Ausstecherle - Cut-out Biscuits

250 g flour
125 g sugar
1 tsp baking powder
125 g butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 drops almond essence
50 g almonds, finely ground

Sift flour and baking powder onto the kitchen bench, and with the sugar make a pile with a hole in the middle with butter place around the outside.

Put the egg in the centre with the vanilla and almond essence.

Kneed all the ingredients together into a nice dough. Kneed in the ground almonds. Add a little more flour if the dough is too wet.

Prepare greased oven trays or line with baking paper.

Divide the dough into smaller parts. Sprinkle flour on the bench and roll out part of the dough.

Use cut-out shapes and cut out pieces of the dough and place them on the baking trays.

Pre-heat oven at 200°C and bake for about 10 minutes.
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Chocolate cornflake biscuits

[Gluten free - wheat free recipe]

Cups are metric cups; 1 cup = 250 ml

60 g (2 cups) cornflakes
220 g butter
80 g (1/2 cup) caster sugar (or white sugar ground in a food processor)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
3 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp desiccated coconut

Wheat-free use:
100 g rice flour
60 g cornflour
20 g potato flour
10 g rice bran or nuka in Japanese
10 g almonds, finely ground (optional)
1 tsp baking powder

(instead of self-raising & plain flour)

Icing

2 heaped tsp butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 level tbsp cocoa
few drops vanilla extract
1 tbsp boiling water


Using a rolling pin or other blunt instrument, lightly crush the cornflakes in a plastic bag.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together until light. Sift the flours and cocoa together and add the lightly crushed cornflakes and coconut. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix thoroughly. Form into walnut-sized balls, place slightly flattened on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. It may be a little crumbly but it holds when baked.

Bake in 180°C oven for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from trays and leave to cool on a wire rack. Ice when cool.

To make the icing, first melt the butter. Sift the icing sugar together with the cocoa. Add the melted butter, a few drops vanilla and then the boiling water. Beat well. Use while still warm. (This icing will thicken as it cools. If you prefer a thick dollop of icing, allow to cool more before using.)

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/03/1054406179626.html
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Burnt Butter Biscuits

[Gluten free - wheat free recipe]

125 g butter
125 g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
100 g rice flour
60 g cornflour
20 g potato flour
25 g almonds, finely ground (optional)
1 tsp baking powder

Melt butter and sugar in saucepan, on low heat, until it is light brown. Cool slightly. Pour mixture into mixing bowl. Stir in egg and vanilla. Mix flour and other dry ingredients together and then add to the butter and sugar. Mix to a stiff consistency.

Using two spoons drop portions of dough on an oven tray covered in non-stick baking paper. Allow some space for mixture to spread during baking.

Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes until golden brown.
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Ginger Biscuits

[Gluten free - wheat free recipe]

180 g rice flour
50 g potato flour
20 g cornflour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves (optional)
150 g brown sugar
50 g white sugar
35 g ginger, finely chopped
100 g butter
30 g pecan nuts, finely chopped
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp milk
1 egg

1. Put the rice flour, potato flour, cornflour, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a mixing bowl and mix together well. Add sugar and mix in. If the sugar has lumps, put it through a sieve first. Add ginger, nuts and butter and rub the butter into the dry ingredients.

2. Put baking soda in a mixing bowl and dissolve in the milk. Add egg and beat into the mixture. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well until a smooth dough is formed.

3. Put baking paper on a baking tray. Flour your fingers and then form small balls of dough and place them on the tray. Pat each one down a little. Always lightly flour fingers before forming each ball, and handle the dough lightly and quickly because it sticks to the fingers.

4. Bake at 200°C for about 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool a little and then place biscuits on cooling racks.
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