I don't have great piping skills so I tend to avoid doing it. But I made an effort with these biscuits and they turned out alright. Icing and sprinkles will cover all manner of sins. I made mine gluten free and vegan.


Makes 10-15

125 g butter or dairy-free spread, softened

125 g / 1 c flour (if using gluten-free , add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum)

40 g / 1/4 c icing sugar

25 g ground almonds

25 g cornflour

1 tsp vanilla extract, or lemon zest if doing lemon version

1-2 tsp milk


Icing:

1/2 c icing sugar

few Tbsp lemon juice

or

melted chocolate


Preheat oven to 170C, Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.


In a large bowl beat the butter until very soft. Add flour, sugar, almonds, cornflour and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add 1-2 tsp milk to make it a pipeable consistency.


Transfer to a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe heart shapes or any shapes you desire. Traditional Viennese shapes are whirls or fingers.

Bake for around 12 minutes until lightly golden.

Leave on the trays for a few minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make a lemon drizzle by mixing the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thin icing. Drizzle over the biscuits and top with sprinkles or edible glitter if desired.

Alternatively you can drizzle melted chocolate over the top - or why not both?

To make a chocolate version, replace 30 g of flour with cocoa powder.