150 g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
pinch of fine sea salt
80 g (⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon) unsalted butter , at room temp
50 g (6 tablespoons) icing (confectioners') sugar , plus extra for dusting and icing
2 free-range egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
milk , for brushing
DECORATE
flaked (slivered) almonds
glacé cherries , halved
Description
Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5 and line two large baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.
Put the flour, salt and butter into a mixing bowl and, using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar and mix it through. Now add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and bring everything together into a dough with your hands. Knead for a few minutes.
Dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll the dough out to a 3mm/⅛in thickness. Using a fluted cookie cutter, cut out circles and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1cm/⅜in between each. Re-roll all the dough offcuts into more biscuits.
Brush the top of each with milk and place one flaked almond on the biscuit with one point in the centre. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
Let the biscuits cool on the sheet for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lay a glacé cherry half on the centre end of each almond to create a mushroom top.
Mix 1 tablespoon of icing sugar with a couple of drops of water to create a thick paste. Use the prong of a fork or a cocktail stick (toothpick) to dip into the icing. Now dot the iced prong onto the glacé cherry to create little white spots on the red ‘mushroom’.
