Name: Halloween cookies
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 24
Ingredients: 150g salted butter, softened; 100g caster sugar; 50g light muscovado sugar; 1 egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp whole milk; 220g self-raising flour; 150g royal icing sugar; 48 M&Ms; black edible decorating pen or black food colouring

Halloween biscuits with white stripes and colourful eyes

150g salted butter
softened
100g caster sugar
50g light muscovado sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp whole milk
220g self-raising flour

HALLOWEEN DECORATION

150g royal icing sugar
48 M&Ms
black edible decorating pen or black food colouring

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Beat together the butter and sugars until the mixture is light and creamy, then beat in the egg and add the vanilla extract and the milk. Stir the flour into the mixture to make a dough.
step 2
Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper, scoop out the dough in tablespoons and roll into 24 balls. Sit about 8cm apart as they will spread out as they cook. Press a fork onto each ball to flatten it out slightly.
step 3
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Rest the biscuits for a couple of minutes before lifting them off the tray onto a wire rack to cool.
step 4
To decorate, mix the icing with enough water (about 1-2 tbsp) to make a very thick, toothpaste-like consistency. Fit an icing bag with a flat nozzle and fill with the icing. Pipe flat lines over the biscuits so they resemble bandages (see picture above and on page 114), overlapping a few times. Leave a space for the eyes.
step 5
Colour the M&Ms with a black dot to make a pupil. Put a little more icing on the back of each one and stick on for eyes. Let the icing set for an hour before eating. The biscuits will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container – use sheets of baking paper between layers if you stack them.