Cook from the heart and serve these raspberry-centred biscuits to kids, young and old – you don’t need a special cutter, either
Prep:55 mins
Makes 18 biscuits
250g pack unsalted butter, softened140g golden caster sugar2 tsp vanilla extract300g plain flourjar seedless raspberry jam2 tbsp custard powder85g icing sugar
STEP 1Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla for a few secs, then use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour with ¼ tsp salt. Roll the dough into 36 small balls (the easiest way to get this right is to divide the dough into quarters – each quarter then makes 9 balls).STEP 2Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Squish 2 balls of dough together on the paper, keeping the ‘round’ edges of the balls at the top, but pinching together at the base where they meet, so they make a rough heart shape. Flatten with the palm of your hand to a biscuit, then press in heart-shaped ‘dent’ for the jam – thumbs and fingers are perfect for this. Repeat with remaining dough balls leaving a little space between each finished heart shape for spreading.STEP 3Spoon the jam into a food bag (or disposable piping bag), snip off the end and pipe roughly 2-3 tsp jam into the thumb-heart dips you have made in each biscuit. Bake for 8-12 mins until pale golden and crisp. Cool on the trays.STEP 4Mix the custard powder and icing sugar, then dribble in enough water to make a runny icing. Drizzle all over the cooled biscuits, allow to set for at least 10 mins, then serve or store in a biscuit tin.
