LEMON AND POPPY SEED BISCUITS
Makes 40-50
250g butter
250ml castor sugar
1 egg
625ml flour
5ml baking powder
15ml poppy seeds
grated rind of 1 lemon
Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture together with the poppy seeds and lemon rind. Mix to form a dough.
Roll the dough into balls and place on a greased baking tray. Space them apart to allow room for spreading.
Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes till pale golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on the tray.
CHOCOLATE-FILLED CHOCOLATE BISCUITS
Makes 30-40
250g butter
160ml castor sugar
160ml icing sugar
5ml vanilla extract
2 eggs
750ml flour
80ml dark cocoa powder
Filling
200g white chocolate discs
pink powdered food colouring
strawberry extract
green powdered food colouring
peppermint extract
Cream the butter and the sugars well. Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat. Sift the flour and cocoa powder and add to the creamed mixture. Mix to form a dough that is soft but not sticky.
Roll out the dough to 5mm thickness on a floured surface and cut out with desired cookie shapes.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake at 160°C for 10-15 minutes until firm to the touch. Remove and cool.
Sandwich two biscuits together with the pink and the green filling.
FILLING: Divide the chocolate into two bowls. To one bowl add a pinch of pink powdered colouring and a drop of strawberry extract. To the other add the green colouring and peppermint extract.
Melt the chocolate in each bowl in the microwave on 50 percent power for a minute or two. Stir until smooth. Allow to cool until thickened. Use to sandwich the biscuits together.
CARDAMOM AND WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCUITS
Makes 30-40
250g butter
160ml castor sugar
500ml flour
250ml cornflour
5ml ground cardamom
melted white chocolate for decorating
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour, cornflour and cardamom and mix to form a stiff dough.
Roll out the dough to about 5mm thickness on a floured surface. Cut out with desired shape and place on a greased baking tray.
Bake at 160°C for 10-15 minutes until pale golden brown.
Remove and cool.
Drizzle with white chocolate and allow it to set.
JAM SHORTBREAD BISCUITS
Makes 30-40
250g butter
250ml castor sugar
2 eggs
750ml flour
125ml apricot jam
125ml raspberry or strawberry jam, sieved
sifted icing sugar
Cream the butter and sugar well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour and mix to a dough that is soft but not sticky.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out with 4cm fluted biscuit cutters. Make a hole in the middle of half the biscuits.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
Boil the jam in the microwave for a minute and cool. Place all the biscuits with holes on a tray and sift over icing sugar.
Spread jam on to the bases of the remaining biscuits and then top with the sifted icing sugar biscuits.
GINGER BISCUITS
Makes 50-60
250g butter
125ml light brown sugar
125ml castor sugar
100ml molasses
1 egg
625ml flour
10ml bicarbonate of soda
15ml ground ginger
5ml ground cinnamon
3ml allspice
extra sugar for rolling
Cream the butter and sugars until light and creamy.
Add the molasses and egg and beat well. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and allspice. Add to creamed mixture and mix to form a dough that is soft but not sticky.
Roll the dough into balls the size of a walnut and place on a greased baking tray.
Grease the base of a glass and dip it in sugar. Press the biscuits flat using the base of the glass.
Bake at 180°C for 12-15 minutes until nicely browned. Remove and cool. - The Star