I recently updated the recipe index with links to recipes shared in the past few newsletters. On doing so, I realised that whilst biscuits and cookies occupy a huge amount of my baking brain space, they take up only a small amount of space in the recipe index. I must rectify this immediately, I thought, and so to do this, I am sharing two recipes for a pair of cookies that I believe you would love to have in your repertoire.
But why biscuits and cookies? Well, why not? Show me a human that is not considerably more consoled, comforted or carefree after their consumption. Show me a more easy, accessible or universal blank canvas on which to impress flavour and texture and have fun with flour.
With December on the horizon, I am readying myself to spend unforeseen hours biscuiteering in the name of Christmas as the bakery puts together the orders for our annual Festive Biscuit Selection! The biscuit tins have become a highlight for our customers, a necessary part of their Christmas tradition, and something we work hard to make special each year.
As I brace myself for the madness, I wonder how many of you are planning and preparing batches of biscuits, cookie plates and bunter tellers to share with friends and family this upcoming festive season. Do tell all in the comments.
And if you have yet to experience the joy of trading festive biscuits, then I implore you to make this year the year you start. Choose your favourite biscuit recipe and reinvent it for the holiday season, or search for recipes for traditional biscuits from countries and cultures around the globe. I guarantee you’ll find something to inspire and inform your own biscuit-baking tradition.
Salted, Malted Rye & Nib Cookies
Very minimally adapted from Salted and Malted Cookies by Kim Thompson, featured in Southern Ground by Jennifer Lapidus.
Ever since I added milled malted wheat flakes to my Marmalade on Toast biscotti, I have been fixated on finding recipes that are all the better for a dose of malted flour in the dough or batter. I was attracted to the rye flour, coffee, and cacao nibs called for in a recipe by Kim Thompson from the book Southern Ground by Jennifer Lapidus. These ingredients always add so much depth of flavour, and on individual merit, each pairs well with the sweetness brought about by malting.
Notes: I used fruity 70% dark chocolate Pump Street pastilles for the chunks of chocolate and natural cacao powder for a bit more bracing acidity. Regular Dutch-processed cocoa can be used, but it might obscure the malt somewhat. This version has quite a bit less sugar than the original recipe for a cookie that plays up the rich, roasted, salty, malty flavours.
Ingredients
Makes 25 mini cookies
163g dark rye flour
25g natural cocoa powder
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp (2g) maldon sea salt
35g malted wheat flour milled from malted wheat flakes
1 tsp fresh ground coffee or espresso powder
110g unsalted butter
100g soft light brown sugar
32g golden caster sugar
1 egg (approx 50-60g)
½ tsp vanilla extract
170g chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
Cacao nibs and sea salt flakes to finish
Method
Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Cream the butter and sugars until just combined; no need to aerate to light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine, scraping down the bowl and beater as needed to ensure everything is incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients and mix briefly until you see the early signs of a dough forming.
Add the chopped chocolate and mix again until it just comes together. Any stray patches of flour or chocolate in the base of the bowl are best incorporated by hand at the end.
Refrigerate the dough overnight if you wish or go straight ahead and divide the dough into 30g portions.
Roll each ball in cacao nibs or sprinkle them on top, pressing so they stick.
Freeze the cookies for at least 1 hour.
To bake, preheat the oven to 170 degrees C.
Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle the top of each with a flaky salt if you wish.
Bake for 7 minutes, rotating if needed to ensure even baking.
Clementine Anzacs
The clementine zest is the star here, a seemingly simple addition that makes the humble Anzac something more; more aromatic, more comforting, and more festive. Clementines and their satsuma, mandarin et al brethren are thin skinned and imbued with a citrus oil that is sweeter, often more intense and aromatic than larger oranges. Combine it with the creamy qualities of oats and the soft tropical whisper of coconut and you get something comfortingly creamsicle like.