Dainty and elegant, these buttery biscuits make a lovely gift for someone special and they also store well for enjoyment throughout the festive season.

Ingredients

• 250 grams butter
• 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender
• 2½ cups flour, sifted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease 1-2 baking trays.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla essence and dried lavender. Gently mix in the flour to make a firm biscuit dough.
3. Roll teaspoonfuls into balls and place on the prepared trays. Press the tines of the fork into the balls of dough lightly to flatten a little. Alternatively, chill the dough for 30 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured board to 0.5cm thickness and cut into Christmas shapes. Place on the prepared trays.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until they begin to brown around the edges. Transfer to a cake rack to cool before storing in an airtight container.

Cooks Tips

When pressing a fork into biscuit dough to flatten, dip the fork in flour to prevent the tines sticking to the raw dough.