Pumpkin Spice Biscuits

Instructions

Servings 15 / Prep time 60 mins / Cook Time 12 mins

Biscuits

1. Mix together the flours and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Cut the butter into small chunks and add to the bowl.
3. Rub the butter into the mixture using your fingertips until you have a breadcrumb consistency.
4. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg and vanilla extract.
5. Make a well in the centre of the breadcrumb mixture and add the egg and golden syrup. Mix together until a ball is formed. You may find using your hands is easiest.
6. Separate the dough into two balls. Place one ball of dough on a sheet of non-stick baking paper and roll out using a rolling pin. You want the dough to have a thickness of between 5mm and 7mm. Repeat this process for the second ball of dough and place both sheets of rolled out dough in the fridge to chill for at least 30 mins.
7. Once chilled, cut the dough using a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter. We used a 3 inch cutter.
8. Place the cut dough onto a baking tray lined with either a silicone mat or non-stick baking paper, leaving a gap between each.
9. Put the baking tray in a preheated oven at 160°C fan and bake for 10-12 mins.
10. Remove from the oven and leave the biscuits on the tray for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Icing

1. Sift the royal icing sugar into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Add 2 tsp warm water along with the pumpkin spice flavour to the well and stir, gradually incorporating the royal icing sugar.
3. When the icing gets too thick to stir, add another tsp of warm water and keep repeating these steps until the icing runs off the spoon in ribbons and forms a pattern on top of the bowl of icing. When you jiggle the bowl the pattern should slowly disappear.
4. Take a quarter of the icing and add it to a separate bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside.
5. Colour the remaining icing orange and prepare two piping bags with round nozzles. We used Wilton #2 and #4 piping nozzles. Alternatively, cut holes at the end of the piping bags approx. 1mm and 2mm wide.
6. Place a quarter of the orange icing into the piping bag with the smallest nozzle and the rest in the other.
7. Begin using the smallest nozzle and pipe a long oval outline in the centre of the biscuits. Fill this using the larger piping nozzle and give the biscuits a gentle tap on the worktop to settle the icing. Pop any air bubbles with a cocktail stick and allow the icing to dry for 15 mins.
8. Next pipe an outline either side of the oval to complete the pumpkin shape. Fill these in and set aside for another 15 mins.
9. With the white icing you set aside earlier, colour one third green and the rest brown.
10. Pipe a brown stem on top of each biscuit using the same techniques as earlier.
11. Next pipe some green vines.
12. Either dry the icing over night at room temperature or place the biscuits on a baking tray and pop them into the oven at its lowest temperature for approx. 30 mins.