Planet cookies

1. Stage

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Using an electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

2. Stage

Stir in the flour, then knead the mixture briefly to make a dough. Divide the dough in half. One half can now be frozen or chilled to make another batch of biscuits. On a floured work surface, roll out the remaining dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using plain round biscuit cutters, cut out the following size biscuits: 1 x 8cm, 2x7cm, 4x6cm, 2x5cm and 1x3.5cm.

3. Stage

Carefully transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 mins until pale golden brown. Leave them on the baking sheet for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Stage

Mix the icing sugar with 2-3 tbsp water to make a smooth, spreadable icing – it shouldn’t be too runny. Spoon 1 tsp of the icing into a small bowl and mix enough yellow food colouring to make it bright yellow, then use to cover the largest biscuit and set aside to dry.

5. Stage

Spoon 2 tsp of the white icing into another small bowl and mix in enough blue food colouring to make it a bright, light blue. Use a little of this icing to cover a 6cm biscuit to make Uranus. Set aside to dry.

6. Stage

Add a little more blue colour to the blue icing and use a little to cover another 6cm biscuit, to make the water on the Earth. Set aside to dry. Add a little more colour to the blue icing and cover another 6cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl a little extra blue food colour and white icing onto this iced biscuit to make Neptune. Set aside to dry. Add a little more blue and a tiny bit of black food colouring to the blue icing and spread it over the 3.5 cm biscuit to make Pluto. Set aside to dry.

7. Stage

For Mercury, spoon 1 tbsp of the white icing into another bowl and add enough of the caramel flavouring to make a beige colour. Spread a little of it over a 5cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl a little extra caramel flavouring into the icing on the biscuit. Set aside to dry.

8. Stage

Spread a little of the beige icing over a 7cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl in a little red food colouring and white icing to make the patterns of Jupiter. Set aside to dry.

9. Stage

For Saturn, add a little yellow food colouring to the beige icing and spread it over the other 7cm biscuit, leaving a 1cm border around the edge. Use a cocktail stick to swirl a little yellow food colouring into the icing and set aside to dry.

10. Stage

For Venus, add a little orange food colouring to the beige icing and spread some over the remaining 6cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl in a little orange. Set aside to dry.

11. Stage

To finish Earth, spoon 1tsp white icing into another small bowl and add enough green food colouring to make it bright green. Blob a little of the green icing over parts of the blue icing.

12. Stage

For Mars, spoon 1tsp white icing into a small bowl and add enough red food colouring to make it bright red. Spread the red icing over a 5cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl a little red food colouring into the icing. Set aside to dry.

13. Stage

Fit a plain nozzle to a piping bag and add the remaining white icing. Pipe 2 stripes around the middle of the Saturn biscuit to give it its rings. If you like, you can sprinkle the Mercury and Venus biscuits with a little edible gold glitter to make them sparkle.