Mother's Day Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°fan/Gas Mark 4 and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and butter and rub together until you have fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. 

In a small jug or bowl beat lightly beat the egg with the vanilla, add this to the flour mixture and combine until you have a soft dough.

Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

Roll out the dough ¼ at a time, cut out shapes your choice of cutters.

Bake about 9 cookies at a time for 13 minutes. Allow all the cookies to cool completely on a rack.

When you're ready to decorate the biscuits, whisk the icing sugar with 65ml of lemon juice. Whisk the icing until it has the consistency of toothpaste.

Divide the icing into amounts according to how many colours you have and keep covered with cling film

For each colour icing add a few drops of food colouring to achieve the colour you desire and then thin the icing with more lemon juice a few drops at a time. The icing needs to be runny enough to smooth out in ten seconds. Draw a line through it with your spoon; if the line disappears in ten seconds it is the right consistency.

Separate ¼ of the icing and place in a piping bag with a number 1 nozzle.

Pipe an outline around the outside of the biscuits a few at a time. Allow to dry for 5 minutes. Using the rest of your icing "flood" the inside of the circle and spread out until you have a flat surface with no bumps. Continue in this way until all the biscuits are iced. If you want to add sprinkles, place them while the biscuits are wet.

The biscuits can either air dry overnight or at 50°C/30°fan for 1 hour until the icing is set hard.

To decorate, write sentiments with your food pen and highlight with the paints.