You will need:

Edibles:

• 150g (5oz) butter, plus a little extra for greasing tins
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
• 225g (8oz) plain flour
• 500g (1lb 2oz) icing sugar (for the glacé icing)
• 3-4tbsp water
• pink food colouring(gel/paste is best)
• 700g (1lb 8oz) icing sugar, sifted (for the royal icing)
• 3 egg whites
• 3 tsp lemon juice

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas
mark 4 and lightly grease two baking trays.In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine together the butter and sugar. Sift in the flour and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together. Lightly flour your work surface, turn dough out and knead into a flat disc. Wrap in cling film and chill.

2

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 5mm (1⁄4 inch) and cut out using a round cutter.Place on the prepared baking trays and bake for ten to fifteen minutes or until a pale golden colour. Remove from the oven and cool.

3

When they have cooled, make the glacé icing. Mix the water a tablespoon at a time into the icing sugar until you have a smooth, runny icing. If it is too thin, add some more icing sugar, and if it is too thick, add a little water.

4

Colour the icing with a little pink food colouring and spread the icing onto the biscuits using a knife.

5

While these are setting, make the royal icing. In a bowl, using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the sifted icing sugar gradually, beating well each addition.Then beat in lemon juice until thickened at a piping consistency.

6

Fill a small piping bag with the royal icing and snip a small hole at the end. Pipe the outside edge of a petal. Drag in the edge on the line to create the first petal. Repeat thisprocess until you have two or three petals for each flower.