Delicious Dishes - Imelda’s favourite biscuit recipes

Imelda's Coffee & Almond Biscuits
These are a selection of biscuits that would be delicious on any afternoon tray. The recipes I have included are all time favourites and can be made in advance and refrigerated before baking and when cooked they will keep for 4 to 5 days in a tightly sealed tin.

These are a selection of biscuits that would be delicious on any afternoon tray. The recipes I have included are all time favourites and can be made in advance and refrigerated before baking and when cooked they will keep for 4 to 5 days in a tightly sealed tin.

Coffee & Almond Biscuits

3oz Butter

5oz Plain Flour

2tsp (level) Baking Powder

1tsp (level) Bread Soda

3oz Light Brown Sugar

1tbsp Instant Coffee

1oz Chopped Flaked Almonds, toasted

3tbsp Golden Syrup

Preheat the oven to 180º. Sieve the flour, baking powder and bread soda into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, add in the sugar, the coffee granules, the toasted almonds and the golden syrup. Mix the ingredients together really well to form a dough, divide into balls (you should get between 16 to 18) arrange on one large greased baking trays or two small greased trays, just before you put them into the oven push each dough ball down with your thumb to slightly flatten. Place into the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Remove from oven, the biscuits will be very soft but do not touch them for about 5 minutes until they begin to cool and then using a spatula place them on a wire tray.

Cinnamon Macaroons

5½oz Desiccated Coconut

4½oz Castor Sugar

2 Free Range Egg Whites, lightly beaten

½tsp Ground Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180º. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together to give a firm but sticky mixture. Divide mixture into 15 pieces, shape into small balls and then place on a baking tray and cook for approx. 12 minutes until golden brown, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Ginger Nut Biscuits

4oz Self Raising Flour

1tsp Ground Ginger

1tsp Bread Soda

2oz Castor Sugar

2oz Butter

2tbsp Golden Syrup

Preheat the oven to 180º. Sieve the flour, bread soda and ginger into a bowl, add the sugar then rub in the butter, then add in the golden syrup and mix everything together to a stiff paste. Now divide the paste into about 16 pieces and roll each piece into a ball, place each ball on a greased baking sheet leaving plenty of space between them, they spread out a good bit, it might be wise to use two baking sheet. Flatten each ball with a fork and place in a preheated oven 180º and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on the trays for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to allow them to cool down completely.

Shortbread Thins

8oz Butter

8oz Castor Sugar

1 Egg

10oz Plain Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

Cream the sugar & butter together, and then add in the remaining ingredients. If you wish you can divide the dough in 2 or 3 and add flavours like lemon rind or cinnamon or ginger. Form into a long roll and wrap in foil or greaseproof, place in the fridge for a few hours or until the next day. Set the oven at 180º, remove the dough from the fridge and very thinly slice. Place on a lined baking tray, sprinkle on a little sugar and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, they should be pale in colour. You can leave the dough in the fridge for a few days and bake it as you want it. Serve them with strawberries & cream.