These cookies make my heart sing with their candy-colored loveliness, and also because this is my nannie’s recipe, and it reminds me of playing tea parties at her house. They are similar to German Linzer cookies. During World War I they were renamed Empire biscuits in England and Belgian biscuits in Scotland, but they stayed “German” in Northern Ireland. You can use whatever jam you fancy to sandwich the cookies together. The flowers for this recipe must be fully pressed or they won’t sit flush with the icing (frosting).

Makes 12–14 cookies

INGREDIENTS

For the cookies:

• 4 ounces butter, at room temperature
• 1 ounce icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
• 4 ounces plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 ounce self-rising flour
• 1 ounce corn flour (cornstarch), plus extra for dusting

For the decoration:

• A selection of flowers and leaves to color the icing, such as dried hibiscus (pink), fresh sorrel (green), dried cornflower petals (blue and purple), gorse petals (yellow), or calendula petals (orange)
• About 15 small, pressed flowers, such as daisies, primroses, and violas
• 5 to 9 ounces icing (confectioners’) sugar, depending on how many colors you want to make
• 5 ounces jam or jelly of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 335°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking parchment or silicone mats.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or by hand until well mixed, but not light and fluffy as you would for a cake. Sift the flours and cornstarch together into another bowl, making sure they are well mixed. Add half the flour to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated, then add the rest of the flour and mix into a dough.
3. If the dough feels soft, put it in a plastic bag or airtight box in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
4. Dust your work surface with corn flour (cornstarch) and roll out the dough until it is ⅛ inch thick. The dough is quite delicate, so you may find it easier to divide it in half for rolling. Cut out cookies using a 2½-inch cutter with a fluted edge, if you have one, or a suitably sized glass. Transfer the cookies to the baking sheets, spacing them ¾ inch apart, then re-roll any scraps and cut out more cookies. (Be sure to make an even number; otherwise you’ll have one left after sandwiching the cookies together.)
5. Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Check after 10 minutes and rotate the trays if the cookies are browning unevenly. Cool on a wire rack.
6. Now choose your colors and make the icing. For pink, put a couple of dried hibiscus flowers in a pitcher with 2 tablespoons boiling water, leave to steep for 10 minutes, then strain. Put 1¾ ounces confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Add the hibiscus water very gradually, a few drops at a time, mixing well after each addition, until you have a smooth but quite thick glacé icing. It’s always best to add less rather than more liquid, as you can add a few more drops if you find it is too thick when you are icing the cookies. If the icing is too thin, it will run off the sides of the cookies, but you can add more icing sugar to thicken it.
7. For green, put a small handful of sorrel leaves in a food processor or blender with 3½ fluid ounces water and blend until fully combined. Strain through a fine sieve, then gradually mix a few drops with 1¾ ounces confectioners’ sugar, as in step 6.
8. For pale blue and purple, put 1 tablespoon dried cornflower petals and 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar in a spice grinder or small food processor and whiz together until powdery. Gradually add cold water, as in step 6.
9. For orange, put 1 tablespoon dried calendula petals and 2 tablespoons icing sugar in a spice grinder or small food processor and whiz together until powdery. Gradually add cold water, as in step 6.
10. Carefully dollop about 1 teaspoon icing onto the middle of half of the cookies; if it is the right consistency, it will spread a little but not run off the edge. Working quickly, before the icing sets, put a pressed flower on top of each dollop of icing. When the icing is set, spread 1 teaspoon jam or jelly on the back of the un-iced cookies and carefully sandwich each with an iced cookie. These cookies are best eaten the day they are made, as the jam tends to make them a bit soggy after a while, but they will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container.