Spice Biscuits
Introduction
These nutty, spicy, and slightly chewy biscuits pair well with coffee or tea, and they can be stored in an airtight container for several days. Remember, the mixture needs to rest for 24 hours after shaping before it can be baked.
Serves: Each log makes about 32 biscuits (over 60 biscuits in total)
Ingredients
250g (about 8 oz) butter
125g (about 4 oz) golden syrup
200g (7 oz) caster (superfine granulated) sugar
70g (2½ oz) blanched almonds, roughly chopped
70g (2½ oz) candied peel, roughly chopped
½ tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 Tbsp boiling water
500g (1 lb 1 oz) standard flour
Method
1 Melt the butter, golden syrup, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat; ensure it does not get too hot. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the almonds, candied peel, ground cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the boiling water and add it to the fruit mixture. Allow it to cool. (If you add the flour to the hot mixture, the biscuits will be tough and chewy). Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
2 Mix the flour in, then knead until smooth. Shape the mixture into two long logs. Wrap them in foil or plastic wrap and chill for 24 hours, or freeze for later use.
3 Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F). If necessary, reshape the log of dough into a sausage (I don’t mind if mine flattens a wee bit) and cut into rounds (or reshape each biscuit after cutting). Place the biscuits on a baking tray (sheet) lined with baking (parchment) paper. Bake for about 10 minutes, checking after 8 minutes, or until crisp and lightly coloured. Cool on a wire rack, then store airtight.
Recipe Notes
I usually freeze one log for later use; the mixture will keep well in the freezer for several months. Thaw at room temperature (it takes a few hours to thaw).
