Vox pop*: A blissful box of biscuits

Chocolate Nut Butter Pretzel Cookies

Serves: Makes 24

Ingredients

I cup (280g) almond or peanut butter
I cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 egg
1 cup dark chocolate bits
3/4 cup pretzel twists, snapped into pieces

Method

1. Place the flour, oatmeal, salt and bicarb into a large mixing bowl, stir and rub in the butter until it looks a bit like bread crumbs.
2. Stir in the sugar then add the milk and bring the mixture together, squeezing and kneading in the bowl to form a dough.
3. Flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll the dough to 3mm thick.
5. Using a 6.5cm straight sided cutter stamp out circles. Place on the prepared trays leaving spaces between. Prick the surface of the biscuits with a skewer or fork and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
6. Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas Mark 5. Take the chilled biscuits from the fridge and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden and crisp. Leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

British Digestives

Ingredients

165g wholemeal flour
135g fine oatmeal
¼ tsp salt
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
130g cold butter, diced
40g soft dark brown sugar
2 tabs milk

Method

1. Butter and line two baking trays with baking paper
2. Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, bicarb soda and lightly beaten egg in a bowl and mix well. Stir in the chocolate bits and broken pretzels twists
3. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Place 5 cm apart on the trays and press gently with a fork to flatten
4. Cook in a moderately hot oven (190 C) for 7-8 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on trays before serving.

Cinnamon Almond Cookies

Serves: Makes 12

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups (150g / 5 1/4oz) almond meal (ground almonds)
1 cup (250g / 8 3/4oz) almond butter
3/4 cup (110g / 4oz) coconut sugar
1/4 cup (16 ml / 2 fl oz) maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 blanched almonds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 C (325 F). Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the almond meal, almond butter, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix to combine.
3. Roll one tablespoon portions of the mixture into balls and place on a tray.
4. Press an almond in the top of each cookie and bake for 12-14 minutes. Don't be afraid to bake these until deep golden in colour,. You'll rewarded with a most incredible caramelised flavour. The extra time in the oven keeps them crisp on the outside and fudgy on the inside.
5. Allow to cool on the tray.

Macadamia Anzac biscuits with pepitas and dried cranberries

Serves: Approximately 20 biscuits

Ingredients

90g rolled oats
200g brown sugar
150g plain flour
50g dried cranberries
40g dessicated coconut
50g roughly chopped, unsalted macadamia nuts
15g shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
30ml hot water
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
125g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup

Method

1. Preheat oven to moderate (160C)
2. Mix rolled oats, brown sugar, flour, coconut, macadamias and pepitas in a medium mixing bowl.
3. In a teacup, mix the hot water with bicarb until totally dissolved
4. Add butter and golden syrup to a heated pan, and warm until the butter is melted and combined with the syrup
5. Add the bicarb and water mix to the buttery golden syrup. Stir and remove from heat
6. Add this mix to the dry ingredients mixture and stir until thoroughly combined
7. Shape tablespoon sized balls of the mixture and place on a tray 2-3 cm apart. Press gently to flatten slightly
8. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes
9. Remove from baking tray and allow them to cool and crispen up.

Honey Hazelnut Biscuits

Serves: Makes 25

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour
Pinch salt
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup toasted hazlenuts, skins removed
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
125g chilled butter, cut into cubes

Method

1. Place all ingredients in the order given in a good processor bowl fitted with metal blade
2. Process in short bursts only until it begins to form a ball around the blade
3. Roll teaspoons of the mixture into balls and place apart on a greased oven tray. To flatten the biscuits, cover the base of a flat glass with plastic wrap and press down
4. Bake at 180C (350F) for 12-15 minutes. Cool a few minutes on the tray then transfer to a wire rack.

Pecan & date biscuits

Serves: Makes 36

Ingredients

1 cup pecans
1 cup dates, seeds removed
3/4 cup pure icing sugar
1 large egg white

Method

1. Place the pecans, dates and icing sugar into t a food processor bowl fitted with a metal blade. Process until the nuts and dates are finely chopped
2. Add the egg white and process until the mixture is well moistened
3. Place teaspoons for the mixture on trays lined with baking paper. Flatten slightly with the blade of a wet knife
4. Bake at 180C (350F) for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Cool on the tray and peel away from the paper

Cheese biscuits

Serves: Makes 15

Ingredients

100g wholewheat flour
100g softened butter
100g cheddar cheese
A pinch of paprika

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. With your hands work all of the ingredients together in a bowl to give a malleable dough
2. Roll out to a lightly floured work surface, stamp out with cutters, before placing on a baking tray
3. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until biscuits have browned a little and are no longer squidgy to touch. Cool on a wire rack

Chocolate Crackle balls

Serves: Makes 20-24

Ingredients

2 cups puffed rice or rice bubbles
1/2 cup hulled tahini
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup cacao or cocoa
pinch of salt

Method

1. Melt the honey and tahini together until runny and combined
2. Add the cacao, vanilla and salt and mix well
3. Combine the puffed rice or rice bubbles and coconut in a large bowl
4. Pour the honey tahini mix over the rice bubble mix and stir well to combine
5. Moisten your hands, and roll the mixture into balls on a baking tray - any size you want!
6. Place in the fridge for half an hour. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.