Sift the flour and cornflour into a bowl. Rub in the butter then stir in the sugar.

Add the egg yolk and mix to form a soft dough.

Knead lightly on a floured surface and roll out thinly.

Using Christmas novelty cutters, cut out shapes such as snowmen, bells, Christmas trees or circles to make Santa faces. Make holes in the top of each biscuit using a skewer.

Place the shapes on 2 baking trays lined with greaseproof paper. Bake in a preheated oven 190 °C, 375 °F, Gas Mark 5 for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack or cool. Store until Christmas Eve.

Colour ready to use icing with a few drops of food colouring, as required.

Roll out the coloured icing on a surface lightly sprinkled with icing sugar and cut out shapes to decorate the biscuits.

Mix a little icing sugar and water together and use to stick the shapes to the biscuits. Thread ribbon through the holes and use to hang on the tree.

season. Makes 14-16 biscuits