It’s hard to believe it’s almost Easter, thanks to the ongoing sub-zero temperatures and snow in front of my window, that makes it feel more like Christmas.

That’s no reason though, to not try to get into a more spring like mood, at least indoors, for example with the help of some springtime decorations. And when it comes to decorations, why not go for edible ones, such as these Easter cookies. You won’t even need special Easter cookie cutters for them,  any round cookie cutter can – with the help of icing – make some cute Easter chicks…

For about 24 cookies you’ll need:

• 90g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp almond OR vanilla extract
• 200g flour (plus extra for rolling out the dough)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 250g icing sugar
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tube of ready-made black icing

Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until the mix is fluffy and pale in colour. Add the egg and almond or vanilla extract and whisk again, then mix the dry ingredients in to the wet.

Using your hands bring the dough together to form a ball. Wrap it in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180C/ gas mark 4 and line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour, flatten the dough ball on it and dust it’s surface with flour as well before rolling it out to the thickness of about half a centimeter. Using a round cookie cutter of around 6cm cut the cookies out and transfer them to the baking sheets. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes (one sheet at the time) until the cookies are lightly golden.

Cool on a rack whilst making the icing by mixing the icing sugar, egg white and lemon juice (do this slowly with a fork, or the icing sugar will fly everywhere). Set 2 tablespoons of the icing aside, which will be used for the eyes.

Add yellow food colouring to the rest of the icing. Then set 2 tablespoons of the yellow icing aside and mix that with some red food colouring to make some orange icing for the peak and feet.

Using a (palette) knife ice all cookies with the yellow icing and let it dry, before piping on the white eyes, followed by the orange peak and feet. If you don’t have a piping bag with a fine tip, you can fold some baking parchment into a cone, leaving a small opening at the pointy end of it. Finally, add black pupils on to the white eyes, with the ready-made black icing and there you have it: a bunch of spring chickens – Happy Easter!