• 75 g (2¾ oz) butter, softened
• 75 g (2¾ oz) sugar, plus a little extra, for sprinkling
• 1 egg
• a few drops of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon rosewater
• 210 g (7½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• tiny fresh unsprayed rosebuds or ones you have dried, halved lengthways
• about 1 teaspoon gum arabic, if using dried rosebuds

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and thick. Beat in the egg, then add the vanilla and rosewater. Add the flour and mix in with a wooden spoon. You can keep the dough in the fridge or make the biscuits immediately.

Break off balls of dough the size of a rum ball, just under 20 g (¾ oz) each. I like them best at 18 g, to be exact. Roll them into smooth balls with your hands. Flatten them ever so slightly, then place on the lined tray, leaving a little space between each. Use a plastic bottle cap (from a bottle of water, for example) to gently press a ring pattern on the top of each biscuit. If using fresh rosebuds, set a half on top of each biscuit, pressing it in gently. Sprinkle a little extra sugar over the top. Bake for 10 minutes, until just set but still very pale (they will harden as they cool). Move them to a wire rack to cool.

If using dried rosebuds, you can put them on now. Mix a little gum arabic with enough water to give a sticky paste. Using a toothpick, put a few drops on the cut side of a rosebud and press it gently onto the biscuit.