Christmas tree biscuits

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF). Heat the margarine and golden syrup over medium heat until the margarine has just melted. Cool. Add the eggs and mix. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the syrup mixture and stir until the sugar is well mixed but not yet dissolved. Sift the dry ingredients together. Pour the syrup mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well. Allow the dough to rest for at least two hours. Roll the dough into a 3 mm thick rectangle and place the shapes on top. Cut out decorations. Biscuit cutters with interesting shapes can also be used. Don’t forget to make a little hole in each biscuit from which to hang it. To make the hole, use a straw, not too near the edge. Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes or until they’re dark brown. (Baking time will depend on the size of the cookies). Cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack.
ICING: Place the egg white in a bowl and beat lightly. Using a fine sieve, sift the icing sugar into the egg white, a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Add just enough icing sugar to make a creamy icing that’s still slightly runny. Cover the dish with a damp cloth to prevent the icing from forming a dry crust. If the icing becomes dry, add a few drops of water. Keep the first batch of icing white, and decorate all the biscuits you want to be white. Make another two batches of icing, slightly thicker than the first. Divide the mixture into four parts and add sufficient food colouring to each part to obtain a fairly intense colour. (If the icing is too runny, sift in a little icing sugar). Cover the bowls with damp cloths. Decorate the biscuits (see Tips).
Makes about 230 cookies.