Like many people I do like a biscuit with a cuppa, and it\’s so easy to just reach for a plastic wrapped ready made pack.
The only biscuits that I can find in the shops are wrapped in plastic, or sold in a box with a plastic wrapper inside.
What I want to try to do is go back to making my own more often. I am realistic that I am unlikely to become totally self sufficient in biscuits, but I will be happier knowing that with each batch I make at home, that\’s one less plastic wrapper going to the bin.
My original recipe which I put on here had equal quantities of flour, butter and sugar. Here is my new, lower fat and sugar recipe for home made biscuits.
Ingredients
125g butter (I use either unsalted butter or Stork margarine for best results. If you try to use Flora Vegan or a similar spread the fat separates and the mix becomes very oily, so I avoid)
125g caster sugar
3 level tablespoons golden syrup
180g wholemeal flour (or for extra crunchiness use 150g wholemeal flour and 30g ground rice)
80g porridge oats, plus optional extra in a separate dish for rolling
1 rounded teaspoon of bicarbonate soda
1 rounded teaspoon of baking powder
Optional – 1 rounded teaspoon of ground ginger or mixed spice, or whatever favouring you have to hand.
Method
1. Heat oven to 180 degrees centigrade, and grease a baking tray. I lined mine with baking paper
2. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan over a low heat
3. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, oats, 1 rounded teaspoon of bicarb, and 1 rounded teaspoon of baking powder. By \”rounded\” the powder should be as high above the teaspoon as it is deep.
Stir in 1 rounded teaspoon of ginger, or whatever favouring you fancy (although these biscuits taste great just as they are)
4. Pour the melted ingredients into the dry and stir until well coated. Leave the mixture about 10 minutes to allow it to cool down a little before forming the biscuits.
If the mix does not hold shape when rolled into balls, it\’s too dry so add a tablespoon two of milk.
5. Using a spoon, or it might be easier to use your hands, divide into about 12 balls
6. Roll each ball around in the extra oats if you are using these until covered
7. Place the balls onto the baking tray. Press the balls into a biscuit shape leaving some space between each one to expand when baking.
8. Bake in the oven about 15 minutes, or a little longer to about 20 minutes, if like me you prefer your biscuits a little crunchier, but keep a close eye on them towards the end of cooking time to make sure they don\’t get overdone.
8. When you take the tray out of the oven, leave them to cool a little in the tray at this stage because the biscuits are still soft and will break if you attempt to move them
9. When cool and firm enough to touch place on a wire rack to cool completely (if you can wait that long, the smell of freshly baked biscuits makes it hard to resist).
10. Wash up!