Ghost Biscuits

For the ghost biscuits

1. Preheat the oven to 170C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the room temperature butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together on medium-low speed until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula. Stir in the vanilla and the pinch of salt. Add the flour and baking powder (ideally, sift them both before adding them to the mixture) and use the spatula to incorporate fully. The dough should be sticky at this point so don’t worry too much. Divide the dough and wrap each part with cling film and let it cool in the fridge for at least an hour so it’s easier to handle.
3. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Use a ghost cookie cutter to cut little ghost shapes and transfer them to a prepared baking sheet - bake for approx 10 minutes. Let them cool down completely before handling them. Don’t touch them while they are hot as they will still be soft to touch!

1. Make your royal icing with one egg white and approx 90g to 100g icing sugar. First, beat the egg white into soft peaks, then, add the sifted sugar and mix until glossy. Add a teaspoon of lemon. You’ll need this icing to create the ‘borders’ of your ghost biscuits. To trace the edges you want your icing to be thick enough that it holds its shape perfectly when piped, but not so thick that you aren't able to push it out of the piping bag easily. Transfer approximately one-third of the icing into a piping bag, cutting the tip off. When you’re done with ‘borders’ let them dry.
2. Meanwhile thin out the remaining royal icing with some milk. You don't want it to be so thin that it will run over the piped edges, but it should lose its shape slightly when you start piping it onto the biscuits. Let this set before piping on the faces!
3. I had a store-bought brown chocolate icing but you can make your own by adding cacao to the remaining royal icing. Use another piping bag for drawing the faces. You can also use a toothpick to help make sure the drawings are as neat as possible!