Why I love these biscuits
I can make these simple tasty biscuits in 15 minutes including cooking time. No E numbers, no nasty ingredients, just a basic packed lunch filler or treat. It is a great one to do with the children too since they can have such fun at the play dough stage creating shapes for their biscuits, but do watch out for the bits that pop straight into their mouths! For a tempting finish let your imagination run free with the toppings. The basic biscuit is limited only by your imagination.
Ingredients
250g butter at room temperature
4oz of granulated or caster sugar
300g Self Raising Flour
1 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla flavour
Greased baking trays
Method
Simply mix all ingredients into a dough ball. I use the food processor for this and it takes just seconds. The children love to help weighing out the ingredients and turning the knob on the processor.
Roll the dough into golf sized balls and slightly flatten before placing on the baking tray.
When the children are involved I like to leave them at this stage to make their own shapes and designs. A word of caution, vertical designs will collapse down into a pancake shape in the oven!
Bake at 180degrees for no more than 12 minutes till golden brown.
Decorating
If you are adding Smarties or other non icing toppings to the biscuits it is important to add these immediately when they come out of the oven while the biscuit is still hot and soft. They cool and harden very quickly. Some toppings like raisons can go into the dough before baking, or rolling in chocolate chips, but Smarties lose their colour and shine and are best added after cooking.
Coconut Biscuits
The basic mixture also works really well rolled into desiccated coconut before placing in the oven. I then like to pop a glace cheery in the middle when they come out of the oven. Tasty coconut biscuits that are hard to beat!
For Parties
I make up bowls of coloured icing with icing sugar, water and food colouring add these to the table with spoons then provide a variety of sprinkles, mini mallows chocolate drops etc and small icing tubes and just let the children have fun!
Recognition for the recipe origins
The basic recipe which I have modified only slightly is in Merry Berry's Fork biscuits from her Complete Cook Book. Everyone has a cookery book they really use amongst the many which are just thumbed through and this is mine. Many of my meals and puddings are loosely based on ideas from this no nonsence, well illustrated book with recipes I find easy to follow and personalize. the tatty condition of my old copy is testament to its use.
I am linking this post to The Crazy Kitchen's Cooking with your Toddler which I have been promising to do for months. Do click on the badge and see lots of other great ideas for cooking with children.
