Easter Biscuit Lollies Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a small saucepan. Mix in the vanilla, remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 mins.
• Sieve the flour and bicarb into a bowl. Pour in the butter mixture, add the egg and stir together to form a stiff-ish dough. Pop the dough in the fridge for 10 mins to chill and firm up. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 5mm thick, then use an egg-shaped cutter to stamp out 15 biscuits - re-roll the dough if necessary. Poke a lollipop stick or coffee stirrer up into the bottom of each biscuit, then bake for 12 mins until golden.
• Knead some food colouring into lumps of fondant icing. Roll out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, then use the cutter to cut out matching egg shapes. Use the icing pens to dot a little icing on each biscuit, then stick on an icing shape.
• Decorate the biscuits with the icing, or pipe on names if you're planning to use them as place names for Easter lunch. Let them dry, then gently wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbons, if you're giving them as gifts.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add the egg yolk, lemon zest and nutmeg and beat again.
• Add the flour, salt and currants and mix everything together to make a firm dough, using your hands if necessary. Form into a puck-shape, wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
• Line two large baking sheets with baking parchment and lightly dust your work surface with flour. Cut the dough in half and roll out to a ½ cm thickness. Cut out biscuits using a 6cm fluted cutter, lift onto one of the baking sheets with a palette knife, leaving a little space in between. Repeat with the remaining pastry to make a second tray of biscuits, re-rolling the off-cuts. Chill for 30 mins.
• Bake for 7 mins, then remove from the oven, brush with egg white, sprinkle with extra sugar and return to the oven for 7-8 mins or until lightly golden brown. Leave to cool on the trays for 5 mins then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.