Ingredients

Cookies:

185g unsalted butter, chopped

2/3 cup caster sugar

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 egg

1 egg yolk, extra

Royal icing:

250g pure icing sugar

30g egg white

1 tbsp lemon juice

few drops of desired food colouring

Method

For the cookies, place the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a food processor and process until smooth.

Add the flour, egg and extra egg yolk and process until a smooth dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll each piece out between sheets of non-stick baking paper until 5mm thick. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 160C. Remove the top sheets of baking paper from the dough. Using various size egg shaped cookie cutters, cut shapes from the dough, re-rolling as necessary.

Place the cookie-cut eggs on lightly greased baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 16 minutes or until golden.

Allow to cool on trays for 10 minutes before transferring onto wire racks to cool.

For the royal icing, place the sugar and egg white in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on low speed until smooth and glossy. You will need thick icing for decorating and thin icing for dipping. Add enough lemon juice to the bowl and whisk until a desired consistency is achieved. Add your choice of food colouring and mix to combine.

Remove half the mixture and set aside for decorating. With the remaining mixture, add enough lemon juice to achieve a thin dippable icing mixture and mix to combine.

To decorate, dip each egg cookie in the thin icing mixture. Allow to dry on a wire rack removing air bubbles with a skewer. Place the thick icing mixture in a piping bag and decorate as you desire. Allow to dry on a wire rack before serving.