Children will love making and eating these, but be careful - the masks will break if you try to wear them. A real mask is useful as a template.
 

Method

• Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat until smooth and light coloured.
• Add the vanilla extract to the beaten egg and gradually add to the sugar and butter. If you add it all at once it will curdle.
• Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Now gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix thoroughly until you can no longer see any lumps of white flour. It will turn into dough. Split into two equal pieces, flatten it with a rolling pin, and cover with cling wrap. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 190˚C and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Once the dough is chilled, roll on a floured surface until it is approximately a centimetre thick.
• Loosen the dough from the surface below with a pallet knife. Cut out the biscuits in giant mask shapes big enough to cover your eyes.
• Carefully move the biscuits to the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Watch carefully so they don't burn. Take out of the oven and cool thoroughly before icing.
• Colour the sugar paste if required. Roll out to approx 3mm then cut out the same shape as the mask. Brush the underside lightly with a tiny bit of water to stick, then decorate with sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, coloured sugars and sweets, etc.

@fabienne_viner_luzzato

First published in the JC March 5 2012