My Ultimate Diwali Biscuit Series | Adventures with Sugar

The recipe

Naan Kathai

Makes about 30, 20g biscuits

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Method

Method: naan kathai

Preheat the oven and prepare your trays: Preheat the oven to 170˚ Celsius. If you are not using a non-stick baking tray, grease and line three trays with baking paper.
Prepare the butter, ghee and sugar: Place half the butter and half the ghee in a microwave safe bowl and melt it. Then pour into a bowl that you are going to use to mix, along with your sugar and cream for a good 5 minutes. This may feel like a futile step, but it does help to dissolve the sugar a bit. Once this is done, then place the remaining ghee (for best results, it is optimal to use solid ghee as opposed to melted ghee here) and butter with the rest of the creamed mixture and beat for at least 12 to 15 minutes – the mixture must be very pale and light.
Prepare your dry ingredients: Place the flour, gramflour, semolina, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and the spice blend into a bowl and give it a good whisk to combine.
Add in the dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and ghee mixture in three additions. You can mix this for about a minute until it comes together (unlike shortbread type biscuits, where we try to avoid overmixing to keep a buttery texture, some gluten-development is fine here).
Shape and bake: Roll the dough into 20g balls. They do spread a bit in the oven, so they may initially feel smaller than you would expect. If you want, you can do 25g balls as well, but I would not go bigger. Place the biscuits on the tray – I fit 11 on a tray, in a row of 4, 3 and then 4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the tops begin to crack. Keep a close eye on them – you do not want them to get too brown, and the high spice ratio can make them darken quite quickly.
Let rest on the tray before removing: Once out of the oven, let the naan kathai rest on the tray for 10 minutes to firm up. They are too tender to remove by hand. Then, using a spatula, lift the biscuits off the tray and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Storage: These biscuits will keep well for up to a week, stored in an airtight container, and ensuring that it is well sealed. I usually wrap the seam between the biscuit barrel and the lid with sellotape to ensure no air gets in.

What should I know about making this?

What temperature do you bake yours at?

I typically bake mine at 160˚ Celsius for about 20 minutes, but after feedback from people who have made these, I have changed the recipe to 170˚ Celsius for 15 – 20 minutes.

Why didn't my naan kathai crack?

If there are no cracks, your oven may be too cool, or your baking powder or bicarbonate of soda may be old.

The recipe

Pecan Nut Biscuits

Makes approximately 20 biscuits, with a 5cm diameter

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Method

Method: pecan nut biscuits

Toast the pecans which are being included in the dough: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Place the pecans on a baking tray and toast in the middle rack of the oven for 8 – 10 minutes. The pecans can go from toasty to burnt very quickly, so keep an eye on them. Set them aside to cool completely, before chopping them. Keep some chunky for texture.
Cream the butter and sugar: Cream the butter, icing sugar and vanilla for about three to five minutes, until the mixture feels light and fluffy, and the butter turns a lighter shade of yellow.
Add in the dry ingredients: Then add in the flour and pecan nuts and knead to form a soft dough. I usually knead this by hand as mixing in the large pecan pieces with a mixer sometimes breaks them down even further and the texture is too fine.
Chill the dough: The dough will feel softer than a usual biscuit dough and that is fine. When you touch the dough, it should not stick to your hands. If it does, it may need a bit more flour. Add about two teaspoons at a time to ensure you do not add too much. Then place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a bit.
Shape the biscuits: Once the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, pat out the dough so that you can use a cutter to shape the biscuits. Do not make the thickness too thin, about 1.5cm is fine. Then use a 5cm round cutter to cut out biscuit rounds. I used one with a fluted edge, but use what you have.
Add a whole pecan and chill: Press a whole pecan (make sure you did not toast these or they will get too brown in the oven) into the middle of the biscuit and then set in the fridge to chill for about an hour, until the biscuits are firm to the touch. Make sure to leave a bit of space between each biscuit, but I usually fit 12 on a tray and that is fine, they do not spread much, especially if chilled.
Bake the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius, with the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake each tray of biscuits for 8 – 10 minutes, the base of the biscuits should be a very tan colour – then they are done. Let the biscuits rest on the tray for 5 minutes, after they come out of the oven, then use a spatula to transfer them gently onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Decoration: Once the biscuits have completely cooled, melt the milk chocolate. I find this best to do in the microwave in 15 second bursts. The chocolate can be quite thick, and does not give you a smooth finish when you dip it. In order to thin the chocolate a bit, add a quarter to half a teaspoon coconut oil, being careful not to add too much, or the chocolate will always remain tacky and not set well. You can stop there, but if you like, cover the milk chocolate half with some baking paper, then dust the remaining half with icing sugar.
Storage: These biscuits will keep well for up to a week, stored in an airtight container. They are also suitable to be frozen without the decoration and refreshed in the oven.

The recipe

Strawberry, Lemon and Almond Hungarian Tart

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Method

Method: Hungarian tart

Preheat the oven and prepare the tin: Preheat the oven to 200˚ Celsius. Grease and line the base of a 20cm square baking tin. The jam can cause some sticking, especially along the sides of the tin, so please do not skip this.
Make the base: Place all the ingredients, except the melted butter and flaked almonds into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter and cut through the mixture with a butter knife until it comes together. The mixture can be clumpy, but this is fine and is wanted for the crumble.
Set aside the crumble: Remove 130g of the dough and set in the fridge to use as the crumble, later.
Bake the base: Press the base down into the tin. Dock the base with a fork (i.e. poke little holes in with a fork) and place in the oven to bake. Bake for 25 minutes, until the base is slightly tan and the edges of the shortbread are turning a golden brown.
Prepare the strawberries: Whilst the base is baking, and the crumble is chilling, begin by preparing the strawberries. Dice the strawberries into little cubes, you do not want them to be too chunky. Add in the lemon juice and icing sugar and mix to combine. Set aside to macerate.
Lower the oven temperature: Remove the base once baked and reduce the oven to 180˚ Celsius.
Add on the jam and strawberries: Spread half of the jam onto the base. Then add the strawberries onto the jam, being mindful to remove any excess liquid from the strawberries. This will make the base soggy. Finally, spread on the remaining jam over the fresh strawberries.
Add on the crumble and bake: Remove the remaining dough from the fridge and sprinkle over the jam. Try not to crumble it too finely as you want some texture. Then throw on some flaked almonds for additional texture. Bake for 20 minutes until the top begins to turn brown.
Dust with icing sugar and serve: Let the Hungarian tart cool completely before lifting out of the tin. Then dust with a bit of icing sugar, slice into squares and serve.

The recipe

Custard Biscuits

Makes 30 biscuits

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Method

Method: custard biscuits

Cream the butter and sugar: Cream the butter, icing sugar and vanilla for about three to five minutes, until the mixture feels light and fluffy, and the butter turns a lighter shade of yellow.
Add in the dry ingredients: Then add in the flour, custard powder and cornflour. Add this in, in three batches and gently fold by hand. This ensures that the dough is nice and "short" (i.e. giving you a buttery, crisp, melt-in-your-mouth feel) when baked.
Chill the dough: The dough will feel softer than a usual biscuit dough and that is fine. When you touch the dough, it should not stick to your hands. If it does, it may need a bit more flour. Add about two teaspoons at a time to ensure you do not add too much. Then place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a bit, before rolling into balls.
Roll into balls and imprint: Once the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, roll them into 15 – 17g balls. They may initially feel too small, but they do spread a bit when baked. If you are using a cookie stamp, dust the stamp with a bit of flour and tap off any excess, then press the stamp onto the dough. You want to flatten the cookies slightly, but keep them at around 2mm thick once flattened. If you do not have a cookie stamp, simply use the prongs of a fork, dusting in a bit of flour.
Rest the biscuits in the fridge: To ensure that the imprint is visible once baked, it is important to bake the cookie from cold. Place the cookies on a baking tray, lined with baking paper if it is not non-stick, at least 4 centimetres apart. Let it rest in the freezer for a further 45 minutes, until the biscuits are hard to the touch.
Bake the custard biscuits: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius, with the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake each tray of biscuits for 8 – 10 minutes. Let the biscuits rest on the tray for 5 minutes, after they come out of the oven, then use a spatula to transfer them gently onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled, store in an airtight container. (Please read the storage instructions below for best results).
Storage: As these biscuits are quite short and buttery, they are optimally eaten two to three days after being made. If you want to increase the shelf life, or are baking them in advance I suggest that you store them well in an airtight container, closely packed together. Then store them in the fridge to prevent them from softening. They are best eaten at room temperature.

The recipe

Orange and Almond Melting Moments

Makes approximately 12 sandwich biscuits, with a 5cm diameter

adventureswithsugar.com/orange-and-almond-melting-moments/

Method

Method: melting moments

Cream the butter and sugar: Cream the butter, icing sugar, orange zest and vanilla for about three to five minutes, until the mixture feels light and fluffy, and the butter turns a lighter shade of yellow.
Add in the dry ingredients: Then sift the flour and cornflour, before gently folding it into the butter by hand. Ensure that the dough is smooth and pipeable.
Pipe the biscuit dough: Fit a piping bag with a large star nozzle, with a closed star tip (I prefer the look of the closed star tip, but you can use an open star tip if that is easier). Beginning from the centre of the cookie, pipe a swirl from inside out (i.e. start from the inside of the biscuit and shape it going outward – it has a much neater look). Allow a bit of room for spreading between biscuits, as they do spread a bit.
Chill the piped dough: Set the piped dough in the fridge to chill for an hour, until the biscuits are firm to the touch. This is a very soft dough, so it is critically important that you do not skip this step.
Bake the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius, with the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake each tray of biscuits for 8 – 10 minutes, the base of the biscuits should be a very tan colour – then they are done. Let the biscuits rest on the tray for 5 minutes, after they come out of the oven, then use a spatula to transfer them gently onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Decoration: Once the biscuits have completely cooled, sandwich with the buttercream (recipe below) and enjoy.
Storage: These biscuits will keep well for up to five days, stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Method: orange and almond buttercream

Cream the butter and sugar: Cream the butter and sugar until it is pale and fluffy.
Add in the flavourings: Add in the orange juice, almond essence and orange blossom water. I cannot stress how important it is to only add a little almond essence and orange blossom water at a time. It could take the buttercream from a gently almondy, floral note to too overpowering. This then throws the gentle balance of flavours off. Rather add too little and adjust to taste, than too much.

The recipe

Lemon, Rose and Cardamom Biscuits

Makes about 15 piped biscuits

adventureswithsugar.com/lemon-rose-and-cardamom-biscuits/

Method

Method: lemon, rose and cardamom biscuits

Prepare the butter and sugar: Cream the butter, sugar and cardamom until pale and fluffy. This will take a good 2 to 3 minutes with an electric, hand held mixer.
Add the dry ingredients: Add the remaining ingredients and mix to form a soft dough.
Pipe the biscuits: Scrape the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large closed star piping tip and pipe about 6 cookies onto a baking tray. I piped "S-shaped" cookies, but you can use any design you are comfortable piping. Whilst soft, the dough is thick, so you will need to apply a good amount of pressure when piping.
Chill the biscuits
Bake the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. If you are not using a non-stick baking tray, grease and line three trays with baking paper. Bake the biscuits for 10 – 12 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. They will be pale and golden in colour and the base will be a golden brown.
Let rest on the tray before removing: Once out of the oven, let the lemon, rose and cardamom biscuits rest on the tray for 5 minutes to firm up. They are too tender to remove by hand. Then, using a spatula, lift the biscuits off the tray and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Decorate: For the glaze, mix together the lemon juice, rose water and icing sugar until a thin glaze has formed. Dip the biscuit into the glaze, then sprinkle with some lemon zest. Decorate with some crushed pistachios and dried rose petals.
Storage: These biscuits will keep well for up to 3 – 4 days, stored in the fridge in an airtight container. They will soften a bit as they age. I suggest that you store them without the glaze, refresh them in a warm oven on the day of serving and then glazing and decorating.

The recipe

Chai-Spiced Millionaire's Shortbread

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Method

Method: chai-spiced shortbread

Preheat the oven and prepare your tin: Preheat the oven to 200˚ Celsius. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with baking paper and set aside.
Combine the dry ingredients, except the flour: Add all ingredients except the flour and butter into a bowl and stir to combine.
Pour in the melted butter and add cake flour: Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Then sift in the flour and mix until a dough is formed.
Bake and cool: Press the shortbread into your baking tin and use the back of a glass to get it nice and smooth. Then dock with a fork and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the shortbread is nice and golden brown. Let it cool completely before adding the caramel layer.

Method: caramel and dark chocolate layers

Make the caramel: Place all the ingredients in a medium pot and cook, making sure to stir constantly until the mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir until the mixture has thickened and darkened a shade. This should take from 5 – 10 minutes depending on your stove. The caramel is ready when it pulls away from the base of the pot slightly.
Pour onto your shortbread: Immediately pour the caramel onto the shortbread and let it set for 45 minutes.
Prepare the dark chocolate: Melt the chocolate in 15 second bursts in the microwave. Add the oil to thin it a bit. Then spread it onto the caramel layer. Let it dry until it is a bit tacky then sprinkle with the sea salt.
Set: Let it set in the fridge for a few hours before slicing with a very sharp knife.

The recipe

Coconut and Almond Biscuits

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Method

Method: coconut and almond biscuits

Cream the butter, oil and sugar: Begin by creaming the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla until everything is well incorporated.
Make the dough: Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix to form a dough. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Add a tablespoon more flour if needed.
Chill and cut: Place the dough to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then shape and cut the biscuits into 5cm rounds, about 1.5cm thick.
Chill and bake: Place them in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes, before baking at 180˚ Celsius for 8 – 10 minutes. Let cool completely before decorating.
Decorate: To decorate, melt the chocolate and if needed, thin it out with a bit of coconut oil. Then pipe a thin line with different colours of chocolate and use the sharp end of the toothpick to drag across the lines to create a feathered look.

The recipe

Cashew Nut Biscuits

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Method

Method: cashew nut biscuits

Grind the cashews: Use a food processor to blend the cashews until they are coarsely ground, but not too big.
Coat in flour: Add them to the flour and toss to coat.
Cream the butter and sugar: Then cream the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy and the butter has turned a paler shade.
Add the flour and nuts: Add in half the flour nut mixture and fold, then add the remaining mixture. The dough will be a soft one.
Chill: Pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes to chill, whilst you line a baking tray with baking paper.
Shape the crescents: Once the dough has chilled, pinch a bit and roll into a 15g ball. Then using the palm of your hands, roll the dough into a log, making the ends thinner than the middle. From the thick, centre point, stretch the dough until it is about 11cm. Then coil it into a horseshoe shape. (See the reel for a video tutorial.)
Freeze and preheat: Pop into the freezer for an hour to chill. When ready to bake, turn the oven to 170˚ Celsius (I find that a lower temperature prevents the thinner ends from burning whilst the thicker middle gets cooked too).
Bake: Bake for 6 – 8 minutes, just keeping a close eye on it as the tips of the biscuit could easily burn.
Toss in sugar: Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, before tossing in caster sugar.
Store: These will store, out of the fridge, in an airtight container.