1. Cantucci Biscuits

    Everyone loves biscuits over the Christmas holiday. Rachel shares a delicious recipe for some Italian Cantucci biscuits filled with festive flavours.



    Homemade gifts of food are one of my favourite things to give to friends and family around this time of year, displayed in a nice glass jars or cellophane packaging and tied with a festive ribbon.

    These cantucci biscuits will keep for about a month if they don’t disappear before then, and contain some of my favourite flavours. If you’d prefer different nuts, spices, dried fruits, chocolate pieces or a little vanilla or almond essence, you can be creative and play around. Just keep the biscuit recipe as it is, and substitute the orange zest, cardamom, pistachio and cranberry for flavours of your choice.

    Cardamom, Orange, Cranberry and Pistachio Cantucci

    (adapted from Maria Elia, Full Of Flavour)

    Makes about 60 

     

    Ingredients

    180g butter, softened

    275g caster sugar

    4 eggs

    10g baking powder

    ½ teaspoon salt

    600g 00 flour

    ½ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

    1 orange, zest only

    100g pistachio nuts,

    60g dried cranberries

    Method

    §  Preheat the oven to 150˚C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

    §  Using an electric whisk or standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

    §  Gradually add the eggs into the mixture, combining well each time. Scrape the mixture down with a spatula.

    §  Beat in the remaining ingredients until the mixture comes together.

    §  On the baking trays form the dough into 3 or 4 logs, approximately 5cm wide, and pat into an even shape using wet hands. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until risen and lightly golden.

    §  Transfer the logs onto a wire rack to cool slightly for 5-10 minutes. When still warm, cut the cantucci diagonally into 1cm thick pieces. Lay on the baking sheets, turn the oven down to 120˚C and bake for 30-40 minutes, turning halfway through.

    §  Cool on a wire rack before serving. These cantucci will keep in an airtight container for up to a month.

     

    Inspired? We’ve a whole selection of delicious biscuit recipes to fill your home with the smell of baking. What are some of favourite biscuits to bake at this time of year? 

  2. Grab a £10 Luxury Biscuit Voucher

    At times, there’s nothing that can beat a sit down with a cup of tea and a biscuit.  If you want to make your tea time break even more pleasureable Great British Chefs have teamed up with Bakers’ Pantry to bring you £10 off a purchase on their luxury biscuit site.

    Simply visit this link and you’re one of the first 1,000 people to enter, you could enjoy the choice of some luxury shortbread (pictured above), golden all butter cookies, a whole range of ginger biscuits, triple chocolate chip biscuits and many more.

    All butter cookies from Bakers’ Pantry

    It only takes seconds to enter, so make sure you’re one of the lucky recipients & apply for your voucher today.

  3. London Hosts First Ever British Biscuit Festival

    With Diamond Jubilee celebrations out of the way, you may be waiting for another excuse to celebrate all things British. Your wait could be over soon.  There’s not another Royal Wedding on the horizon, but this coming weekend for the first time we can celebrate another great British tradition -  the biscuit.  Great British Chefs blogger Chris Osburn previews the first ever British Biscuit Festival   

    Ginger snap biscuits - Josh Eggleton

    Blog post by Chris Osburn

    From digestives to custard creams to wafers, biscuits are about as British as it gets. And now there’s an all-things-biscuit festival coming to London that’s sure to send folks on a sugar rush. From the 8th June 2012, the Brunswick Centre in London will host the first ever British Biscuit Festival, a three day celebration with biscuit-centric activities and entertainment aimed to please young and old alike. 

    Lemon posset with raspberries and shortbread - Matthew Tomkinson

    During the festival, a tasty assortment of biscuit makers, ‘experimentalists’ and biscuit-themed artists will showcase their goodies. Grown up biscuit enthusiasts will have a chance to enjoy jasmine tea infused cocktails out of chocolate cups while sweet tooths of any age will get to nibble on jazzed up biscuit delights such as elderflower, Earl Grey and shortbread flavoured macaroons.

    Lemon posset with ginger snap biscuits and Earl Grey soaked prunes - Josh Eggleton

    Festival goers will also find opportunities to create teabag art and customised biscuit tins. There’ll even be a retro style photography booth to help keep your memories of the festival from ever crumbling away.

    Here’s a list of some of the yummier bits of the biscuit festival line up:

    Build–a–Biscuit Workshops 

    Let your imagination run wild and ‘build the biscuit of your dreams’ with an array of toppings such as peanut butter, marshmallows, chocolate chips and frosted icing. Help will be on hand from a ‘Cake Conjurer’ for those who need a bit of inspiration on how to create the perfect biscuit. Donations collected from this activity will go towards the work of The Foundling Museum, London’s “first home for abandoned children” which now shares its history with the public as a museum.

    The Terrific Biscuit Tin Tournament 



    Think you can you eat a biscuit without licking away the crumbs, dunk a biscuit in tea without it going soggy or recite a sonnet with a mouthful of biscuits in your mouth? This tournament is for you. Free to enter with prizes going to the top competitors, this is eccentric British competition at its best!

    Tea and Biscuit Social 

    Decorated with vintage lamps, photographs of the Queen and frilly pillows, the Tea and Biscuit Social is the ideal place to revive. “Trolley Dollies” will share their words of wisdom, relieving tired and weary visitors in need of a quiet five minutes to themselves away from the urban grind (and the kids). Designed by vintage and interior enthusiasts The Bijoux Editrix, the Tea and Biscuit Social promises to be a decadent haven where grown ups can kick back and relax.

    Tea Dance 

    For the little ones and young at heart, there will be a variety of performances from The Ragroof Theatre as well as from secret spectacular acts. All will be encouraged to join in the singing, dancing and merrymaking. 

    Poached strawberries with shortbread - Tom Aikens

    The British Biscuit Festival  will run from noon to 6pm June 8th through to 10th June 2012 at the Brunswick Centre, just opposite Russell Square Tube Station between Marchmont Street, Bernard Street and Brunswick Square. Visit this link for more details.

    Blog post by Chris Osburn for Great British Chefs