Makes about 24 (depending on size of your cutters)
I love Nigella for so many reasons, and one of them is that she collects cookie cutters, as do I. I haven’t counted how many I’ve got but let’s just say there’s a lot!
I’ve got a few favourite recipes that I like to use with my cookie cutters, and this one is right up there with my favourites, especially now I’ve converted it to the Thermomix. Even David, he of the discerning tastebuds, declares these to be the best tasting biscuit recipe ever. That’s high praise indeed!
These biscuits are delicious as they are, in all their undecorated glory but if you want to ice them nice, be my guest! Icing sugar and water is the simplest way to go but if you want to get all fancy with fondant, check out my top tips here.
Ingredients
350g plain flour
50g ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
175g soft unsalted butter
200g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon almond essence
FOR THE ICING
300g icing sugar
Water to mix
Food colouring
How to – Traditional
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/160C fan-forced. Line two baking sheets with baking paper
- Combine flour, baking powder salt and ground almonds in a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar together until it’s soft, fluffy and almost moussey, then beat in eggs and almond extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture, combining gently but surely. If you think the mixture is too sticky to roll out, add more flour but do so a little at a time because if you add too much, it will make the dough tough,
- Halve the dough, making two fat discs, wrap each in plastic wrap and put in the fridge to rest for at least an hour.
- Sprinkle the surface with flour, take out one of the discs of dough (leave the other disc in the fridge until you’ve finished with the first.) Pop the dough on the floured surface and sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough. Then roll it to a thickness of about half a centimetre.
- Cut into shapes, dipping the cutter into flour as you go and place the biscuits a little apart on the lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes until they are lightly golden around the edges but quite pale in the middle.
- Cool on a rack – they will firm up when they’re cool – and then continue with the rest of the dough.
- When they biscuits are cool, make your icing and use your imagination!
How to – Thermomix
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/160C fan-forced. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
- Place flour, baking powder salt and ground almonds in TM bowl and combine for 5 seconds on speed 4. Set aside.
- Add butter to TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 8. Add sugar and insert butterfly and cream together butter for 1 minute on speed 4. Scrape down sides and base of bowl and repeat, mixing for another 1 minute on speed 4. Remove butterfly.
- Add the almond extract. With the blades running on speed 3, add the eggs one at a time through the hole in the lid. This should take about 30 seconds.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture, and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6. Scrape down sides and base of bowl and repeat mixing for another 10 seconds on speed 6.
- Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. If you think the mixture is too sticky to roll out, add more flour but do so a little at a time because if you add too much, it will make the dough tough,
- Halve the dough, making two fat discs, wrap each in plastic wrap and put in the fridge to rest for at least an hour.
- Sprinkle the surface with flour, take out one of the discs of dough (leave the other disc in the fridge until you’ve finished with the first.) Pop the dough on the floured surface and sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough. Then roll it to a thickness of about half a centimetre.
- Cut into shapes, dipping the cutter into flour as you go and place the biscuits a little apart on the lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes until they are lightly golden around the edges but quite pale in the middle.
- Cool on a rack – they will firm up when they’re cool – and then continue with the rest of the dough.
- When they biscuits are cool, make your icing and use your imagination!
Other info
Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 8-12 minutes + chilling time
