biscuits – My Whisk and I

Nutty Finger Cookies

November 3, 2023September 1, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Yields about 30 sandwiched cookies.

4 egg whites
375ml caster sugar
125ml flour
50ml mixed nuts, finely chopped
200g white chocolate, chopped
chocolate/mixed vermicelli

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until it forms medium peaks.
Add the sugar gradually, a spoonful at a time, until all has been incorporated.
Mix the flour and chopped nuts, sprinkle it over the whites and fold in with a metal spoon.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle and pipe 6cm long logs onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 13 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before gently removing from the baking sheet.
Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt.
Sandwich the cookies together and place them back on the cooled baking sheet to set.
Dip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate and then in the vermicelli.
Allow to set completely.
Store the finger cookies in an airtight container.

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Greek Shortbread

October 27, 2023September 8, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Yields about 35 biscuits.

200g butter, room temperature
250ml + 80ml icing sugar, sifted
1 egg
1 egg yolk
625ml flour
7,5ml baking powder
5ml ground cinnamon
420ml ground almonds/almond meal

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the butter and icing sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and egg yolk and mix again. Scrape down.
Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and almonds to the bowl and mix together until incorporated.
Scoop about 15ml of the mixture into your hands and shape it into crescents. (Roll a ball, roll it in to a 3-4cm log and slope the ends downwards. Drape it over your finger to form a crescent)
Space the cookies evenly on the baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
Sift the 80ml icing sugar over the biscuits and leave to cool completely.
Hint: Hide some of the biscuits……they fly away on their own!

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Traditional Ginger Biscuits

December 6, 2022December 5, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe makes about 300 biscuits and keeps brilliantly when stored in an airtight container.

1,5kg self-raising flour
30ml cream of tartar
30ml bicarbonate of soda
30ml ground ginger
5ml salt
500g butter, cubed
500g golden syrup
1kg brown sugar
6 eggs, whisked together

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray.
Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, bicarb, ginger and salt.
Add the cubed butter and rub it in with your fingertips.
Pour the golden syrup into a saucepan and set over medium heat until the syrup is very runny.
Add the brown sugar and stir until almost dissolved.
Take the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk the eggs together and slowly add it to the syrup mixture while whisking continuously.
Now add the butter and flour mixture and stir through until there is no trace of flour left.
Refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour.
Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts and place them on a baking sheet, evenly spaced and about 3cm apart.
Flatten each ball slightly with the tines of a fork (you don’t want them too flat!) and bake for 12 minutes.
Cool the biscuits on the baking tray for 10 minutes or until set enough to handle.
Keep going with making balls, flattening and baking until you have an abundance (about 300) of ginger biscuits.
Store the biscuits in an airtight container.

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Ginger Biscuit Cups

December 4, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g self-raising flour
10ml cream of tartar
10ml bicarbonate of soda
10ml ground ginger
2ml salt
170g butter, cubed
170g golden syrup
350g brown sugar
2 eggs
12 chocolate balls, halved
250ml cream, whipped

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 24-hole mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.
Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt.
Add the cubed butter and rub in with your fingers. Set aside.
Add the syrup and sugar to a saucepan set of medium-low heat and stir until the sugar has almost completely dissolved. The mixture should be very runny. Cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk the eggs together in a bowl and add it to the syrup mixture while whisking.
Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly – there should be no dry flour left.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place in the muffin pans. Flatten the balls with your fingers and then make an indent with a small shot glass/the back of a lemon juicer. See video below.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately press the indents like you did before baking.
Place half a chocolate ball in each hollow and set aside to cool.
Top each ginger cup with whipped cream to serve.

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Melting Moments

November 21, 2022November 20, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

250g butter, room temperature
60g caster sugar
2,5ml vanilla
260g flour
35g cornflour
a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla, flour, cornflour and salt and mix until a very soft dough is formed.
Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle and pipe 3cm diameter rosettes onto the prepared baking sheet. Space them well apart as they do spread when baking.
Bake in the oven for 13 minutes.
Cool the biscuits on the tray and store in a glass container.
Yields about 25 biscuits but the recipe can easily be doubled.

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Chocolate Pistachio Thumbprints

January 6, 2022January 5, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

125g butter
160ml sugar
1 egg, separated
30ml milk
5ml vanilla
250ml flour
83ml cocoa powder, sifted
1,2ml salt
250ml pistachio, finely chopped
80g nut butter chocolate, chopped
15ml cocoa butter

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together.
Add the egg yolk, milk and vanilla and mix together.
Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and salt until combined.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Add the egg white to a small bowl and whisk until frothy.
Chop the pistachio finely (I do mine in a food processor) and place it in a shallow bowl.
Scoop up about 15ml of dough and roll it into small balls.
Now roll each ball in the egg white and then in the chopped pistachio.
Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet.
Use the back of a 2,5ml measuring spoon to make an indentation in the centre of each dough ball.
Bake the biscuits for 12 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately re-press the indentations you made. Set aside to cool completely.
Add the chocolate and cocoa butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt.
Stir every now and then until smooth and glossy.
Remove from the heat and stand the bowl for about 30 minutes.
Spoon the chocolate into the indent in each biscuit and set aside to allow the chocolate to set – preferably overnight.
Makes about 25 biscuits.

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Savoury Curry Biscuits

September 30, 2021September 27, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Yes, I know it is unusual but do give these cheesy, curry biscuits a try!

190ml flour
2,5ml salt
5ml turmeric
10ml mild curry powder
83ml butter, cubed
250ml cheddar cheese, finely grated
250ml pecorino cheese, finely grated

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Combine the flour, salt, turmeric and curry powder in a mixing bowl.
Add the cubed butter and rub the mixture together with your fingers until you are left with pea-sized clumps of butter and flour.
Add the grated cheddar and pecorino cheese and mix through.
Now knead/push the mixture together with the heel of your hand so that if forms a dough ball. It takes a while to come together, just keep kneading/pushing.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough to a 5mm thickness.
Cut out shapes with biscuit cutters and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the biscuits for about 12 minutes.
Take them from the oven and cool in the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them to cool completely.
Store the biscuits in an airtight glass jar.

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Chocolate-Orange Biscuits

August 12, 2021August 12, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These biscuits do not look like much but they are soooo good! They have a wonderful snap and the chopped chocolate adds a sharp and delicious chocolatey fabulousness!!

125g butter
175g caster sugar
225g flour
10ml baking powder
80g dark chocolate, finely chopped BUT NOT SHAVED
the grated zest of 2 oranges
15ml fresh orange juice

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat together on high speed. The mixture should be fluffy and airy.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl. Stir together.
Add the chopped chocolate, orange zest and orange juice to the mixture and mix together with a spatula.
Flour a work surface and roll the dough to a 0,5cm thickness.
Cut out with a biscuit cutter of your choice and place on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the biscuits for 20 minutes.
Remove the baking sheets from the oven and leave the biscuits on the sheets for 5 minutes before cooling it completely on a cooling rack.
Store the biscuits in an airtight glass jar.