Party rings recipe

Make homemade party rings with this super fun biscuit recipe so you can make your own at home. Who doesn't love a party ring? The brightly coloured biscuits will take you back to your own childhood and make the same memories for your own kids, but with this homemade version you know exactly what's in them. Perfect for a kids' party or a special afternoon tea.

Ingredients

• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 50g cornflour
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 400g royal icing sugar
• food colouring pastes of your choice

Method

1. Tip the butter, flour and cornflour into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the sugar, egg and vanilla. Pulse again until the mixture just forms a rough ball and tip it out on to a lightly floured work surface. Bring the dough together, without kneading, to form a disc. Wrap the disc in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C, gas 4. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.
3. Lightly flour a work surface and gently roll out the biscuit dough until it is 2–3mm thick. Use a 6cm fluted cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible, before using a 2cm cutter to stamp and remove a central hole from the middle.
4. Gather and bind any scraps of dough, them roll them out and cut out more biscuits. Transfer to the baking sheets and bake for 10–12 minutes, until pale golden. Leave on the baking sheets for 5 mins, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. When the biscuits are cool, make the icing by sifting the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add a few teaspoons of freshly boiled water and gradually whisk to create a paste. Add a little more water until you achieve a spreadable consistency. Separate the icing into several bowls and mix a tiny amount of a different colour into each until you have your desired colours.
6. To decorate the biscuits, use a small palette knife to spread a layer of icing over each one. Holding a biscuit between your fingertips, use a teaspoon to pick up a small amount of a contrasting coloured icing and quickly and carefully drizzle 3-4 lines over the biscuit starting at the side furthest from you and drawing it towards you. Turn the biscuit by 90 degrees and draw a cocktail stick through the lines to feather the icing.
7. Place on a clean baking sheet and leave to set. Repeat with the remaining biscuits.