The Great British Bake Off is back for another slice tonight... and this time, it's Biscuit Week!
So we've rounded up five of the easiest and most delicious biscuit recipes for you to try at home.
So roll up your sleeves, fire up the oven and try one of these super-simple biscuit recipes. Why not bring some in a tin for work, or surprise a friend with their favourite flavour?
Tesco: Chocolate Cookies (makes 10)
Ingredients
125g of icing sugar
125g of good quality cocoa powder
225g of plain flour
175g of unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
75g of dark chocolate chips
Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
Half a teaspoon of salt
One medium egg
150g bar of dark chocolate, for garnishing
Method
1) Combine together the icing sugar, cocoa, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Rub the butter into this mixture until there are no longer any lumps.
2) Add the egg, chocolate chips and vanilla extract and mix until a stiff dough forms. Gather up and roll into a sausage shape with a diameter of 5cm.
3) Wrap in nonstick baking paper and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Grease and line baking trays with nonstick baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180C.
4) Use a sharp knife to cut 1cm thick cookies out of the cookie dough. Arrange spaced out on the lined baking trays and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until just set. Remove and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minuets on the trays before removing carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.
5) Stack and arrange on top of the bar of chocolate when ready to serve.
Four-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (makes 18)
Ingredients
270g of peanut butter
200g of caster sugar
One egg
One teaspoon of vanilla extract
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2) Mix all of the ingredients until smooth. Dollop teaspoons of the mixture onto the tray and bake for 10 minutes until golden and crisp.
3) Let cool before peeling them off the paper and serving.
Tesco: Dinosaur Biscuits (makes 24)
Ingredients
325g of plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
200g of cold salted butter, cut into cubes
125g of golden caster sugar
One vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
Two large free-range egg yolks
One to two tablespoons of whole milk
A few plastic toy dinosaurs with different-sized feet
Red, yellow, green and orange flavoured writing icing pens
One free-range egg, beaten
Method
1) Put the flour and butter in a food processor and blitz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Or rub together into a bowl and with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Kids will love doing this.
2) Add the sugar, vanilla, egg yolks and milk. Blitz again until it just comes together. If you’re not using a food processor, mix the sugar, vanilla and egg yolks with a knife, trying not to overwork the dough, until the mixture comes together in a smooth dough.
3) Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a cylinder. Wrap tightly with cling film and chill for one hour.
4) Preheat the oven to 200C. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/2 cm discs and arrange on two lined baking sheets. Dip the dinosaur feet into plain flour, then press into the top of each biscuit to make several foot prints on each one.
5) Brush with the beaten egg and bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until just golden.
6) Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. While the biscuits are still warm, press the dinosaur feet into the indents to make them more distinct and leave to cool.
7) Fill in the imprints with different-coloured writing icing and set aside until set.
Aldi: Ginger Nut Cookies (serves 6)
Ingredients
70g of walnuts
115g of self raising flour
115g of plain flour
200g of soft brown sugar
100ml of mild olive oil
20ml of honey
One large egg, beaten
One flat teaspoon of ground ginger
One flat teaspoon of cinnamon
One heaped teaspoon of ground ginger
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 180C. Roughly chop the ginger into small pieces.
2) Chop the walnuts into small pieces. In a bowl, combine the sugar, beaten egg, honey and oil, then add the flour, ginger, walnuts and spices and mix well.
3) Divide the mixture into 24 pieces, shape into a round and flatten slightly. Place on greased baking trays, with room between to spread.
4) Bake for about 12 minutes until golden brown. Transfer from the baking sheets onto a baking rack to cool.
Tesco: Lemon and White Chocolate Cookies (makes 20)
Ingredients
160g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
Two lemons, zested
85g of light muscovado sugar
85g of caster sugar
Two eggs, beaten
400g of plain flour
Half a teaspoon of baking powder
Half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
200g of white chocolate, chopped
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 180C. Cream together the butter, lemon zest and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little at a time. Finally, sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and stir in the chopped chocolate. Mix until the dough comes together.
2) Roll balls of the mixture to the size of a walnut, and then lightly press to flatten. Place on a baking sheet, leaving a little space between each to allow for slight spreading.
3) Bake for 12 minutes, until the dough has slightly risen and is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container.
GETWESTLONDON RECIPE ROUND-UPS
Fancy trying some extra-special cake recipes? Find more here.
