150 Year Old Biscuit Recipe

 

I stumbled upon this recipe while researching ingredients, I know, the wonders of the internet, straight down a rabbit hole. This vintage biscuit recipe supposedly has not had one tweak in its century and a half existence... well until I made them however I am sure I am not the only one to make slight modifications. I used dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar. I also made only 15 cookies because I chose to roll the dough into walnut sized balls. I set the oven temperature to 325ºF (170ºC) to bake them. Sprinkled cinnamon sugar on them while still warm from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes on the baking tray before removing them to a wire rack. I quite like that I got fewer cookies that were of a fair size and the sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top added a delicate touch, giving them a Snickerdoodle flavour to enhance their crunchy buttery butterscotch toffee texture. These are exceptional biscuits to make and can easily be whipped up in minutes and will be devoured just as quickly! 

150 Year Old Biscuit Recipe ( 3 Ingredient Recipe) 

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125 grams (approx. 1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

100 grams ( approx. 1/2 cup) brown caster sugar (light brown sugar)

150 grams (approx. 1 cup) self-raising flour

Add the butter, brown sugar and self-raising flour to a large bowl. Mix and knead everything by hand until well mixed and you can form a ball of dough.

Let the dough chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator or a cold place.

Preheat the oven to 305ºF (150ºC). Make 25 small round balls and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Gently press the pattern into the dough with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Notes: the biscuits do spread so place them on the baking tray with enough space in-between to accommodate for this. I did weigh ingredients with a kitchen scale and placed those amounts into a measuring cup to get cup measurements however it's best to measure by weight for the most accurate amounts.  

Fudge Squares

 

Vintage recipes such as fudge squares sound intriguing however they are essentially chewy chocolate brownies, great to have on hand and easy to pack on the go. Definitely a moreish chocolate treat.

Fudge Squares (Chocolate Brownies)

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2 ounces dark chocolate,

1/2 cup ( 1 stick) butter

1 cup granulate white sugar

2 large eggs, beaten 

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC)

Grease and lightly flour a shallow 8" x 13" x 1 inch pan. Line the bottom with baking parchment.

Melt the chocolate using a Bain Marie or double broiler or alternately melt chocolate in the microwave using a microwave safe bowl. 

Add the butter and mix well until blended with the melted chocolate, then stir in the sugar and mix. When well mixed, add the well-beaten eggs. 

Add the flour. Stir to a smooth batter, then add the walnuts.

Spread in a fairly thin layer in the prepared shallow pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. 

When removed from the oven, the mixture will appear to be soft and rather undercooked. Mark off in squares while warm. Let the squares stand in the pan until they harden as they cool. They will look and taste like chocolate fudge. 

Notes: I used 2 ounces of Baker's unsweetened dark chocolate squares

Chinese Chews

Not much is know about this vintage recipe; which first appeared in an issue of Good Housekeeping in 1917 and it remains a mystery as to why these are called Chinese Chews. My only thought is that they possibly were made using Chinese dates, also known as Jujube. Traditionally made at Thanksgiving and Christmas, there are a few variations, replacing the nuts with pecans and adding coconut, apricots and ginger, and rolling pieces in icing sugar. Not overwhelmingly sweet, they have a seemingly rich texture and taste and are undeniably chewy. To give these a slight summery... tropical feel, I sprinkled shredded coconut on top before baking, resulting in a modest toasted coconut taste. 

Chinese Chews

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makes aprroximately 24 bars

 3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup chopped dates

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 eggs

Icing sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease an 8 - inch square tin. Line the bottom with baking parchment. 

In a large bowl blend or sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

Stir in the chopped dates and chopped walnuts.

In another bowl, beat the eggs until foamy then blend with the dry ingredients. Turn into the prepared tin. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Dust with icing sugar. 

Notes: you don't have to beat the eggs however beating the eggs rather than combining them creates a lighter, less dense texture. Also some versions of this recipes call for 3 eggs, if the mixture appears to dry by all means add another egg.  

Cornish Fairings

 

Cornish Fairings are a biscuit to celebrate St. Piran's Day, on March 5th. St. Piran is one of three patron saints of Cornwall, St. Petroc and St. Michael being the other two. Delicately spiced with a crunchy, chewy texture; these gingery biscuits were originally sold at seasonal fairs and given by men to their sweethearts or to children as a treat. 

Cornish Fairings

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225g (1 cup) unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

3 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground mixed spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

120g (1/2 cup) butter

120g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

5 tablespoons golden syrup

Preheat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC / Gas Mark 4.

Grease two baking trays or line baking trays with baking parchment.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl and whisk together. 

Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles a fine breadcrumb like texture; then add the sugar and stir.

Add the golden syrup and mix together well. Ultimately bringing the dough all together by using your clean hands to make a smooth dough.

Divide the dough in half; take one half and shape into 12 small walnut sized pieces, roll them into balls and place on the greased or lined baking trays with space between each ball as they will spread into shape.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until they have spread, turned golden brown and the tops have crackled.

Leave the biscuits to cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes before removing, carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Repeat with the other half of the dough or you may freeze it and use it at a later date. 

Biscuits will keep in a tin or air tight container for 3 to 4 days. 

Iced Queen Drop Biscuits

I stumble upon this recipe one afternoon and it may be found in the book, Audley End Cook, a cookbook by Mrs. Avis Crocombe, who was a cook at Audley End House in the early 1880's. I believe Dr. Annie Grey, a food historian, has updated the recipe and even has a cookbook, with Andrew Hann, called How to Cook the Victorian Way with Mrs. Crocombe. You may find the recipe and cookbook on the English Heritage website. 

Although not traditionally iced, these buttery biscuits apparently are in honour of Queen Victoria. The texture is a cross between a cookie and a cake, soft cake-like on the inside and  firm cookie-like on the outside. I have adapted this straight forward recipe, not only by icing them but how I would assemble and mix the ingredients together. Either way, as historic recipes go, this is a delightful one.

Queen Drop Biscuits

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makes 24

340g (12oz / 2 1/4 cups) unbleached all purpose flour, sifted

225g  (8 oz / 1cup) currants

225g  (8 oz / 1 cup) butter, softened

225g ( 8 oz / 1 cup) white sugar

3 eggs

a few drops of almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a baking tray with baking parchment paper.

In a bowl combine the flour and currants together. 

Cream the butter and sugar together using a hand mixer. Mix well, before adding the eggs and almond extract. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in two additions, stirring after each.  

Using your hands to roughly form or a tablespoon, drop equal quantities of the mixture onto  the prepared baking sheet. Don't put them to close together as the mixture will settle and expand outwards. 

Bake in the preheated 350ºC  (180ºF) oven for about 10 minutes or until firm to the touch and cool completely on a wire rack before icing them, if you wish. 

ICING:

1 cup (250ml) icing sugar

1/4 (1ml) teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

1 tablespoon (15ml) hot water

In a bowl combine icing sugar, extract and water. Adding a bit more water, if needed, to make a semi thin icing. Spread or drizzle over cookies and allow to set firm, approximately 1 to 3 hours.  

A blast of warm weather has come our way before the cool minus temperatures arrive. Hope everyone had a nice weekend. - JD