Greetings all! Apologies for the impromptu hiatus – I’ve had a lot of computer issues (and as a result I’m typing this from my new laptop!), and have finally become employed! I’m back with a vengeance though, and have some great recipes lined up for the next few weeks. Starting with these – raspberry vanilla biscuits, which are super easy to make and perfect for Valentine’s Day on Saturday (whether that means giving them as a present or scoffing them yourself, as I intend to do).

Ingredients (makes 18-20, depending on the size of your cutters):

– 175g plain flour
– 75g light muscovado sugar
– 100g butter (or dairy-free spread)
– 75g fresh raspberries
– 1tsp vanilla extract
– 1-2tbsp cold water

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease or line a large baking tray. Mix together the flour and sugar with a pinch of salt, and rub in the butter until your mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in the raspberries and vanilla, and add just enough water to bind your mixture into a dough.

3. Turn out the mixture onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it out to about 3mm thick. Cut out shapes and transfer them to the prepared baking tray.

4. Bake for 20 minutes – they should still be slightly soft, as they’ll harden as they cool. Transfer to a wire rack until cool.

5. Decorate as you wish – I used water icing (literally mix icing sugar with just enough water to form a fairly thick but liquid icing), pink sugar and sugar pearls. Not my usual sort of decoration, but cutesy enough for Valentines I think!