Catherine Wheel Biscuits

Catherine wheel biscuits are ideal to make for the hungry party goers on bonfire night, the 5th of November.  Note that the rum can be omitted for young children.

 

Ingredients

8oz/250g self raising flour
4oz/125g unrefined caster sugar
4oz/110g soft margarine
1 large beaten egg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tespoons dark rum

Method

1 Cream together the soft margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
2 Keep one dessertspoon of egg white from the egg and add the remaining egg to the margarine mixture.
3 Add the flour and knead to form a firm dough
4 Divide the dough into two then add the cocoa to one part and rum to the other
5 Knead both separately until the cocoa and rum have blended into the dough
6 On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to form to oblongs 12 inch (30cm) x 8 inch (20cm)
7 Use the reserved egg white to brush the chocolate dough, cover with the rum dough and roll up the two pieces
8 Wrap the dough roll in foil and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
9 Cut into catherine wheels of a quarter inch (5mm) in thickness

10 Arrange on a greased baking tray and cook in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees centigrade/gas mark 5 for about 10 minutes or until lightly coloured.

11 Cool in the tin on a wire cooling rack.

                                          

Makes about 30 biscuits

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Gluten Free Shortbread

A good coeliac friend gave me this recipe, they are so nice, to me they tasted a bit like Viennese biscuits.

     

         

Ingredients

8oz gluten free flour

4oz cornflour

4oz icing sugar

8oz butter at room temperature

caster sugar for dusting

 

Method

1 Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl.

2 Place all of the dry ingredients into the sieve and push through with a wooden spoon.

3 Add the butter.

4 Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture comes together.

5 Cover the ball of dough with cling film and refrigerate.

6 Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin.

7 Cut the dough into half.

8 Lightly knead the dough to smooth out the cracks.

9 With one half form the dough into a ball.

10 Roll out lightly to 1/2 inch thick.

11 Using sharp knife, lightly mark triangles with the blade.

12 Using a fork use the tines to decorate the outside edge or pinch the edges.

13 Using a sharp knife mark out fingers about 1″ thick.

14 Use the fork tines to prick the shortbread all over bar the edges.

15 Transfer the dough to a baking sheet.

16 With the other half of the dough form into an oblong shape.

17 Roll out the dough lightly to 1/2 inch thick.

18 Prick the dough with the tines of a fork.

19 Transfer the dough to a baking sheet.

20 Place in the oven heated to 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for approximately 20 minutes or until a pale golden colour.

21 Lay the baking sheet(s) onto a wire cooling rack and leave for about 5 minutes.

22 Sprinkle with caster sugar.

23 Cut through the marks on the shortbread.

24 Transfer the shortbread onto the cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

 

Store in an airtight container.

 

Note

A pinch of salt maybe added for keeping quality if required and should be sieved with the dry ingredients.

                   

If flavoured shortbread is required vanilla or almond flavourings or dried fruit or quartered cherries or good quality chocolate drops maybe added to taste.

         

The dough maybe frozen before baking at -18 degrees centigrade for about a month.

 

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Simple Lemon Biscuits

These are an ideal biscuit to make when learning to cook, they are quick and easy to make and wonderful to eat.

 

Ingredients

6oz/175g plain flour

4oz/110g diced butter at room temperature

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

2oz/55g caster sugar

 

Method

1 Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl.

2 Spoon in the flour.

3 Shake the flour into the mixing bowl.

4 Add the butter.

5 Using the fingertips only, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  

6 Add the lemon zest and the caster sugar.

7 Continue to form the mixture into a stiff dough.

8 Sprinkle the work surface and rolling pin with plain flour.

9 Roll the dough out to thickness of a biscuit.

10 Dip a cookie cutter into the plain flour, shake off the excess.

11 Stamp out as many rounds as you can.

12 Re-roll the dough as necessary.

13 Place the rounds of dough onto a baking tray.

14 Prick with a fork.

15 Bake at 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for about 5 to 8 minutes or until a pale golden brown.

16 Place the baking tray onto a wire rack for 5 minutes.

17 Using a pallette knife transfer the biscuits off the baking tray directly onto the wire cooling rack.

18 Leave to cool completely.

 

Store in the biscuit tin or an airtight container.

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Cheese Straws

These make wonderful party food, either eaten on their own or dunked into a super creamy dip.  One end looks extreemly attractive when dipped into paprika and the excess shaken off.   Ingredients 1 amount of basic cheese pastry   Method 1 Sprinkle the work surface and rolling pin with flour. 2 Place the chilled ball of dough on the work surface. 3 Form the dough into a rectangle. 4 Roll out the pastry to 1/4 inch thick. 5 Cut the dough into fingers. 6 Place the fingers onto an oiled baking tray. 7 Bake in the oven at 210 degrees centigrade/gas mark 7 for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp and a pale golden brown colout. 8 Place the baking tray onto a wire cooling rack and leave for about 5 minutes for the straws to set firm. 9 Transfer the straws directly onto the wire cooling rack to cool completely. 10 Store in an airtight container.   Notes To make the straws look even more attractive for a party. before you roll out the pastry cut a small piece off and roll into a round, cut out several circles, then cut the circle with a smaller cutter, transfer the circles of pastry with the holes in onto a baking sheet and bake as before.  When serving place the cooked straws through the hole and serve.

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Basic Biscuit Dough

With this basic recipe for biscuits there are 1001 ways to enhance it, hope you enjoy having a go.

 

Ingredients

 

250g softened butter

150g golden caster sugar

1 medium egg yolk

1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

300g plain flour

 

Method

 

1 Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

2 Beat the ingredients with a wooden spoon until the mixture is light.

3 Add the egg yolk and the flavouring, beat until well mixed in.

4 Place a sieve over the mixing bowl.

5 Pour the plain flour into the sieve and shake into the bowl.

6 Work in the flour with your hands until the mixture comes together to form a ball of dough.

7 Pace the dough onto a floured surface.

8 Work into a sausage shape with a diameter of 5mm thick.

9 Wrap the dough up in cling film.

10 Place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

11 Unwrap the clingfilm and place the dough onto a floured surface.

12 Take a sharp knife to slice through the dough to form 1cm thick slices.

13 Place the raw biscuits onto oiled and floured baking trays.

14 Prick with a fork.

15 Bake in the centre of the oven at 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for 10 – 12 minutes or until the desired shade of brown is reached.

16 Place the baking trays on a wire cooling rack for a minute.

17 Using a spatula transfer the biscuits from the baking tray and place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

 

Storage – In an air tight container for a couple of weeks.

 

Makes on average 25 – 30 cookies

 

Notes

 

Ordinary white caster sugar may be used if wished.

      

Self raising flour can be used but it will give a softer biscuit

       

Instead of vanilla extract you can use vanilla seeds scraped from the vanilla pod.

            

Almond flavouring makes a wonderful change to vanilla extract.

                   

The dough can be frozen at stage 10. 

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