As there is a distinctly autumnal feel in the air and despite it being August, thoughts turn towards spicy baking which warms the soul. This recipe is based on a James Martin Recipe from BBC Good food. Aniseed flavours take me back to my childhood and the dark hard aniseed balls which you used to suck on for hours until they yielded a small anise seed in the middle. This biscuit has all the flavours of those sweets. It would also be ideal to serve with poached seasonal fruit ( apples, plums, blackberries) and cream, ice cream or custard.
Ingredients
- 50g farmhouse butter
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
- 1 tbsp treacle
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground star anise
- 140g plain flour
- 1/2tsp bicarb
- some oil for the baking tray
Method
Preheat oven to 180c, then melt the butter, syrup, treacle and syrup in a pan until all the sugar is dissolved. Mix this with the sieved dry ingredients, this will result in a sticky paste, remove from bowl and wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins or more.
Gently roll out using a little extra flour until fairly thin, cut in to required shape and place on lightly oiled baking tray, place in oven and bake for approx 5 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool slightly on tray and then transfer to wire rack to cool fully. Store in an airtight tin.
A much more subtle flavour than I expected but very pleasant indeed. The biscuit that I sampled was hard in texture but not brittle. These biscuits would be an ideal accompaniment to unflavoured ice cream or just plain cream.
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