Biscuits
Pretty, iced biscuits will always be popular, but don't forget the plainer kinds. They are good for filling the tins at home and they'll still taste and look good after a week - sometimes even two. Biscuits are small, simple treats, they don't require expensive ingredients and they don't take long to make. Ignore those rows of packaged biscuits in the supermarket and make your own - they'll taste much better than bought ones. And don't forget the morning mantra: A cup of tea without a biscuit is a missed opportunity.
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Alfajores
Most Latin American countries have a version of these cinnamon-scented. caramel-filled shortbread biscuits. They can be half-dipped in chocolate, or edge-rolled in coconut, or just sprinkled with icing sugar, but if you are making them... More »
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Afghans
Very chocolaty, firm rather than crisp, with a slight cornflake crunch and crowned by a pale half-walnut pressed into a shiny cushion of chocolate icing - Afghans have got it all. Cornflakes were popular in... More »
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Stuffed Monkeys
I had often noticed this recipe - and its slightly off-putting name - in my mother Paula's copy of the 1945 Women's Institute Home Cookery Book, since it is on the same page as Sponge... More »
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Cavallucci
Siennese Panforte is deservedly famous, but here is another specialty from the same town. Cavallucci have been made in Siena since at least the 16th century – dryish anise-flavoured biscuits enriched with toasted walnuts and... More »
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Hokey Pokey Biscuits
Not quite as toothachingly sweet as the honeycomb toffee they are named after, these crisp biscuits do have the slight fizz on the tongue created by baking soda combined with golden syrup. They are light... More »
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Jam Drops
Biscuits can't get much simpler than this - a vanilla-flavoured dough with a spot of good red jam on top which cooks to a delightfully chewy firmness. The recipe comes from 'Jam Drops and Marble... More »
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Oat Crispies
I think I must have inherited my mother's liking for a slightly sweet biscuit with apricot jam and a slice of sharp, cheddar-style cheese on top. When I first tried this recipe from the Andersons... More »