Maple Walnut Biscuits

 

Makes 48 biscuits
unsalted butter 230g, at room temperature
caster sugar 100g
vanilla pod ½, split and seeds scraped
freshest organic egg yolk 1
maple syrup 2 tbsp
plain flour 275g, sifted, plus extra for dusting
walnuts 150g

Heat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4.
Cut the butter roughly into pieces and cream in a food mixer until pale.
Add the sugar and vanilla seeds and continue to mix until pale again.
Mix in the egg yolk and the maple syrup.
Roast the walnuts for 5-10 minutes in the hot oven, leave to cool and coarsely chop. Turn off the oven.
Add the flour and chopped walnuts to the butter mix and combine until a dough forms. Knead this deftly and swiftly on a lightly floured surface.
Once the dough is formed, shape into a cylinder roughly 30cm in length and 5-6cm in width. Cut in half and roll each half in a sheet of greaseproof paper, twisting the ends as if for a large bonbon.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (if desired, one of the halves can be frozen for another time).
Heat the oven again to 160C fan/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. As these are best eaten fresh, slice and bake only what is needed, then rewrap, store and return to the fridge. Cut 3mm-thick slices and lay in serried ranks on the lined baking sheet.
Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool on a rack.

From Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many by Jeremy Lee (HarperCollins, £30)

Killer Recipe: Peanut and chocolate biscuits

My favourite! Had better park this recipe right here, it's been sitting loose in a folder for years! I like this recipe because the biscuits taste just as good the next day, and day after that too (though I warn you, they wont last long!)


INGREDIENTS

150g (just under a cup) brown sugar
100g butter,softened

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

300g crunchy peanut butter (I just use a whole jar of Kraft crunchy)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

225g plain flour

200g dark chocolate chips (I just pour in the whole pack, about 250g)

METHOD

- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
- Beat the sugar and butter until smooth, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Beat in the peanut butter, then fold in the salt, bicarb and flour.
- Mix until combined, then fold in the choc chips.
- Roll mixture into small balls and lay on trays lined with non-stick baking paper.
- Press down with a fork to about 1cm thick and bake for 10 minutes.

Source: Matthew Evans, torn from Good Weekend, Nov 13, 2010