Easter Biscuits

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl or food mixer until soft and pale in colour.
2. Add the egg yolks and beat again.
3. Mix in the sieved flour and spices, adding enough of the milk to make a soft dough.
4. Divide the dough in two adding the dried fruit to one half only.
5. Roll out the first half on a floured board to about 5mm and cut out large rounds.
6. Transfer them to a lightly buttered baking tray and bake for about 15-20 mins 180°C/Gas 4 until golden brown. Leave to cool then transfer to a cooling rack.
7. Roll out the other half to a similar thickness and cut out rabbit and egg shapes. Bake these in the same way,(very small shapes will take less time)
8. When the biscuits are completely cold make the icing.
9. Sieve the lemon juice to remove any pips or bits. Mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice, and then add the water, adding it little by little until you have a relatively stiff but smooth icing.
10. Divide the icing into separate bowls and mix in food colourings of your choice into each bowl until you achieve the desired shades.
11. Spoon a little icing into a piping bag and pipe your decorations onto the biscuits. For a smooth finish, pipe the outline of your design in the firmer icing, then slacken it down a bit by mixing in a little more water, giving the icing more of a runny consistency, and use this to fill in the designs.

Presentation

Wrap the large biscuits in cellophane or tie up with coloured ribbon. Traditionally these Easter biscuits were wrapped in threes to signify the Holy Trinity.