Makes 6 or 7
Ingredients
175g plain flour
Pinch of sea salt
75g unrefined icing sugar
125g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g raspberry jam (or whatever flavour you like)
Equipment
2 large baking sheets, lined with baking parchment
6-7cm biscuit cutter, crinkle-edged or plain
2.5cm heart, square, round or animal biscuit cutter, crinkle-edged or plain
1. Sift the flour, salt and icing sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and lightly rub into the flour mix, using your fingertips, until the mixt ure resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and vanilla extract together. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix. Add the egg and vanilla mix and work together to form a soft, smooth dough.
Alternatively, you can simply place everything in a food processor and bring to this stage. Seal the dough in a polythene bag and chill in the fridge for 25-30 minutes. 3. Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place one portion between two pieces of lightly floured greaseproof paper and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough to about 4mm thickness. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Remove the top paper.
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4. With the larger biscuit cutter, cut the dough into discs (make sure you have an even number). Using the smaller cutter, cut out and remove the centre of half the biscuit discs; the cut-out pieces can be kneaded back into the remaining dough or baked just as they are.
5. Place all the discs on the baking sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes until just firm and barely coloured.
6. Remove from the oven and place a tsp of jam in the centre of each whole biscuit round. Spread to 1.5cm from the edge. Place the cut-out rounds on top. Return to the oven and cook for a further 5-6 minutes, by which time the biscuits will be evenly cooked and the jam sufficiently hot to stick the biscuits together.
7. Leave the biscuits to cool for 5 minutes, then move to a wire cooling rack.
Variations Custard creams Replace 50g of flour with custard powder. Use a 5cm square biscuit cutter. Bake the biscuits for about 20 minutes until lightly coloured. Cool on a wire rack. To make the custard cream filling, simply cream together 75g softened unsalted butter, 75g icing sugar and 25g custard powder. To finish, sandwich the cooled biscuits together in pairs with a teaspoonful of the filling. Makes 14.
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Recipe taken from Cakes — River Cottage Handbook No 8 by Pam Corbin with introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published by Bloomsbury on Monday, March 14 at £14.99. It is available for £13.49 at timesbooks.co.uk
Text © Pam Corbin 2011