Method

Tip the flour and butter into a food processor and whizz to fine crumbs. Add the sugar and yolks then whizz to a smooth dough. Remove one-third of the dough, add vanilla to what’s left and pulse to whizz in. Wrap this dough in cling film and leave at room temperature.

Put the reserved dough back in the processor with the rosewater or dried raspberries, if using, and a drop of food colouring. Pulse and add more colouring to achieve an intense colour. If the dough has become too soft, pulse in a few spoonfuls more flour until a similar consistency to the vanilla dough. Put the dough in the fridge, remembering to remove it 30 mins before you need to roll it out.

Thickly roll out the coloured dough between baking parchment. Use a small 3-4cm heart cutter to stamp out hearts. Keep re-rolling and stamping until all the dough is used. Line up hearts on top of each other and press to form a cylinder, taking care to retain the heart shape. Wrap in cling film and freeze for 3 hrs until solid.

When the heart dough is hard, roll the vanilla dough, using your hands, into 3 cylinders the length of the heart stack. Stick one to each ‘side’ of the hearts, pat together to form a fat cylinder, then gently roll on your work surface until it completely encircles the coloured dough, with the frozen heart dough hidden in the centre. Chill for 2 hrs.

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Use a sharp knife to slice the log into 1cm-thick discs. Place on trays lined with baking parchment, allowing space for spreading, and bake for 20 mins. Cool on wire racks. Will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Method

Whisk the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk for 2 mins until creamy and smooth. Add the egg and whisk until combined.

Add the vanilla and flour and mix with a wooden spoon to form a smooth dough. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill for 10 mins.

Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 2mm thick. Cut out biscuits using a 6cm heart-shaped cookie cutter. Reroll the trimmings as necessary until the dough is used up. Place the biscuits on baking sheets lined with nonstick baking paper and bake for 12-15 mins until pale golden and turning crisp around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Melt the dark and white chocolate in separate heatproof bowls each set over a small pan of simmering water. Dip half the biscuits halfway into the dark chocolate and sprinkle the chocolate-coated side with coloured strands. Repeat with the remaining shortbread biscuits and white chocolate. Place on a wire rack to cool and set. The decorated biscuits will keep for a week in an airtight container.

Method

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla for a few secs, then use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour with ¼ tsp salt. Roll the dough into 36 small balls (the easiest way to get this right is to divide the dough into quarters – each quarter then makes 9 balls).

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Squish 2 balls of dough together on the paper, making a heart shape. Flatten with the palm of your hand to a biscuit, then press in heart-shaped ‘dent’ for the jam – thumbs and fingers are perfect for this. Repeat with remaining dough balls leaving a little space between each finished heart shape for spreading.

Spoon the jam into a food bag (or disposable piping bag), snip off the end and pipe roughly 2-3 tsp jam into the thumb-heart dips you have made in each biscuit. Bake for 8-12 mins until pale golden and crisp. Cool on the trays.

Mix the custard powder and icing sugar, then dribble in enough water to make a runny icing. Drizzle all over the cooled biscuits, allow to set for at least 10 mins, then serve or store in a biscuit tin.

Valentine Biscuits