The recipe I used for these is the same one that I used for my Pac Man Biscuits, and I also made a batch of vanilla buttercream (the same one I used here). It makes about 24 biscuits (with both layers) and I only used half of the buttercream, so froze the rest.

Ingredients

For the biscuits

100g/3½oz unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
100g/3½oz caster sugar
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
275g/10oz plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling

250g icing sugar, sifted (plus extra for dusting)

80g unsalted butter, at room temperature

25ml semi skimmed milk

A drop of good quality vanilla extract

Seedless raspberry jam

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, a little at a time, until well combined.

3. Stir in the flour until the mixture comes together as a dough. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 1cm/½in.

4.Using biscuit cutters, cut biscuits out of the dough and carefully place onto the baking tray. I found that the star shape was the most difficult to cut out (you may need a knife to help you get them out), but managed to cut the others just fine.

5. Bake the biscuits for 8-10 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Keep an eye on them as they turn brown very quickly! Set aside to harden for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

6. To make the buttercream, cream together the butter and icing sugar. Add the milk and vanilla extract and beat until smooth – if you can do this bit in a mixer or with a handheld mixer, you’ll get it really smooth!

7. Take a cold biscuit base and spread a little buttercream over it. Repeat with the jam – place a little in a bowl and give it a good stir to loosen in first (you don’t need to heat it as you would with a cake). Don’t go mad with the spreading of the jam or it will just go everywhere when you put the top on, but make sure that there is enough jam where the face will be! Place the top in position, and repeat until all the biscuits are done.

I think it’s definitely time to enjoy at least one of these with a cuppa now!

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These shortbread biscuits were inspired by some that we received as a present, and I thought that I’d have a go at recreating them by making up the recipe myself! They would make a perfect Valentine’s or anniversary gift, and are delicately flavoured with rose (as long as you don’t go too mad with the rose water!). I used Taylors’ China rose petal tea for this recipe – it’s better than using a flavoured black tea.

Ingredients (makes about 25 hearts)

140g/5oz plain flour
110g/4oz butter
55g/2oz caster sugar
25g/1oz cornflour
1 tsp rose tea
1 capful of rosewater (probably about 1/4 tsp)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas mark 3 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put all of the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and rub everything together.

2. Add the rosewater and mix well, squashing the mixture into a ball. Roll out (to about half a centimetre thick) on a floured surface and cut out the heart shapes.

3. Place the biscuits onto the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

4. Enjoy with a cuppa! Happy Valentine’s Day!

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I had a really productive crafty day today, and if you’ve seen my previous post then you might have guessed that there was a bit of a leafy theme going on! I found this recipe for these biscuits in the November 2013 issue of Country Living magazine, and bought a set of leaf cutters to make them (which will no doubt come in handy again). The biscuits are yummy on their own but the maple buttercream is divine and makes them extra special, so well worth making that too. If you’ve got a sweet tooth like me then you’ll love them!

Ingredients

50g pecan nuts
200g plain flour, plus more to dust
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
60g light muscovado sugar
125g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened

For the maple buttercream

100g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
150g icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C for fan oven)/Gas mark 4. Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Tip the nuts onto one of the trays and place in the oven for five minutes, or until lightly roasted. Let them cool slightly, then chop very, very finely (I did this in a food processor just to be sure!)

2. Sift together the flour and cinnamon, add the muscovado sugar and rub in the butter with your fingertips until it resembles crumbs. Add the chopped nuts and continue to work the mixture – it will come together as a dough.

3. On a very lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 3-4mm thick. Cut out the biscuits using 3-5cm long leaf cutters. Remember to make an even number of each design if you are sandwiching them together!

4. Lay the biscuits on baking trays and bake for 15-20 minutes until a pale golden colour. Cool on the trays for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the buttercream, place the butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and golden syrup in a bowl and mix together – you can do this by hand or with an electric whisk, but the mixture should be pale and creamy. Drizzle in the maple syrup and beat thoroughly.

6. The unfilled biscuits will keep for a few days in an airtight tin, but once filled, the biscuits will need to be served on the day. When ready to serve, sandwich the leaves together with the buttercream. You could dust them with some icing sugar (I forgot this bit – oops!). Enjoy!

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Pastelitos de Boda are also known as ‘Mexican Wedding Cakes’, but we only ever make them at Christmas and never really associate them with any other time of year! This recipe is from Tom’s Mum, Helen, and she’s been making them for years. It took me ages to be able to pronounce the name properly, and for a long time I called them ‘Pasty Tasty biscuits’! But whatever you decide to call them, they’re so yummy!

These biscuits are super easy to make, and we gave a few jars of them as presents this year. I made four jars in one morning, so if you still need to get your presents sorted this could be for you!

Ingredients (makes 1 batch of 21 biscuits)

225g/8oz plain flour
225g/8oz butter
110g/4oz cornflour
60g/2oz golden caster sugar

60g/2oz icing sugar, sifted
1tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180/350/Gas mark 4. Mix the flour and cornflour together in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub together.

2. When almost combined, add the sugar and squash together. The mixture is quite sticky, but keep going until a dough is formed.

3. Grease a couple of baking trays, before rolling the mixture into small balls. Bake in the oven for around 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

4. When the biscuits come out of the oven, give each one a little nudge to make sure they haven’t stuck to the tray. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes before moving onto a cooling rack.

5. Once cooled, dust with the icing sugar and cinnamon (mixed together beforehand). I find it’s easier to sift the sugar and cinnamon into a bowl and then roll the biscuits around in it!

The jars that I used for Christmas gifts were from ikea, and I tied a simple label on the front and some festive ribbon in a bow too. Simple, but really effective I think!

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