MY MOTHER'S BISCUITS

My beloved Mother was a wonderful cook and she gave me the recipes for these wonderful  biscuits when we were living in India, so many years ago.

 

                                                        PETITS FOURS

360 g (12 oz) butter, at room temperature

180 g (6 oz) sugar

A good pinch of salt

470 g (15 oz + 2 tbs) self-raising flour

6 medium-sized eggs, separated, whites reserved for further use

1 vanilla

 

250 g ( ¼ lb) roasted almonds, thickly ground and mixed with

3-4 tbsp sugar

 

Whip butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Stir in the vanilla and egg yolks, one at a time, beating each time until well incorporated. 

 

Sift the flour and fold it into the butter mixture, in portions until your have a soft pliable dough.  You might not need all the flour, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.

 

Shape the dough into small walnut-sized balls.  Dip each into the reserved egg whites, fold in the almond and sugar mixture and place them in a tin, lined with baking parchment.  Bake in an oven, preheated to180 C (350 F) for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and when cold store into biscuits tins. 

 

Just before serving, garnish each biscuit with ½ a glace cherry.

 

 

                                                  RENEE’S TARTLETS

330 g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) plain flour

160 g (5 ½ oz) butter

1 egg

½ a fistful of sugar

1 tsp baking powder

6 tsp of milk

 

1 cup apricot jam

 

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add all the other ingredients, except the jam, and knead until a soft dough is obtained.  Cover the dough with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.

 

Roll out the dough and cut it into rounds with a liqueur glass.  Using a thimble, cut small holes in the center of half of the rounds, and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 10 – 12 minutes.

 

When the biscuits are cold, spread the whole rounds with apricot jam.  Sprinkle the biscuits with a hole in the center with icing sugar, and sandwich them carefully together. 

   

         

                                THIN AND CRISPY CHOCOLATE BISCUITS

195 g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour

70 g (3/4 cup) cocoa

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

110 g (8 tbsp) butter at room temperature

150 g (3/4 cup) sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp honey

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients well together.  Whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, at alow speed, then beat in the egg, vanilla and honey.   Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a third at a time, beating well after each addition until the dough forms a ball around the hook.  Cover with cling film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper.  Cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter and place them on a tin lined with parchment 1/ 2 an inch apart, and bake for 8-10 minutes on the middle rack until beautifully crisp.

Allow them to cool in the tin for 12 minutes before cooling them completely on a rack When they are completely cold they should be delightfully crisp.    

                                                CINNAMON BISCUITS

210 g (7.4 oz) plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

120 g (4.2 oz) butter, cubed

90 g (3.17 oz) sugar

120 g (4.2 oz) brown sugar

1 egg

Pinch of salt

 

For the top:

2 tbsp sugar mixed with

1 tsp cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 180 c (350 F).  In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon with a spoon.

 

Whip the butter with the two kinds of sugar and the vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the egg, with a spatula and add the salt and all the dry ingredients until a soft, pliable dough is formed.

 

Cut the dough into 18 pieces and shape into small balls, dip each ball into the cinnamon and sugar mixture on one site and flatten each ball out with your fingers. Bake for 12-15 minutes and allow to cool before serving.