Delicate and vanilla-scented, these plain biscuits are the ideal vehicle for water icing and a massive pile of sprinkles – the hundreds and the thousands AND those little jelly diamonds.

• 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 275g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 170C fan (190C) and line a baking tray with baking paper (or one of those silicone mats. I’ve got one and it’s a weird texture but it works brilliantly)
2. In a big bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well-combined, light and fluffy
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla a little at a time until well combined
4. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in and then bring together with your hands to form a dough
5. Lightly flour the work surface and roll the dough out to around 1cm thick
6. Cut out circles, stars, hearts, people, fish, flowers and hedgehogs
7. Place your shapes carefully onto the baking tray with a bit of space around them and bake for 8-10 mins until pale golden-brown
8. Leave on the tray for 2 mins, then remove to cool on a wire rack
9. Ice when completely cool

For the icing, put some icing sugar in a little cup, add a couple of drops of food colouring and much less water than you think you’ll need. Stir until smooth and then spoon, spread, drizzle and drip all over the biscuits. Add sprinkles while the icing is wet and it’ll set firm in a couple of hours.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to add icing – maybe because they’re going in a lunchbox and you want to reduce the sugar levels in sympathy with the teacher – but still want them to be fun, you could decorate with edible icing pens. I’ve never come across a child who doesn’t love the novelty of drawing on biscuits.

The uncooked dough freezes really well so, if you want to save some for later, wrap it well and pop it in the freezer.

Like little jewels. Enormously satisfying to make (because they’re easy) and to offer to guests (because they are both beautiful and tasty). And they are a perfect way to use up a jar of lemon curd. Or some other curd like passionfruit or Seville orange if you’re a fancypants.

• 170g butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 220g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Lemon (or other) curd

1. Pre-heat oven to 160C fan (180C)
2. Beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks until fluffy and pale
3. Mix in the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt until a soft dough forms
4. Roll into balls around 3cm diameter – about the size of a 50p
5. Place on a baking tray, evenly spaced. They won’t spread much, but you want to give them a bit of room
6. Press your thumb gently into the middle of each one, flattening it out a bit and making a dent in the middle
7. Fill each hole with a little bit of curd, no more than a ½ tsp. A bit goes quite a long way, so don’t overdo it or they’ll turn into sticky mini-volcanoes.
8. Bake for 10-12 mins until the biscuit is golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Word to the wise, don’t put them anywhere near your mouth until they’ve cooled. Trying to eat one straight from the oven will most likely end with screaming and running of tongues under the tap.

If you want to make jam thumbprint cookies, I’d recommend adding the jam after they’re baked rather than before, just because it has more of a tendency to turn to liquid when it’s hot and run off to seek its fortune elsewhere. Possibly the underneath of the cookies, perhaps all over the baking tray, maybe the floor of the oven. There’s no good outcome.