Halloween biscuits

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan) or Gas Mark 6, and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. In a bowl, beat the softened butter with electric beaters until creamy. Add the sugar and beat well, then beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Finally, mix in the flour to form a dough. If it feels sticky, knead in a little extra flour. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Dust a work surface generously with flour and cut the dough in half. Roll one half to a 5mm thickness. Use a ghost-shaped cutter (or any spooky shape) to cut out 12 shapes, which will make 4 cookies total. Place the cut shapes on a lined baking tray and return to the fridge. Repeat with the second half of the dough, then swap the trays so the chilled biscuits are now on the first tray.
4. Using a smaller cutter or a knife, cut a ghost-shaped hole in the centre of 4 of the biscuits on the tray—this will hold the surprise filling. Bake these biscuits for 10-12 minutes until pale and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat the baking process with the other tray.
5. Once all biscuits are completely cool, assemble them. Mix the icing sugar with 3 tablespoons of water until smooth and thick—add more icing sugar if too runny. Take a whole biscuit (no hole) and spread or pipe a little icing around its edge. Press a biscuit with a hole on top, then sprinkle popping candy (or rainbow sprinkles for very young children) into the pocket. Spread icing on the edge of the second biscuit and press another whole biscuit on top. Let them set firmly so they don't slide when you decorate.
6. When the biscuits feel firm and the icing has set, decorate them using sugar paste—roll it out, cut into shapes, and place on top, using a bit of icing to glue if needed. You can also add extra details with icing pens.