Let's make some biscuits - recipes

Published Aug 20, 2015

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Treat your family and friends to a batch of delicious biscuits from Angela Day:

 

Iced rings

Salted caramel peanut butter biscuits

Custard creams

Chocolate oaties

Chai-spiced biscuits

 

ICED RINGS

Makes 30-40

250g butter

250ml castor sugar

2 extra-large eggs

750ml flour

ICING

300g icing sugar

water to mix

assorted food colouring

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Cream the butter and sugar well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well 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.

Next, 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 completely before storing.

 

SALTED CARAMEL PEANUT BUTTER BISCUITS

Makes about 20

125g butter

125ml smooth peanut butter

180ml light brown sugar

1 egg

5ml vanilla extract

375ml self-raising flour

salt flakes

385g tin of caramel condensed milk

Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

Add the flour and mix to form a stiff but not dry dough.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thickness. Cut out with a 5cm fluted cutter and place the discs on a greased baking tray. Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes until light golden.

Remove and cool for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.

Add a good pinch of the salt flakes to the caramel to achieve a pleasant salty-sweet taste. Sandwich two biscuits together with the salted caramel filling.

Note: These biscuits go soft on standing overnight, so they’re best served on the day they’re made.

 

CUSTARD CREAMS

Makes about 35

375ml flour, plus extra for dusting

125ml custard powder

5ml baking powder

125ml castor sugar

125g butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1 egg

15ml milk

FILLING

180g butter, softened

375ml icing sugar

45ml custard powder

milk to mix

Put the flour, custard powder, baking powder, sugar and butter into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the egg and milk and pulse until the mixture just comes together.

Tip onto a work surface and knead lightly to form a soft ball of dough. Cover in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with baking paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to 3mm thickness.

Cut into 4cm squares, rerolling any trimmings as needed.

Put the squares on the prepared trays and bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden.

Cool for 3 minutes on the trays before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

When cool, sandwich together with some filling, using a piping bag.

FILLING: Cream the butter well. Add the icing sugar and custard powder and mix until light and fluffy.

Add a little milk to achieve the right consistency, if necessary.

 

CHOCOLATE OATIES

Makes 16

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

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Lightly grease two baking sheets with non-stick baking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, oats, bicarbonate of soda 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.

 

CHAI-SPICED BISCUITS

Makes 36

250g butter, softened

125ml icing sugar

1 egg

10ml vanilla extract

500ml flour

7ml ground cardamom

5ml ground cinnamon

5ml ground nutmeg

2ml ground ginger

2ml ground cloves

2ml salt

COATING

250ml icing sugar

2ml ground cardamom

2ml ground cinnamon

Heat the oven to 180°C.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

Stir in the remaining ingredients to form a soft dough.

Shape spoonfuls of dough into small balls and place, spaced apart, on a greased baking tray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until very lightly browned.

Remove and cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

Working in batches, gently roll the warm biscuits in the coating.

COATING: In a bowl, mix ingredients well.

 

* The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.

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