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How to make watercolour biscuits

Try our step-by-step guide for beautiful watercolour-iced biscuits, ideal for Mother's Day. Don't forget to screenshot the ingredients list at the bottom of the page to take in store.

  1. Cut the icing

    Dust a large sheet of baking paper with icing sugar and roll out the icing to 3mm thick. Stamp out 12 circles with the cutter, rerolling trimmings as necessary. Brush one side of each fondant circle with a little water; gently press onto the flat sides of the biscuits.

  2. Find your shade

    Squeeze some pink colouring (about the size of a 5p coin) into a small bowl, then squeeze a third of that amount into a separate bowl. Add 1 drop of vodka (or water) to each bowl. Dip a paintbrush in water; dab with kitchen paper to remove excess. Use the brush to swirl the colour around to water it down; repeat with a clean brush in the second bowl. Test on a spare piece of fondant and add a little more water or colour if necessary.

    Opt for a medium-pink for the flower and a very pale pink for the background. Testing on a spare piece of fondant will help judge whether to add more colouring or water.


    Find your shade
  3. Decorate the biscuits

    Working on 3 biscuits at a time, gently brush the paler colour over the fondant in a crescent moon shape. Dip the second brush in the darker colour and, using the very end, dab on a rough flower shape; repeat to create 4-6 flowers. Be as neat or relaxed as you like. It will be effective even if it isn't precise. The flower shape may bleed into the background a bit, but that just adds to the watercolour effect.

    Decorate the biscuits
  4. Add the detail

    Use the red colouring to give the flowers extra definition.Squeeze some red colouring (about the size of a 5p coin) onto a small plate, dip the darker paintbrush in and use to define the centre of the flowers. Decorate the biscuits in batches so they stay wet, making up more colour as you go. If you have a pool of colouring on the biscuits, blot the excess with a small piece of kitchen paper. Brush over a little more vodka (or water) to help the colours bleed into each other if necessary.

    Add the detail
  5. Finish the biscuits

    Mist the gold spray over the top of the biscuits for a subtle sparkle, or spray 6-7 pumps into a small bowl and add 1-2 drops vodka or water; mix into a paste with a clean paintbrush, then use to decorate. Set the biscuits aside to dry for 2-3 hrs. Will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

    Finish the biscuits
  6. Ingredients

    Here's all you need to make these beautiful biscuits for Mother's Day. Be sure to note down the ingredients or take a screenshot before heading to the shops.

    Icing sugar, for dusting
    200g ready-to-roll white fondant icing
    12 Shorties biscuits (from a 300g pack)
    Dr. Oetker extra strong pink food colour gel
    Dr. Oetker extra strong red food colour gel
    A little vodka (or cold water)
    Cake Décor gold glitter spray

    You will also need
    5.5cm round cutter
    3 fine-medium paintbrushes
    3 small bowls and a small plate

    Each serving contains

    • Energy

      590kj
      141kcal
      7%
    • Fat

      4g 6%
    • Saturates

      2g 11%
    • Sugars

      18g 20%
    • Salt

      0.1g 2%

    of the reference intake
    Carbohydrate 24.5g Protein 0.9g Fibre 0.3g