BISCUITS AND COOKIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 February 1940, Page 8

BISCUITS AND COOKIES

RECIPES THAT WILL FIND FAVOUR.

The holidays have come and gone, and with them most of the biscuits and cookies which had been carefully prepared and stored away, so get busy and re-fill those empty’ tins, for biscuits are a good standby at all times. Biscuit making is considered a slow process, but if this method is used for some of your biscuits, much time and labour will be saved. After the dough has been prepared, form it into logs or blocks (as directed in recipes), wrap each log in greaseproof paper, and place in refrigerator or ice chest overnight or until dough is thoroughly chilled. When ready to bake, unwrap the rolls one at a time, cut into thin slices with a sharp knife, and bake in the usual way. The greaseproof paper helps to retain shape and keeps any moisture away from dough. Almost any rolling dough can be used in this way, but it is well to remember that all ingredients must be fine or otherwise the dough will tear instead of being a thin, smooth cut. Checkerboards or Pinwheels. Cream together 1 cup butter, 1 cup caster sugar, until very light; beat 1 egg yolk with 3 tablespoons milk, and add gradually to butter; sift 11 cups flour, 1 level teaspoon baking powder, and a pinch salt together, add to butter, and form into dough. Divide mixture, and io one half add loz. melted chocolate (unsweetened). Allow both mixtures to chill a little, then roll into sheets. Place chocolate on top of plain, then roll up like a swiss roll. Roll in greaseproof paper as directed. For checkerboards, press dough into a small oblong tin, chill well until quite hard, then cut into one inch strips. Place a light strip on top of chocolate, making four separate strips. Now join together, taking care to place together so there will be one white block and one brown. Wrap in a thin sheet plain dough, then roll up carefully so as to retain square shape. Wrap in greaseproof paper as directed.

Ginger Shortbreads.

Cream soz. ;■ butter with 3oz. castor sugar, add 3oz. finely minced crystallised ginger (free from sugar), add soz. plain flour, and 3oz. self-raising flour, and form into dough. Roll into logs, wrap in greaseproof paper, and use as directed.

Currant Drops.

Cream 4oz. buter and 4oz. castor sugar well, add 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat well; sift soz. flour, add 1 tablespoon well-washed currants, add to butter mixture vX’ith vanilla to taste. Force out on to a well-greased baking tray, and bake in a moderate oven until a pale fawn round edges. Fruit Bars. To Boz. butter or margarine, add 4oz. castor sugar, 4oz. brown sugar free from hard lumps. Add 2 small wellbeaten eggs. Dissolve 1 teaspoon soda in 1 dessertspoon boiling water, add it to 4oz. melted honey (but not hot). Mix together, lib. well-washed currants, 6oz. chopped sultanas, 4oz. finely chopped crystallised pineapple, 6oz. chopped walnuts, 12oz. cake crumbs, 12 oz. plain flour, i teaspoon ground cinnamon, J- teaspoon' ground cloves, -J teaspoon ground nutmeg. Form into a stiff dough with about 1 cup milk. Press into a square tin, place in regrigerator until next day. Cut into thin slices or it may be rolled out thinly'and cut into fingers. Bake in a moderate even, and while still hot, brush over with icing flavoured with rum.

Lemon Fingers.

Cream 4oz. butter well, gradually add 4oz. castor sugar, continue creaming until fluffy. Naw add the unbeaten whites of 3 eggs and the rind of 1 lemon finely grated. Sift soz. plain flour and add to the butter mixture. Make a cone-shaped bag with greaseproof paper, cut a little off the end. Fill with mixture, and force out into fingers on a well-greased baking tray a little apart as they spread, and bake in a moderate to hot oven until a nice brown round the edges, and white in the middle. Remove from tray whilst hot, and join together with lemon water icing. ..Brandy Snaps with Whipped Cream.. (Above). Take loz. each of butter, flour, brown sugar, and golden syrup, a few drops of lemon juice, a little ginger, and vanilla. Put all excepting the flour into a saucepan, and let it warm. When it is all melted together, stir in the flour slowly. Well grease a baking tin, and put a teaspoonful at iiTlme of the mixture, keeping the “snaps" far apart from each other, as they spread very much. Bake for five minutes. When baked, turn over on a board and roll quickly round cornet moulds well greased. They always turn out crisp and brown. Fill with whipped cream for special occasions. Pineapple Wafers. Cream 9oz. butter or margarine with 3oz. finely minced pecan nuts, add soz. castor sugar and cream well together, add 1. well beaten egg. mix well together, then add lOoz. sifted flour, 4oz. finely minced preserved pineapple. Form into a dough with 1 tablespoon rum. Roll into a log, wash over with beaten egg, then roll in chopped walnuts or pecan nuts mixed with a little castor sugar. Roll in greaseproof paper and use as directed. Walnut Wafers. Cream Boz. butter or margarine with 4oz. finely minced walnuts or ground almonds, add sJoz. castor sugar and cream until light. Beat 1 small egg, add vanilla to taste, add to butter mixture, then 9oz. sifted flour. Mix to firm paste, then roll and use as directed. i