Recipe Secret

My maternal Grandma made St Annes biscuits at Christmas time.  As a boy I imagined they were a recipe she had learned when she lived in Lancashire but my Mum remembers that this was a recipe learned from someone at St Anne's school!  Either way they were a treat, decorated with white water icing and little silver balls.

8oz Butter.  8oz granulated sugar.  1lb plain flour.  1 egg.  1 teaspoon almond essence.  (I use 14oz flour for a shorter biscuit.)

Mix - not cream - the butter and sugar.  Mix egg and essence then add to the butter/sugar.  work in the flour to make a stiff dough.  (I do all in the food processsor these days.)

The secret for better biscuits.  Leave the mixture in the fridge overnight.  

Next day, work it by hand to warm it and soften it a little.  Roll out on a floured surface to a little under a quarter inch thick - think slightly thicker than a digestive biscuit.  Cut and bake on greased and floured tray at Gas 5 until just turning golden brown around the edges.  Maybe 15 minutes but watch your oven as they vary so much.  Too pale and they are soft, too dark and they taste burnt.  Just right for a nice crisp biscuit :-)