Classic Biscuits

The lovely people at The Little Cookshop recently sent me a set of Classic Biscuit Cutters to try out. In the past I've tended to make quite simple biscuits and cookies, with the good old favourite of shortbread, so the idea of making a more precise and stamped biscuit was interesting, challenging and actually a bit daunting! Detail and precision would be needed and I hoped I would be able to meet the standard set by the illustrations on the box!

I have to say that I had such a great afternoon baking these biscuits and using the cutters. I have already recommended them to friends and family. I know that my niece will have such a fun time making the bourbon biscuits and iced party rings. Making biscuits using this set of cutters could be a lovely activity for mum, dad or other members of the family with children. Some help may be needed in filling the biscuits, but the rolling, cutting, stamping, baking and ultimately eating the biscuits couldn't be easier. I know that when my sister and niece make these, they will be eaten prized apart and the cream filling scraped out with front teeth...my niece will watch as my sister does this!

Before I could use the set, I needed to find some recipes that would be fit for the job.

For the custard creams (these had to be made first as they are my favourite!), I used a recipe from nigella.com which, whilst designed for hearts, seemed to fit the bill well. I wasn't disappointed and ended up with lots to share with friends.

For the bourbon biscuits, I had read a recipe from GBBO's Miranda Gore Brown. I have used her recipes before and knew they were simple and reliable. Again the recipe which can be found here worked an absolute treat, with plenty to share. As the dough is chocolate, it is quite difficult to tell when they are baked through, so careful watching is essential. I did have to lose a couple as they were a little 'caramelised' round the edges! 

I still have to make the jammie dodgers and party rings but I am sure they will be just as much fun and just as tasty!

So what about the cutters themselves? 

Classic English Teatime Biscuits

  
Firstly, they look really appealing and immediately brought a smile to my face. Right from the outset I knew that I was going to have fun.

Whilst lightweight the cutters seem robust and will last. They work on a simple push down to cut and stamp process. With some doughs where it would not show, such as the custard creams, I found it helpful to flour the cutter every couple of biscuits. This meant that they slipped out easily. That said, if they cut and remained on the board, a small angled palette knife soon lifted them off, or if they popped up and stayed in the cutter, the same kind of knife or careful fingers soon removed them.

The cut and imprint were very clear. The detail on the custard cream did not seem great before baking, but once they came out of the oven after baking it was crystal clear. The bourbon was clear right from the outset.

One tip for success in making these biscuits is making sure that they dough is evenly rolled so that the finished biscuits cook evenly and don't spoil the effect of the stamps. I treated myself to a rolling pin with guide rings on either end and this did the trick nicely.

As the cutters are plastic they are easily to clean and I know I will be using them again.

The finished results went down really well with my friends. When they saw the results on Twitter or on my Facebook page, they thought they were looking at the real thing.

I have already recommended this set to other baking friends as well as to family members and will definitely continue to do so. I had a great first afternoon making these classic biscuits, so thank you Little Cookshop, I can't wait to try more of your wonderful products!

You can buy the cutters from The Little Cookshop using this link and if you use the code MATTSBAKING you will get 10% off the entire site!

Lemon and Lime biscuits

After the complicated bake that was the Battenberg, I felt the need for simple baking. I love trying new and exciting things, but sometimes something simple and quick but tasty is what is needed. I had been confined to the sofa for a few days with a nasty bug and was watching old Bake Offs. It was biscuit week for one of them and one of the contestants made lemon biscuits. I knew I had lemons and limes in the kitchen so decided to use both to make a nice citrusy biscuit. Forty minutes later and these very faint for me biscuits were ready.

These go really well with a nice cuppa, so treat yourself to one...or two..or three... well you get the idea!

Makes 24-28

The recipe can be doubled to make more biscuits, or you can make them bigger or smaller by using different sized round cutters. I used a 4cm plain cutter which gave a nice two mouthful bite. And a good excuse to eat more of them!

Ingredients

200g plain flour

100g unsalted butter softened

100g caster sugar

½ medium egg, beaten

zest of a lemon finely grated

zest of a lime finely grated

icing sugar for dusting

Method

1.     Pre-heat the oven to 180/ Gas Mark 4 and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or one of those non-stick re-usable tray liners

2.     Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a free-standing mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one or use a hand mixer (the latter can be a bit messier if you don’t use a large mixing bowl!) to cream them together until they are light and fluffy

3.     Add in the zest of the lemon and lime and gently pour in the egg, still mixing gently, until it is all incorporated

4.     Add the flour and continue to slowly beat until the flour is all mixed in.

5.     Use your hands to bring the mixture together to make a smooth dough

6.     Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for around 15 minutes

7.     Roll out the biscuit dough to around 5mm depth

8.     Cut out the biscuits into rounds or any other shapes you would like and place them on the baking tray and shake over some icing sugar

9.     Place in the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes or until they are starting to go golden brown round the edges. You might need to turn the tray round or even rearrange the biscuits half way through to make sure they bake evenly

10.  Remove from the oven and allow them to firm up on the tray for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with more icing sugar to finish off

Mini pecan and maple loaves

I love it when the need to bake to takes over!
Sometimes the idea for a bake comes at the most unusual times. This one was whilst I was on the treadmill at the gym! I knew I had all the ingredients in the cupboard, including some lovely maple syrup from Aldi I had picked up at a really good price. So after arriving home I set to it...
These turned out to be really quick and easy and filled the house with that lovely maple syrup smell. There was a little too much mixture for the 12 cases so I put the small amount remaining in a small metal tin and baked at the same time. That little cook's perk did not last long, and I am grateful for my asbestos tongue gained from years of drinking very hot tea as a teacher!
This could also be made as a loaf cake cooked for around an hour. It could also be eaten warm with custard...

Ingredients

225g baking spread such as Stork

350g self-raising flour

225g light muscavado sugar

4 eggs

100ml maple syrup plus a little more for brushing

2tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground ginger

75g pecans roughly chopped plus 12 whole ones for decoration

1      Pre-heat the oven to 180/ Gas Mark 4

2      Set out 12 mini loaf cases onto a baking tray. You could also use muffin cases or one of those trays with 12 separate loaf shaped sections

3      Put all the ingredients for the cake, except the pecans, into a large mixing bowl and beat until they are well mixed

4      Fold in the chopped pecans

5      Spoon the mixture into the cases and bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes until they are well risen and golden and a skewer comes out clean

6      Warm up a little more maple syrup and using a pastry brush, paint over the still warm loaves so that it starts to soak in.

7      Allow to cool

8      Decorate with the remaining whole pecans

Adapted from a Mary Berry recipe