There's nothing more comforting than a stack of homemade biscuits and a pot of tea to look forward to mid-afternoon (or mid-morning!). This is where little fingers come into play – kids love rolling dough and squishing and squashing it. Let them go for it, imperfect shapes won’t affect the taste of these biscuits.
Ingredients
—170g (6 oz) unsalted butter, softened 90g (3 oz) soft brown sugar 90g (3 oz) caster (superfine granulated)sugar 2 medium (size 6) free-range eggs, at room temperature 320g (11 oz) standard flour ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda Pinch of salt 200g (7 oz) chocolate chips Finely grated zest 1 orange
Method
—1 Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F. Cream butter with brown and white sugars in an electric cake mixer. With machine running, drop in eggs one at a time and continue beating on high until well mixed.
2 Have ready flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt sifted onto a piece of kitchen paper. Fold into the creamed mixture with a large spoon. Mix in chocolate chips and orange zest.
3 Roll pieces of dough to the size of a walnut in your palms and put them on baking sheets (trays) lined with baking (parchment) paper (leave space for them to spread a little during cooking). Gently pat balls flat with the fingers, then bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
4 Remove from oven, cool on baking sheets (trays) for a few minutes, then transfer to cake racks to cool. Store airtight once cool.
Recipe Notes
Before you start, get the butter nice and creamy by beating it in a warmed china bowl with a wooden spoon. After adding the eggs the creamed butter and sugars should look like a rich thick buttery cream. The biscuit mixture should be firm and easily rolled, not damp or sticky, nor dry and crumbly. Add a touch more flour, or a few drops of orange juice if necessary to correct it. And, although I love orange added to chocolate chip biscuits, it is optional.
Photography Aaron McLean http://www.aaronmclean.com
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