the dough out thinly ,it should be thinner than a pound coin .I turn the dough once , roll and turn again so you that the dough is evenly rolled out.

Place the icing nozzle in an icing bag before you cut the tip off the bag that way you can judge how much to cut off and not waste  any bags then snip off the end of the bag .  Place a small quantity of coloured icing in the bag and squeeze down turning it he bag so it fits comfortably in your hand .
Carefully pipe around the outer edge of the biscuit  a little in from the edge , continue piping and the inside if the biscuit following the the contour of the biscuit,  do this evenly because you are going to spread this icing out .

Using a cocktail stick gently spread the icing until ,the biscuit is covered . Place a the biscuit on a flat surface and shake from side to side to create a super smooth top .

Leave to set ,at least 4 hours  overnight if possible.
Continue icing the biscuits until they are all iced.

To finish off the biscuits add  appropriate piping in white eg fluffy tail on rabbits , features on lambs , ducks etc . 
Once the biscuit icing is completely set ( this can take overnight ) the biscuits can stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks . 

Alternative recipe 
The traditional Somerset Easter biscuit is round, filled with currants and is flavoured with Cassia oil which give the biscuits that distinct Easter biscuit smell and taste. Cassia oil can usually be found in cook shops about Easter but I get mine each year from Cobbs in Somerton .

To the above recipe add the  following 

• 60g currants 
• A few drops of Cassia oil

Add the Cassia oil to the lemon juice and combine the two .
Add the currents when the eggs go into the mixture .
Combine all the ingredients as before and knead the dough until smooth . Roll out as before and use a round fluted cutter to make about 24 biscuits, the dough can be rolled out again to make sure you don't waste any dough. 

​Bake as for the other biscuits. 

I make several batches of these biscuits and I bag them up in cellophane bags tying them with either raffia or pretty thin ribbon. 

Have a look , the biscuits will be finished off tomorrow

A post shared by Val Stones (@valcake.walks) on Feb 24, 2017 at 2:53pm PST

Tip- I threw away my flat spatulas and invested in some offset ones in different sizes . They are perfect for spreading and lifting .

Meanwhile make the royal icing 
Place the egg whites in a bowl and using a hand held electric mixer ,or a stand mixer mix the egg whites until frothy. Sift in the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time until the icing is soft but not runny.
Add the lemon juice and glycerin and stir in.
At the this point divide and put the icing into a number of bowls depending on the colours you will be using. Leave one bowl white and then add gel colour to the icing, keep the colours to pastel shades.