There’s a recipe book that graces the shelves of many in Australia, The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits, and like, mine, I’m sure they are well used.
The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits – Ever reliable recipes
When I was a child, my nana, Elvie McDonald, would bake up a storm, filling biscuit (cookie) tins with a variety of biscuits, to be gifted to each of her adult children’s families. We all had favourites, for me it was her melting moments, others loved her gingernuts, others, Anzacs, and so on, and it was a sad day when the last of your favourites had vanished from the tin. When the tin was empty, it would be returned to nana, and she would use it to store her baked goods in throughout the year, before beginning the cycle again. While I don’t have one of her large biscuit tins, I do have a smaller tin, and use it to, fittingly, store my biscuit cutters in.
I have selected the Australian Women’s Weekly, The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits to share with you, as a symbol of how I give thanks to those around me. I have baked many of the recipes over the years, successfully managing to convert them to suit my coeliac dietary requirements. The one that I bake most often are the Crisp Coconut Biscuits, they are delicious as they are, but have also recently made chocolate versions, as well as sultana and lemon, while others who now cook them, add chocolate chips. They also make an economic alternative for the preparation of gluten free melt and mix slice bases – just don’t toss them in sugar before baking.
These biscuits are always baked to include in Christmas hampers that we gift to family and friends (I’ve been doing this for at least 35 years), I take them to my cooking classes, for those who attend to enjoy with their cup of tea or coffee, and have been known to fill jars to take to family and friends to say thanks or to help out, just because I can.
While I recently started the tradition of baking biscuits for my son’s family at Christmas time, I am now planning to do the same for other close family members this year, just to keep Nana’s tradition alive.
- 100 g butter
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 400 g gluten free flour blend
- 2 tsp gluten free baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 cup coconut
- extra sugar for dipping
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Preheat oven to 180˚C (fan).
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Line two baking trays with baking paper.
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Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg and then the white, add gluten free flour blend, baking powder, and salt, and coconut, and mix to combine.
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Roll into balls and gently press to flatten a little between the hands.
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Dip top side in extra sugar.
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Place on greased oven trays, sugar side up, allow for spreading.
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Bake in moderately hot oven 18 to 25 minutes, until golden.
- Baking time depends on your oven (all ovens are not the same!).
- I have become a little lazy, and when I have to bake tripple batches, I roll the dough into logs in baking paper and then just slice it into biscuit size portions, approximately 1cm thick - my sister thought I had become lazy and started purchasing store-bought biscuits, until I told her how I had done it - so easy,.
- I use these biscuits whenever I am making a slice, cheesecake etc, that needs a melt and mix biscuit base.
- When baking the biscuits for slices I do not sugar coat.
- Links: Gluten Free Flour Blend
Written for and shared to the cook book club, hosted by Jo of Brookford Kitchen Diaries. This month’s theme – Thanksgiving.
Until next time…
Bon appétit!
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With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.
Love that tin and old recipe books! I don’t like coconut but I love a crisp biscuit!
The tin is beautiful, isn’t it, I do treasure it, and the memories, too.
oh yes i definitely have that cookbook and have made many of the recipes in it! Good Old WW cookbooks – the best! These sound great.
cheers
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
Thank you, they are reliable, aren’t they?