Friday 14th December - Custard Biscuits and Malt Loaf

I promised son and daughter I would publish the recipe for the Custard Biscuits we were scoffing last weekend. This is my preferred recipe, and you can find it here;

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/node/101365/bbcgf_pdf

Custard & white chocolate biscuits

but I always leave out the white chocolate. It makes around 30 biscuits

Ingredients;

140g butter, softened

175g caster sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla extract

225g self-raising flour

85g custard powder

85g white chocolate, chopped into small chunks - let me know if it works better with or without!

Method

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Line 2-3 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Put the butter and sugar in a food processor and whizz until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.

Sift together the flour and custard powder, then tip into the bowl and pulse to mix into a dough.

Scrape out the food processor and work the chocolate in by hand.

Roll the dough into balls a little smaller than a walnut, then place on the baking sheets, a little apart to allow for spreading.

Press each biscuit down lightly with your fingers.

Bake for 12-15 mins until lightly golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

One of these days I will follow the method properly - instead of creaming the butter and sugar and adding the egg, like making a cake, I keep forgetting and tipping it all in together and then wondering why it doesn't mix properly.

Mary Berry Malt Loaf

Today I made a Malt Loaf. Remember those Soreen fruit loaves that you slice and butter and they are delicious but stick your teeth together? This version uses Ovaltine powder, tastes exactly right and doesn't stick your teeth together. Perfect! I made one this afternoon, partly as procrastination befor writing Christmas cards, and partly to have as a reward for writing the cards.

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/30263/ovaltine--loaf-cake.aspx

It appears to be identical to the Mary Berry recipe, but double quantity, and so makes 2 1lb loaves.
I have halved everything below, so you only make one.

Ingredients 

170g (6 oz) self raising flour

• 2 tablespoons Ovaltine®
• 25g (1 oz) caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 150ml (1/4 pt) milk
• 85g (3 oz) mixed dried fruit
• 
  
• Method
• 
  
• Heat oven to 160C fan or gas 4
• Grease and lined a 1lb (250gram) loaf tin
• (they are quite small)
• Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix
• Tip into the loaf tin
• Bake for around 50 mins/1hour
• test with skewer; if done, cool on rack
• 
  
•