Kerstin Rodgers
I’ve had a spate of biscuit baking with my granddaughter. Not American style biscuits mind, which are closer to scones, but British biscuits, as in the twice baked etymology of the word, meaning they are crunchy. And dipperble. My granddaughter likes to dunk. I pick her up from nursery a couple of times a week and like to keep some treats in my pocket for the walk to her new home. Nans should have treats I think. I remember my nan had a large shiny, possible black patent leather, handbag with a large clasp. I was so excited when she visited – maybe more for the treasures inside than for her presence, if I’m honest.
Two things are useful when baking biscuits: a flat baking tray to prevent curly corners, and guides. These are small plastic strips that enable you to roll out your dough evenly. My guides are broken, thrown away somewhere, so I had to do it by eye. There are also wooden ones, used for pottery, which will work.
I’m a bit out of practice, hence my icing skills aren’t what they were, but for that you’ll need a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the teeniest corner cut off.
Pic: Kerstin Rodgers
Pepperkakor, ginger biscuits
Ingredients
- 180 g soft dark brown sugar
- 4 tbsp golden syrup
- 2 tsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- pinch sea salt
- 200 g salted butter, diced
- 1 flat tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 450 g plain flour
For the royal icing:
- 250 g icing sugar
- 1 egg white
- Squeeze lemon juice
Instructions
- Put the sugar, golden syrup, orange juice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt into a pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil while stirring.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter
- Add the bicarbonate. Leave to cool.
- Add the flour and form a dough.
- Flatten into a large disk, cover with clingfilm and rest in the fridge for a couple of hours
- Then, on a clean floured surface, roll out the dough to about 5mm thick. Using cutters, cut out your shapes (stars, Christmas trees, gingerbread men). Make a hole a few millimetre from the top if you are going to use them as Christmas ornaments. As big a hole as you can without ruining the shape because the hole closes during baking. Gather up the leftover dough, make a ball, flatten it and repeat.
- Preheat the oven to 200C
- Using a palette knife, lay these on the flat baking tray. You may have to do this in a couple of batches.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, checking at 5 minutes and turning the tray around.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make the royal icing:
- Combine the icing sugar, egg white and lemon juice. If you are going to take a while to do the icing (either because you are slow or you are doing complex designs), divide the royal icing into small Tupperware containers, as it dries out quickly.
- Using a piping bag and decorate the biscuits once cool
pic: Kerstin Rodgers
Coconutty chocolate sandwich biscuits
Ingredients
- 175 g salted butter, softened
- 200 g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 400 g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 100g desiccated coconut
For the chocolate buttercream:
- 100 g dark chocolate, broken up
- 200 g icing sugar
- 100 g softened butter
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and sugar until pale in colour.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the flour and baking powder, then the coconut.
- This should combine to make a ball of dough. Divide in half, flatten into discs and cover with clingfilm. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
- On a clean, floured surface, roll out the dough to a 5mm thickness.
- Using your chosen cutter, cut out as many as you can and lay them on the parchment/non stick mat covered, flat baking tray. You can put these in the fridge while you are rolling out the second batch.
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Roll out the second disc of dough. You should end up with an even number of biscuits in order to make the 'sandwiches'. Put these on the flat baking tray if you have room or on a flat surface in the fridge while you wait for the first batch to cook.
- Place the first tray of biscuits in the oven and bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until light golden. Remove and carefully put on a wire rack to cool. Bake the second batch.
For the chocolate buttercream:
- Melt the chocolate either in a bain-marie (a bowl set over a pan of hot water) or do 30 second blasts in the micro-wave (no more than 30 secs at a time as you don't want to burn the chocolate).
- Beat the soft butter in a bowl then add the icing sugar until well combined.
- Fold in the melted chocolate. If constructing the biscuits straight away, use immediately or cover and keep in the fridge until you are ready.
Making the sandwiches:
- Carefully spread the buttercream on the underside of one biscuit, then sandwich with another biscuit. You will end up with about 20. Dust lightly with icing sugar.
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