scrabble cookies

Makes 30

Preparation time 35 minutes

Cooking time 5 minutes, plus chilling and cooling

75 g (3 oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

75 g (3 oz) caster sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

250 g (8 oz) plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting

To decorate

375 g (12 oz) ready-to-roll icing

icing sugar, for dusting

2’3 tablespoons apricot jam, sieved

1 small tube of coloured writing icing

Grease and line 2 baking sheets with nonstick baking paper. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg and vanilla extract adding a little flour to prevent the mixture curdling. Add the flour and fold in to make a stiff dough. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 2.5 mm (⅛ inch) thick. Cut out about 30 rounds, using a 4–5 cm (1½–2 inch) diameter cookie cutter, rerolling the trimmings as necessary. Place on the baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated oven, 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4, for 5 minutes, or until a pale golden colour. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. Roll out the white icing on a sugar-dusted surface until 2.5 mm (⅛ inch) thick. Using the same cutter as before, dusted this time with a little icing sugar, cut out the same number of circles. Using a clean paintbrush, paint a little of the sieved jam on each cookie to ensure that the icing will stick, place the icing shapes on the cookies and press down lightly. Using the coloured writing icing, write a letter on each cookie to spell out the name or message.

For homemade ready-to-roll icing, put 1 tablespoon egg white in a bowl with 1 tablespoon liquid glucose and 100 g (3½ oz) sifted icing sugar and beat to a smooth paste. Gradually work in a further 150 g (5 oz) icing sugar, stirring well until the mixture is very firm. Turn out onto the work surface and knead to a smooth paste, which should be firm and rollable, not sticky. Work in a little more icing sugar if necessary. Wrap tightly in several thicknesses of clingfilm and store until ready.