Tips for Great biscuits

DORIE GREENSPAN

Few things give us the joy of freshly baked biscuits

WHETHER you call them cookies or biscuits, few things give us the joy of freshly baked biscuits. To get the perfect batch of biscuits every time, here’s what you need to know.

Make sure your baking powder is fresh, All the drama of biscuits is in the puff, which comes from baking powder.

Start with cold ingredients Cut the butter, then pop it back into the fridge while you get the dry ingredients ready and preheat the oven.

Don’t worry about being neat When working the butter into dry ingredients, use a pastry blender or your fingers – rub, squish, press, but stop before you have a perfect blend.

ICED RINGS

(Makes 30-40) Ingredients

250g butter

250ml castor sugar

2 extra-large eggs

750ml flour

ICING:

300g icing sugar

Water to mix

Assorted food colouring

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Cream the

butter and sugar well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift in the flour, mixing to make a stiff dough. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough until it is 5mm thick, then press out 7cm circles, rerolling trimmings as needed.

Press out a 2cm circle from the middle of each larger circle. Put the rings on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool for 3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

ICING: Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl and mix in enough water to make a thick, spreadable consistency.

Put a scoop of icing into two small bowls and colour them pink and purple. Spoon into a disposable icing bag and snip off the end to make a small hole.

Take each biscuit and dip it into the white icing, allowing the excess to drip off. Place on a rack and drizzle with either the pink or purple icing. Allow to set before storing.

CHOCOLATE OATIES

(Makes 16) Ingredients

250ml self-raising flour

300ml brown sugar

250ml oats

2ml bicarbonate of soda

125ml chocolate chips

125g butter

15ml golden syrup

Melted chocolate, for drizzling

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease two baking sheets with non-stick baking spray. In a big bowl, mix together flour, sugar, oats, bicarb and chocolate chips.

In a small pot, melt the butter and golden syrup. Add to the dry ingredients and mix.

Roll the dough into 16 balls, arrange on the baking sheets, spaced apart, and squash down slightly. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden. Remove and leave to cool slightly on the tray before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the biscuits.