Rustic and crunchy, these biscuits are the business
This recipe is dead easy and the results are amazing. Crunchy, spicy, glossy biscuits that beat anything you can get in the shops. My kids helped me make this, they are that easy. I find making biscuits is a good way to get the kids involved. The recipes are simple, so don’t get bored. They can mix, help roll the dough and best of all lick the bowl and spoons.
This recipe is from Bill Granger’s Open Kitchen. I love this book. It’s so Sydney. What I really like about it is the recipes are short and fairly easy. But the results are always amazing. It’s a book I forget about and then come back to and earmark loads of recipes I want to make. I don’t get tired of it.
The recipe
- 375g of plain flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
- 250g unsalted butter, softened
- 345g brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons of brandy (I didn’t have any, so I added a little water to make sure the dough came together)
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- extra plain flour for dusting
- 1 egg white for glazing
- 30g of granulated sugar
Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Place brown sugar and butter in another bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add the brandy and zest and mix well. Using a large metal spoon, fold through the dry ingredients in two batches.
Put a bit of flour on the work surface and need the dough for 30 seconds. Roll the dough into a large rectangle shape about 5mm thick.Cut into shapes of 3cm x 6cm. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
Preheat the oven to 180 C. Place biscuits 2cm apart on a baking tray lined with grease proof paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and leave to cook on a wire rack. This recipe makes about 40.
Enjoy.
June 20, 2012 at 4:11 pm
Very cool new theme and nice biscuits:)
June 20, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Thanks Roger!
June 20, 2012 at 4:17 pm
I think I’ll get my kids to help me with making these as well. At 14 and 16 it is a way to get them off of their xbox and computers.
June 20, 2012 at 9:04 pm
Ha, I’m waiting as long as I can before we buy xboxes. Ours are only 3 and 6.
June 20, 2012 at 9:50 pm
These delicious looking morsels are just screaming to be devoured!
June 20, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Already devoured!
June 20, 2012 at 10:45 pm
It’s settled. I’m christening my new oven with these.
June 20, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Wow, I feel honoured. Hope they come out ok. Let me know.
June 21, 2012 at 9:47 am
Biscuits never worked in my old oven, so it will be a good test. Having said that, I normally feel guilty about all the butter so normally only add half :| And then they burn…I will let you know how I go. Thanks for the blog follow too, I don’t really update that blog anymore, although I will probably update it with the kitchen process (and all the stress and pain) once I can start talking about it again !
June 21, 2012 at 10:17 am
My oven is crap, either on or off. These biscuits are pretty forgiving, just keep checking them.
Hope all is well in your world.
June 28, 2012 at 10:54 am
I like this recipe – I have a bit of cardamon just waiting to be used and orange is my favorite flavor. (re: your about page) What is a pom?
June 28, 2012 at 10:58 am
ha, a pom is what the Australians call the English. It’s origin is sketchy and it’s use continues to be controversial. The biscuits are great – really came out well.
June 28, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Ha – learned something new today! Funny – I wonder just what does it mean? Thanks for the reply.
July 6, 2012 at 11:41 pm
I’ve shared this link with my co-worker…these look too delicious not to share! (and I secretly want HER to make them and bring them to work…)
July 7, 2012 at 10:54 am
Ha, brilliant, coerce a colleague to cook it for you. I like your style.