vanilla flowers

Makes 30

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 15 minutes

200 g (7 oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

few drops of vanilla extract

50 g (2 oz) icing sugar

175 g (6 oz) plain flour

50 g (2 oz) cornflour

cake decorations, to decorate

Grease and line 2 large baking sheets and line with nonstick baking paper.

Place the butter and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and sift in the icing sugar. Beat together then sift in the flour and the cornflour a little at a time and fold in with a metal spoon.

Place in a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ in) star nozzle and pipe the mixture onto the baking sheets, making 30 little flower shapes, spacing them slightly apart. To finish a flower, push the nozzle down into the piped flower as you stop squeezing. Press a decoration into the centre of each one.

Bake in a preheated oven, 190°C (375°F), Gas Mark 5, for 10–15 minutes, or until a pale golden colour. Leave for 2 minutes on the baking sheets then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For chocolate sandwiches, make the biscuit mixture as above and put into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ inch) star nozzle. Pipe 3 thin lines of the mixture, each touching the previous line, to shape a rectangular biscuit measuring about 5 × 3 cm (2 × 1¼ inches). Repeat with the remaining mixture, spacing them slightly apart, making sure you end up with an even number. Bake as above. Melt 75 g (3 oz) milk chocolate (see page 14) and use to sandwich the biscuits together.