Father's Day Medal Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C fan / Gas Mark 4. 
Line 2-3 baking trays with non-stick parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just incorporated. Sift in the flour and mix well. Use your hands to gather the mixture together to form a ball. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or until firm. 

Remove the chilled dough and place on a floured surface. Roll the dough to about 5mm thick. Using a 6cm round cutter cut out 15-20 biscuits, you may need to re-roll the trimmings. Make a hole at the top of each circle with the end of a straw or skewer. 

Place the biscuits onto a lined tray, leaving space between the biscuits as they can spread slightly once baked. Put the trays of biscuits into the fridge for at least 10-15 minutes. 

Remove from the fridge and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are a pale golden brown colour. Remove from the oven. If the ribbon holes have closed up slightly while baking, use a skewer to help reshape them while the biscuits are warm. 

Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

While the biscuits are cooling, colour your fondant icing. On a clean surface, knead the fondant until elastic. Once kneaded take a 100g piece of fondant and add a dot of Dr. Oetker Red Extra Strong Food Colour Gel. Work the food colour into the icing, adding the colouring in small amounts until you get your desired colour. Repeat this step for the remaining colours. 

On a surface dusted with icing sugar or corn flour roll out each piece of coloured fondant to 5mm thick. Using a variety of cutters, cut out fun shapes to decorate the tops of your biscuit medals. 

In a small bowl mix together 4tbsp of icing sugar and 1-2tbsp of water to form a thick paste. Spread a little on top of each biscuit to stick on your decorations. 

Once decorated, loop the ribbon or string through the hole of each biscuit  and tie it at the other end. 
Have the kids gift them to Dad on Father's Day!