S1 Baking

Grannybiscuits

S there anything better than a batch of freshly baked With these homemade ? Not only do they make your home smell divine, they taste so much Ibetter than their shop-bought counterparts. They are sometimes too good; my freshly treats, you may never baked batches seem to disappear in less than the amount of time it takes to bake them in the first place, and I’ll be the first to admit that I am often the number one culprit. Perhaps my favourite thing about buy another biccie... baking biscuits – aside from eating them – is how easy they are to make, with sons David and John and me. Here, I not fourth generation. The jammy dodgers Hungarian chocolate biscuits. If you make ingredients you probably have stashed only pay homage to many of the well- are the size of saucers and the chocolate a batch for your friends and family, I guar- away in your cupboards. known best sellers but introduce a few chip can be made with the antee they’ll be begging you for the recipe They are ideal for almost every occasion, you might not be familiar with. chocolate of your choice. – or at least another batch. whether you are expecting guests or need Chocolate digestives, custard creams, If you fancy trying something a little bit Whatever your cravings, there’s to whip up something for a school jammy dodgers and chocolate chip different, walnut biscuits are my ultimate something here for you. And if you’re bake sale. cookies are all family favourites. biscuity pleasure – crumbly, and baking for a big occasion, double your Scots are a nation of biscuit lovers and These chocolate digestives are perfect with lots of little delicious pieces of recipe. That way, no one will realise you many of my collection of favourite biscuit for dunking, while my custard creams are walnut, these irresistible golden circles ate half before you shared them. recipes have been handed down by my made to the Baking with Granny family are a classic favourite in our house. mother Christine, pictured above with my recipe which is now being passed to a If you fancy something sweeter, try the Amy Lorimer

Walnut Biscuits My absolute favourite biscuit – sweet, buttery, melt-in-the-mouth biscuits with a lovely bit of walnut crunch. Ingredients 4. Gradually add the and l 115g caster cornflour to the mixture, a l little at a time, mixing until it 115g (at room forms a soft dough. temperature) 5. Roll a small amount of l 1 egg yolk dough into balls l 60g walnuts, roughly (between a teaspoon chopped and tablespoon is l ¼ tsp vanilla extract ideal, depending on how big you l 155g self-raising flour want your l 1 tsp cornflour biscuits to be) and place on your lined baking METHOD trays, leaving a bit 1. Preheat your oven to 180°c of space between (or 160°c for a fan assisted them. oven or Gas Mark 4). Line 6. Flatten each ball a a couple of trays with little with your fingers. greaseproof paper. Bake for 15 minutes 2. In a large bowl, cream until golden. together the butter and sugar. 7. Leave on trays until cool 3. Add the egg yolk, walnuts enough to touch before and vanilla and mix until transferring to a wire rack to combined. cool completely. S1 2 biscuits

Crunchy Peanut Cookies If you’re a fan of peanut butter, then these are Melting Moments the biscuits for you. Just be sure to use a crunchy A biscuit that is recognisable from coffee peanut butter for the shops of years gone by. I like my melting very best texture. moments finished with coconut but if you prefer you can use instead Ingredients of the coconut. l 60g butter l 60g crunchy peanut butter Ingredients l 85g soft brown sugar l 45g caster sugar l ½ tsp vanilla extract l 55g butter (at room temperature) l 150g self-raising flour l ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract l 70g self-raising flour METHOD l desiccated coconut 1. Preheat your oven to 180°c l glacé cherries (160°c for fan assisted oven or Gas Mark 4) and lightly grease a couple of baking sheets with a METHOD little butter. 1. Preheat your oven to before rolling in coconut. 2. In a large bowl, cream the 170°c (or 150°c for a fan 5. Place each coconut ball assisted oven or Gas Mark butter, peanut butter and on your greased trays, 4) and grease a couple sugar until light and fluffy. leaving a bit of space Add the vanilla. of baking trays with butter. between each, and gently 3. Sift in the flour and mix to press each down a little make a dough. 2. In a large bowl, cream with your fingers. Top each 4. Roll the dough into balls together the sugar and biscuit with a small piece (about 1 tbsp of dough per ball), butter until light and of cherry. place on your greased trays and fluffy. Add the vanilla and gently flatten a little with the cream until combined. 6. Bake in your preheated back of a fork. 3. Stir in the flour and oven for 15 minutes until golden. 5. Bake in your preheated oven mix until combined for 15-20 minutes or until golden into a dough. 7. Leave on trays until cool brown. Once cool enough to 4. Divide the dough into 20 enough to touch before handle, transfer to a wire rack to pieces and with wet hands transferring to a wire rack cool completely. roll each piece into a ball to cool completely.

Jammy Dodgers Better known in our house as Granny Dodgers! Much better than the shop-bought version because you can make them as big as you please. Ingredients l 250g plain flour Abernethy Biscuits l 200g salted butter l 100g icing sugar Originally created as a way to aid digestion and named after their l 1 egg yolk inventor, as opposed to the town. A somewhat simple biscuit l jam to fill made a bit more special with the addition of some caraway seeds. additional shape from the middle METHOD Ingredients METHOD (love heart being the obvious 1. Preheat your oven to l 225g plain flour 1. Preheat your oven to 170°c (150° for fan choice!). 180°c (160° for fan l ½ tsp baking powder assisted oven or Gas Mark 3) and grease a 5. Place your biscuits on your assisted oven or Gas l 85g caster sugar baking tray with a little butter. greased baking tray and bake Mark 4) and grease a 2. In a large bowl, rub together the for 10 to 12 minutes, until they couple of baking l 85g butter (at room flour, butter and icing sugar until it are a light golden colour around trays with a little temperature) resembles breadcrumbs. the edges. butter. l ½ tsp caraway seeds 3. Add the egg yolk and mix into a dough. 6. Once the biscuits are cool 2. In a large bowl, l 1 tbsp milk Wrap the dough in cling film and pop it in enough to handle (but still a sift in the flour l 1 egg the fridge for around 30 minutes. little warm) sandwich them and baking 4. Turn the dough out on to a floured together with a spoonful of powder. Add the the egg and milk. Mix to surface and roll out to around 1cm jam for each biscuit. butter and rub create a stiff dough. thickness. Cut your biscuits into circles 7. Dust with a little sugar together. 4. Roll the dough on a floured and on one of half of the biscuits cut an if desired. 3. Add the sugar and surface to about 5mm thick caraway seeds. Mix to and cut with 8cm round Roll with it: Amy shows you how combine before adding cutter. S1 3 Perkins A recipe we shared at the request of a Baking with Granny reader who remembered her own granny baking these lovely little biscuits. Sweet, golden, biscuits which are topped with a crunchy blanched almond. Ingredients l 60g butter (at room l 115g plain flour temperature) l 1 tsp bicarbonate of l 85g caster sugar soda l 115g rolled oats l ½ tsp ground ginger l 100g golden syrup l ½ tsp ground cinnamon l 22 blanched l ¼ tsp mixed spice almonds

Chocolate Ingredients l 225g wholemeal flour METHOD Digestives l 30g caster sugar l 140g butter 1. Preheat oven to 180°c (160°c for fan assisted A hit with the entire oven or Gas Mark 4) and line a couple of baking family and a biscuit that l 1 egg (beaten) sheets with greaseproof paper. can be whipped together l ½ tsp vanilla extract or paste 2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate of l 100g milk chocolate soda, ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice. Add the in no time. You could butter and rub until the mixture resembles enjoy them plain, but 4. On a floured surface, roll your breadcrumbs. dough to a few millimetres 3. Add the sugar and oats and mix to combine. who doesn’t love thickness and cut with a cookie 4. In a small saucepan, warm the golden syrup cutter to your desired biscuit size them with a layer of until it is of a pouring consistency – this will only (around 7cm is ideal). take a few minutes. chocolate on top? 5. Transfer your biscuits to your 5. Add the golden syrup to the bowl and mix to greased baking sheets and bake form a stiff dough. METHOD for 20 minutes until slightly 1. Preheat your oven to 170°c golden and dry in appearance. 6. Roll a heaped teaspoon of the dough into a (150°c for fan assisted oven small ball before placing on your lined trays. 6. Allow to cool on the tray for a Repeat with the rest of your dough to make or Gas Mark 4) and grease a short while before transferring to about 22 biscuits, arranging them on the trays couple of baking sheets with a a wire rack to cool completely. with a little space between each. little butter. 7. Melt the milk chocolate in a 7. Gently press the tops of your biscuits with 2. In a large bowl, rub together the small bowl over a bain-marie or in the back of a fork and top each with a flour, sugar and butter in a large short bursts in a microwave and blanched almond. gently dip the bottom side of your bowl until it resembles 8. Bake in your preheated oven for ten minutes, breadcrumbs. biscuits into the chocolate – allowing the excess to drip away – until the biscuits have spread and are golden. 3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix before finishing with a squiggle 9. Leave to cool on the tray until cool enough to together to form a dough. decoration using a fork. touch before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Abernethy Biscuits METHOD Chocolate Chip Cookies Originally created as a way to aid digestion and named after their 1. Preheat your oven to inventor, as opposed to the town. A somewhat simple biscuit 180°c (160°c for fan Sometimes you simply need a familiar assisted oven or Gas Mark comforting biscuit which is going to be a made a bit more special with the addition of some caraway seeds. 4) and lightly grease a Ingredients couple of baking sheets hit with the whole family. This is my with a little butter. l 225g plain flour go-to recipe for using up any leftover 2. In a large bowl, cream l ½ tsp baking powder together your butter and chocolate from special occasions. l 85g caster sugar sugar until light and fluffy. and roll into a small ball Ingredients l 85g butter (at room 3. Warm the golden syrup before placing on your l 75g butter (at room temperature) a little (until it is runny) greased baking tray. temperature) l ½ tsp caraway seeds then add to the butter Repeat with the rest of 5. Transfer your biscuits to mixture. l 1 tbsp milk your greased trays and prick the mixture. l 125g caster sugar 4. Roughly chop the l 1 egg the tops of them with 6. Bake in your preheated l 1 tbsp golden syrup a fork. chocolate and add to the oven for around ten the egg and milk. Mix to mixture, then sift in the minutes or until golden l 125g self-raising flour 6. Bake in your preheated flour and bicarbonate of create a stiff dough. brown. Once cool enough l 1 tsp bicarbonate oven for around ten minutes soda. Mix until combined. 4. Roll the dough on a floured or until golden brown. Once to handle, transfer to a of soda 5. Spoon out a heaped wire rack to cool surface to about 5mm thick cool enough to handle, l 100g milk chocolate and cut with 8cm round transfer to a wire rack to teaspoon of the dough completely. cookie cutter. cool completely. S1 4 biscuits Tantallon Cakes Ingredients Custard Creams For the Biscuits A recipe which is close to home for us l 170g butter (at room Made to great-granny’s famous recipe. The having originated in North Berwick and temperature) best custard creams you’ll ever have and the only named after the nearby Tantallon Castle. l 55g icing sugar recipe that granny will use to make the nation’s A simple shortbread biscuit, with the l 170g self-raising flour favourite biscuits. addition of lemon. l 55g custard powder 2. In a bowl cream the butter and 5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until For the Filling icing sugar until light and fluffy. the appear dry on top. l 50g butter (at room temperature) 3. Gradually add flour and custard 6. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Mix l 100g icing sugar powder a little at a time until the the butter and icing sugar to form mixture forms a paste. the . METHOD 4. Divide into small balls (between 7. Once the biscuits are completely 1. Preheat your oven to 180°c 1 tsp to 1 tbsp per biscuit) and place cool, pipe or spread a little butter (160°c for fan assisted oven or Gas on your greased baking tray with a cream on half the biscuits and Mark 4) and grease a couple of bit of space between. Flatten each sandwich together using the baking trays with a little butter. ball lightly with a fork. other halves.

METHOD Ingredients 1. Preheat your oven to l 100g caster sugar 160°c (140°c for fan l 150g salted butter assisted oven or Gas Mark l zest of 1 lemon 3) and grease of couple of baking trays with a little l 1 egg butter. l 200g plain flour 2. Cream together the l 50g cornflour butter and sugar in a large l pinch of bicarbonate of bowl until it becomes light soda and fluffy. 3. Add the egg and lemon baking trays and prick each zest and mix until well one on top with a fork. combined. 6. Bake in your preheated 4. Sift the flour, cornflour oven for around 15 minutes and bicarbonate of soda until the edges of the and mix to form a dough. biscuits are golden. Tip the dough onto a 7. Remove from the oven floured worktop and and sprinkle a litter caster gently knead until smooth. sugar over each biscuit. 5. Roll your dough to 1cm Leave to cool on their tray thick and cut with a for around ten minutes crinkle-edged cookie before transferring to a cutter. Transfer each wire rack to cool biscuit to your greased completely. Ginger Snaps Hungarian Ingredients: your greased baking tray One of the best biscuits to For the Biscuits with a bit of space between. Chocolate l 115g butter (at room Flatten each ball lightly enjoy with a cup of . with a fork. temperature) Not as popular with the Biscuits l 5. Bake for 12-15 minutes till 50g caster sugar they appear dry on top. kids, who aren’t big ginger The perfect little l ½ tsp vanilla extract fans, but that’s not a chocolate treats. l 130g self-raising flour problem – more for me! Similar to a custard l 30g drinking chocolate METHOD Ingredients cream but even For the Filling 1. Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c for l 225g plain flour more of a hit with l 50g butter (at room fan assisted oven or Gas Mark 4) and l 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda the kids because, temperature) grease a couple of baking trays with a l 1 tsp ground ginger l 100g icing sugar little butter. l 115g caster sugar well, chocolate! 2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, butter, sugar and bicarbonate of soda and ginger. l 1 egg vanilla extract until 6. Allow to cool on a wire Add the sugar and egg and mix well l 85g butter METHOD light and fluffy. rack. Mix the butter and until combined. icing sugar to form the l 115g golden syrup 1. Preheat your oven to 3. Gradually add the flour buttercream and once the 3. In a small pan, warm the butter and 180°c (160°c for fan and drinking chocolate a biscuits are completely golden syrup until just melted. Pour into 5. Bake in your preheated oven for assisted oven or Gas Mark little at a time until the cool, pipe or spread a little the bowl and mix to make a dough. 15 minutes until the biscuits have 4) and grease a couple mixture forms a paste. buttercream on half the 4. Spoon out a teaspoon of the dough spread and are golden. of baking trays with a 4. Divide into small balls biscuits and sandwich and roll into a small ball before placing 6. Once cool enough to handle, transfer little butter. (between 1 tsp and 1 tbsp together with the other onto your greased baking tray. Repeat the biscuits on to a wire rack to cool 2 In a large bowl cream the per biscuit) and place on halves. with the rest of the mixture. completely. tomorrow: DELICIOUS SAVOURIES