Melt In The Mouth Heavenly Biscuits

MELT IN THE MOUTH HEAVENLY BISCUITS

I don't know why, but this last year I've gone right off an a shortbread hype. I just can't seem to get enough of it. With my baking escapades stepping up this last year (sometimes I've managed 3+ times a week), shortbread has become my go to recipe, alongside brownies. It's just so ridiculously easy to make and it tastes a.m.a.z.i.n.g. In my opinion, the humble shortbread biscuit is superior to your ginger nuts and digestives and bourbon creams. It's superior to your Viennese whirls and gingerbread snaps and pinwheels. It's massively underrated, especially when you perfect and tweak that easy peasy lemon squeezy beaut of a recipe and you end up with this melt in the mouth masterpiece that transports you to another universe. 

You may possibly remember I posted my favourite shortbread recipe before on le blog, and this recipe is very, very similar to that. However in spite of it having those same three ingredients: butter, flour and sugar, for some reason this tweaked version is completely different. It's like this weird shortbread hybrid, almost as if shortbread took a swan dive into the world of artisan baking and came out transformed into this thing of utter beauty. As is the case with my baking this last year, all those formal measurements and strict recipe following have gone right out the window. I can't be bothered with the fine tuning, I can't be bothered with the predictability and most importantly, I can't be bothered with the washing up. 

So I had my perfect shortbread recipe, but pure laziness combined with the desire to experiment meant that shortbread recipe underwent a few minor changes and came out on the other side like this. I don't really know how it happened, but boy am I happy it did. This new recipe is great for so many different reasons. I love how the ingredients are your compulsory kitchen essentials. I love how you don't need eggs. I love how it takes less than 10 minutes to throw the mixture together. I love how dirt cheap this recipe is. I love how delectable and fluffy and melt-in-the-mouth these biscuits are. I love how I know exactly what's in them, no gunk or additives or anything like that. I love the spontaneity behind the recipe. I love how I don't need to do much washing up. I love how crazy easy the whole biscuit making process is. Which is why I simply had to share it with you dear readers. 

If you're in the mood for an easy, soul fulfilling spontaneity and sweetness fix, and you don't mind dazzling the ol' tastebuds, give this recipe a go. I promise you you'll be filling that Bake Off application form in no time, whilst you fight off the legions of fans falling at your feet. 

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TAKE MY BREATH AWAY...

YOU WILL NEED:

BUTTER

SELF-RAISING FLOUR

CASTER SUGAR

ADDITIONAL:

COCOA POWDER

ALMOND FLAKES

CHOCOLATE CHIPS

OATS

VANILLA ESSENCE

CHIA SEEDS

SMARTIES

COCONUT

CRANBERRIES

OVEN:

180 DEGREES (FAN OVEN)

HOW TO MAKE THEM:

1) SCOOP BUTTER AND PUT IT IN A LARGE BAKING BOWL. 2-3 TABLESPOONS IS USUALLY ENOUGH TO PRODUCE 10+ BISCUITS.

2) USE A TABLE SPOON TO PUT FLOUR INTO THE BOWL. BEGIN BY PUTTING AN AMOUNT THAT LOOKS EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT OF BUTTER.

3) PUT A TABLE SPOON OF SUGAR IN, FOLLOWED BY ANY ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS IF YOU WISH TO ADD THEM.

4) STIR ALL THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER UNTIL THOROUGHLY COMBINED. 

5) IF THE MIXTURE STILL LOOKS GOOEY, ADD A TABLE SPOON OF FLOUR THEN STIR UNTIL THOROUGHLY MIXED IN. 

6) CONTINUE THIS, ONE TABLESPOON AT A TIME UNTIL THE MIXTURE LOOKS LIKE A MATTE DOUGH. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE A SCOOP OF MIXTURE, ROLL IT INTO A BALL AND NOT GET MIXTURE ON YOUR HANDS. 

7) AT THIS POINT, USE A TABLESPOON TO GET A SCOOP OF MIXTURE, ROLL INTO A BALL AND PLACE ONTO A BAKING TRAY. SPACE THE BALLS EQUALLY APART.

8) USE A FORK TO FLATTEN EACH BISCUIT IF YOU WANT A PATTERN, OR THE BOTTOM OF A GLASS IF YOU WANT IT SMOOTH.

9) COOK THE BISCUITS FOR 13 MINUTES, THEN TAKE OUT, TRANSFER TO A WIRE COOLING RACK AND ALLOW TO COOL. (IF YOU WANT A CRUNCHY BISCUIT LEAVE IT IN FOR 15-20 MINS INSTEAD)

10) DEVOUR THE BISCUITS & MAKE EVERYONE ELSE DEVOUR THEM TOO. CONSIDER FILLING OUT AN APPLICATION FOR BAKE OFF.