I had an idea to make some biscuits to welcome in the Year of the Rabbit – well, mostly I just wanted to make biscuits. Bake something. Partially because I find baking particularly conducive to ‘thinking time’ where my mind wanders off and it’s a great stress-busting exercise as well as being productive. Not forgetting the fact I also have a ridiculously sweet tooth. However, baking generally tends to be easier, and less stressful, when you haven’t forgotten to buy eggs.
The Biscuiteers book came to the rescue with an eggless recipe for Treacle Spice Cookies which I tinkered with to make these golden bunnies. I was so excited when I bought this book – not for the gloriously embellished slices of sugar themselves, more for the comprehensive range of base biscuit recipes (10 in total) because many doughs simply don’t hold up to rolling and cutting. The book itself is more of an artist’s primer in some ways with lots of technique and decoration ideas, and you’ll have to like sugar. Or pretty food. But as usual with Kyle Cathie, it’s beautifully photographed and designed. It probably wouldn’t be the most used cook book on your shelf but hey, just take it down occasionally and look at the pictures.
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 25g Golden caster sugar
- 25g light brown sugar
- 100g butter, unsalted (not softened)
- hefty pinch of sea salt
- 50g Golden Syrup
Method
- Sift flour, baking powder and spices together and then mix in the sugars.
- Rub the butter in with your fingers as if you were making scone, until it’s like breadcrumbs.
- Make a well in the centre of the incorporated mixture and add in the Golden Syrup and combine to an evenly-coloured dough.
- Divide into two pieces, shape as discs and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 170c/350F/Gas Mark 4 when the dough is chilling, then cook for 14-18 minutes.
These keep remarkably well. I was going to make a lemon cream filling – but none of them survived long enough to be sandwiched.
The Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits by Harriet Hastings and Sarah Moore is published by Kyle Cathie, ISBN 978 1 85626 941 4.
One Million Gold Stars 
