Winter Mixed Spice Biscuits

Culinary school is not what I had expected it to be.

Heavens no…it is far more challenging and much more demanding than I would have imagined. In fact some tasks, like that of melting fondant and icing an éclair, makes my working life in the corporate sector seem like a walk in the park.

This is a job that tries you physically, and drains you emotionally. Because you spend hours prepping, whisking, separating yolk from white, and folding, sifting and when something goes wrong the feeling of despair is just unbearable because almost always there is no saving it. You just have to tip the contents into the bin, and start over…whilst the clock is ticking and the chef is watching.

It is an industry that takes time management and multi-tasking to extraordinary new heights. Add sugar to egg yolks, attend to something else for a few minutes and you would have risk burning the yolks. Take your eye and spatula off the custard for the briefest moment, and you’ll get scrambled eggs instead of crème anglaise.

Let’s not even start on the topic of working under pressure. It is less like any cooking classes I’ve been to, and more like ‘Great British Bake-Off’ meets ‘MasterChef’, with instructions being shouted out and timers beeping. It does get a little over-whelming.

When I did well during our first class, albeit was a fruit salad I thought all will be well in the weeks to follow. The next day, we were introduced to the derivatives of a crème pâtissière and meringues. I fell to pieces. There I stood in front of my workstation willing my mind to remember what is was that I needed to do. I ended up over-chilling the base for my crème mousseline, and my Swiss meringue piping was abysmal.

These past few weeks have been a roller coaster of glorious highs (because any remotely good comment is like gold dust) and dispiriting lows. I can make a mean crème pâtissière, and developed the confidence to make things like pastries and breads from scratch. Plus, with the help of a product called ‘smash’ I can finally pipe a perfect rosette and a shell…now I just need to work on getting a whole row of identical ones. Somehow they get bigger, what’s with that?

But I still love it, all of it…the good, the bad, and the terror of looming examinations. In my head, I keep replaying all the things that can go wrong. I desperately want to do well but that very feeling makes me go all nervous and fidgety. So it is all down to practising till the recipes become habitual to me. In the last 2 months, we have gone through litres of milk, kilos of sugar, butter and flour, and over 120 eggs.  Before you start worrying about weight and cholesterol, much of it has landed in the bin but thankfully, most of it come out right and get sent to my husband’s office. There is no greater support than that of one from the love of your life – and he has been so amazingly patient and encouraging.  

I am also so very grateful for the chefs in my group. Purely divine intervention if you ask me. The group is so diverse in nationality, language and culture we could represent the United Nations. At the beginning, what we all had in common was the inability to speak each other’s mother-tongue. But food brings people together, and cooking it together even more so. I have 15 classmates, and they are always kind to help; quick to encourage, and easy to laugh with. They are also my source for random facts and German words, plus the best pizza dough you’ll have ever tasted. And, our mutual love for pastry has sealed that bond like dorure and crimping; they have become friends.

I made this biscuit a couple of weeks ago I think, and brought them to class. There is nothing more daunting than feeding a chef, let alone 15! But they went down well, so I thought I’d share the recipe here too. I have always loved the scent of warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and I love using soft dark brown sugar in baking for its richness in colour and taste. They taste lovely on their own, but because of the spices I think they would be delicious eaten with a cup of chai latte.

One final note, because Christmas is about to come I decided to sprinkle each biscuit with glittery red sugar crystals. I hope you enjoy them.

Love,

jaim

Ingredients

250g butter, softened and cubed

140g soft dark brown sugar

120g golden caster sugar

1 medium egg (between 50 – 60g)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

335g plain flour, sieved

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 ½ tsp mixed spice

Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Red sugar crystals (optional)

Method

If using a mixer

This cookie dough can be made and finished in a stand mixer and a flat edge beater. Place the butter, sugars, egg and vanilla in the mixing bowl. Start the mixer on the lowest speed setting to combine the ingredients. As they come together to form a paste, increase the speed.

Stop the mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl. There will be some mixture that looks darker than the creamed mixture and you might notice sugar granules as well. Put the mixer back on and continue creaming until the mixture is fluffy and has gone about 3 shades lighter.

Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice.

Tip the sieved flour into your mixing bowl and start the mixer on the lowest setting again. All you want to do is to stir the mixture to combine it. A pouring guard is helpful if you have one. Almost like you would when using the pulsing option on a blender, start and stop the mixer until the flours are incorporated into the creamed butter and sugars. Then let the beater turn for about 30 seconds on medium high speed.

You are now ready to shape the biscuit dough.

If making by hand

In a large bowl, whisk the butter until creamy. Now add the sugar and continue to cream the mixture until well combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is fluffy and about 3 shades lighter than when you started.

Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice.

Add half of the sieved flour and use a spatula to fold it in. Only when most of the flour has been incorporated into the creamed mixture, add the remaining flour and spice. Fold in until the biscuit dough is well combined.

You are now ready to shape the biscuit dough.

Baking

This cookie dough is more like a thick paste and is slightly sticky. The best way to shape them is to roll about one tablespoon of dough into a ball, in the palm of clean hands.

Sprinkle each with a dusting of ground cinnamon.

Place each biscuit on a cookie sheet or lined baking tray (if it is not non-stick) about 2 inches apart.

Bake at a temperature of 160˚C for 12 minutes. These biscuits will be crunchy on the outside but have a soft gingerbread-like centre. If you prefer wholly crunchy cookies, increase the baking time to 14 – 15 minutes.

As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, sprinkle the tops with the red sugar crystals. Leave the biscuits on the tray until they are just set, then transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled. 

Yield and storage

This batch should yield about 50 biscuits and keep for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container.