Treats of Christmas Biscuits

Line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment. In a bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat together the butter and sugar for 1 minute. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and golden syrup, then beat into the creamed butter. Sift in the flour, add the zests and beat until it comes together to form a dough.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface to around 0.75cm thickness. Cut out the biscuits using gingerbread-man and tree-shaped cutters. Put them on the lined baking sheets about 3cm apart, then chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden, swapping the baking sheets around halfway through, if needed. Allow to rest for 2 minutes on the sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To decorate, divide the icing between 3 bowls and add food colouring to each to get your desired colours. Stir in 1-3 tbsp water to each, until it is of piping consistency. Add the icing to piping bags and decorate the cookies as liked, then leave to set for at least 1 hour before serving.