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.  

Apple Compote

This voluptuous four ingredient compote is effortless and in its simplicity it can be used as a puff pastry or tart filling, served a la mode with ice cream, sweetly adorn pancakes and French toast and a can also be a fruity filling wonderfully nestled in cinnamon rolls or buns for something different. Regardless, on how you consume it, it's familiarity compliments and comforts.   

Apple Compote

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3 cups diced apples (approximately 6 apples)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Wash and dry apples throughly. Core and roughly dice apples.

In a medium bowl add the diced apples and pour the cinnamon over top and stir. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large sauce over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the diced cinnamon apples. Stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes or until the apples are soft.

Allow to cool before storing in a contain in the refrigerator for up to a week.  

  

Brown Sugar Cookies

These chewy biscuits are perfectly spiced and are a cross between a shortbread and a gingerbread. You don't have to roll them in spiced sugar as I did; you could lightly glazed them or leave them plain, it's your preference really, and if you can't find maple extract use vanilla instead. 

Brown Sugar Cookies

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2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

grated orange rind of 1 orange

1 cup unsalted butter, softened  and at room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon maple extract

spiced sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350ºF . Line a baking sheet with baking parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, salt and grated orange rind. 

In another bowl, using a hand held or stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you mix. Add the egg and maple extract and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and stir until just combined, using your clean hands if need be. Take pieces of the dough, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons and roll into balls, no larger than a walnut, and roll the balls into the spiced sugar. Place onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet and press down with either a cookie stamp, bottom of a smooth glass or the tines of a fork. Refrigerate the pressed dough balls for 30 minutes.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the centres are set. Do not over bake as you want the cookies to remain soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling and store them in an air tight container.

Have a lovely weekend and stay safe everyone! - JD 

Flapjacks

When quarantine began I noticed a few recipes being repetitively done across the internet and social media. One such recipe was flapjacks. I wanted to make these for awhile however kept pushing them aside. Finally making them I can understand the simple crispy  crumbly appeal although I added lemon zest to cut through the sweetness. They are quite crunchy however if placed in an airtight container they do become more chewy.

Flapjacks

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1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup golden syrup

2 1/3 cups quick cooking oats

pinch of salt

zest of 1 lemon, optional

Preheat oven to 350ºF and butter a square metal baking pan. Line with parchment paper.

In a large sauce pan combine the butter, sugar and golden syrup; stirring constantly over medium low heat until the butter melts and sugar dissolves and mixture is nice and smooth.

Remove from heat and add the lemon zest, pinch of salt and oats; stir until coated. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and spread the mixture out evenly. 

Bake until the top is golden, the edges will be darker, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and gently cut into 4 squares; cut each into 4 triangles, not to worry the mixture will be soft. Cool completely in the pan before serving. 

 Stay safe everyone! - JD 

All in One Sauce

This sauce is super easy to make with simple ingredients; that can be multi purpose depending on your cooking needs. With a sweet, salty, spicy, tangy Asian inspired flavour that will complement beef, chicken, vegetables, and tofu easily. 

All in On Sauce 

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1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 rice wine vinegar

2 to 3 tablespoons sesame oil

4 tablespoons brown sugar

4 green onions, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon mustard powder

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk together until combined. Use as a marinade for meat and tofu or allow to mellow for a few hours then use as a dipping or a pour over sauce... like a gravy or salad dressing. 

                         
The sauce is absolutely lovely over steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes and cooked beef.

Hope your weekend was a good one. Ours was quite a good one!  - JD