I love autumn - there's something about the season that warrants warm, snuggly blankets and a hint of  spice. These biscuits are a perfect buttery treat for October comfort, especially if you want a change from cinnamon or pumpkin spice. And if I, a self-confessed cardamom hater, like them... well, then you really know they're good 😉

These biscuits are so easy! They're every so slightly crisp yet crumbly, dry yet buttery - adapted from traditional sugar cookie recipes for the texture and snap that I like best. The zesty orange is bright and floral, and the cardamom provides a warm herbal tone which is perfect for a cold and windy autumn day. White chocolate adds a final note of sweetness, and it's a great alternative for the more common pecan, apple or cinnamon flavours typical of this time of year. Enjoy with a glass or milk or hot mulled cider.

Ingredients:
Makes 50 biscuits (6cm diameter)

• 225g softened butter 
• 200g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 450g all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla sugar)
• zest of 2 oranges
• white chocolate as needed for dipping/drizzling

Method:

1. Give the butter a good stir, and mix in the sugar and cardamom. If you're using vanilla sugar, add it in now. Beat until pale and fluffy. I used a wooden spoon for this, but you can also use a mixer.



2. Beat in the eggs (and vanilla extract, if using).

3. Stir in the orange zest. Your kitchen should smell amazing by now!



4. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir gradually into the wet mixture. It will be difficult to stir in by the end - turn out onto a floured surface and gently bring the dough together. Don't knead too much, else the biscuits will be tough. If your dough is too sticky, gently knead in a little more flour until the dough is soft but smooth, like warm play-doh.



Sticky dough on the left, smooth on the right:



5. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour, until the dough is cold and firm.

6. Before you roll out the dough, preheat the oven to 180c (reduce slightly for fan assisted oven as necessary).

7. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to half a centimetre thick, and cut out shapes of your choice. I used a 6cm circular cutter (okay, a drinking glass) and came out with 50 biscuits. You can also roll between two sheets of baking paper (my preferred choice).



8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges and underside are golden. The top of the biscuit will be pale and soft, it will harden up as it cools so don't be tempted to overbake. Cool on a wire rack.



9. Melt some white chocolate over a double boiler - either dip the biscuits half or all the way, or gently drizzle over the top. This all depends on how sweet you want the biscuits to be. They are ready to serve once the chocolate has set. Enjoy!

Sometimes, all you need is pastry. Chocolate and biscuits just won't cut that craving for flaky, melty, buttery crust that makes you go "mmmmmmmmmmm" as soon as it hits your mouth.

I adapted the recipe slightly from Marsha's Baking Addiction - her page has some delicious recipes!

Ingredients: 

This makes a double serving of pastry - for a top and bottom of a pie. If making a galette or open pie, you will only need half. You can freeze the other half, or halve the recipe.

Plain (all purpose) flour - 315g
Cold butter, salted - 225g (or 225g unsalted butter plus 1 tsp salt)
Granulated sugar - 2 tbsp*
Ice water - 6-8 tbsp as needed**

*If making the pastry for a fruit pie, I like to use 1 tbsp granulated sugar, and 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
**For extra flaky pastry, sub half of the water with vodka. The pastry will NOT taste like vodka, nor will it be alcoholic. The alcohol will evaporate really quickly, and will give you a mega flaky crust like never before.

Method:

It's really important to keep everything really cold for super flaky pastry. If, like me, you have perpetually warm hands, you can either wash your hands with very cold water every few minutes (and pat dry, rubbing with a towel will increase friction and warm your hands back up), or do the rubbing action with two forks. 

1. Measure out your flour, and add the salt if needed. I prefer to use salted butter rather than adding salt to the pastry, and also I mainly have salted butter in the fridge anyway! Cut the cold butter into little cubes, and use a "money, money" action to rub the butter into the flour. You can, of course, use the pulse button on a food processor but I... don't have a food processor. Plus, I like working with pastry so I tend to go by hand.  Because this recipe is so mega buttery, you won't be able to rub all of the butter into the flour and may still have a few lumps, that's okay. Remember to keep your hands cold - if the butter starts to melt, you'll end up with gummy pastry instead of delicious crumbly flakes, so go wash your hands in cold water and gently pat dry before getting back to the butter.

It should look a little like this:


2. Stir in the sugar.

3. Add 4-6 tbsp of ice water and gently mix with the spoon. Your pastry should be clumping together now, add a couple more tbsp of the ice water so that the pastry has almost come together.

4. Carefully tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, and gently press it together. You do not want to knead this pastry or overwork it - the key is to touch it as little as possible. Here's what mine looked like when I pressed it together after turning out of the bowl. There are cracks and a few floury bits but I didn't want to work it too much with my warm doughy hands.


5. Divide the pastry into two (I made a double batch, so I divided into four), wrap well, and place in the fridge for AT LEAST one hour. You can keep it in the fridge for up to five days, just take it out of the fridge about an hour before you use it so it's pliable enough to roll out. Trying to roll out rock hard pastry is no joke, and will probably end up in you screaming and throwing some of the pastry onto the floor in frustration (ask me how I know). You can also freeze the pastry rounds for up to three months, just remember to thaw slowly in the fridge overnight before using.


Easy, peasy, delicious, flaky, buttery pastry - and it's just so easy.

What can I do with the pastry now?

Literally everything. I love flaky pastry. Obviously, a pie crust is mainly made for... pie. Use a half recipe for an open tart, or a double for a closed pie. Here are two other things that I love to make:

Galette

This is the rustic but beautiful, lazy version of a pie. You don't even need a pie dish.

Roll out your pastry into something vaguely resembring a circle, to about 5mm thickness. You don't want it too thin because it might break, and you don't want something so thick it takes forever to bake.

Arrange your fruity filling along the middle, and fold over the edges to create a tasty pastry paddling pool, press gently to seal any gaps, then brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 200c/180c fan assisted (pre-heat beforehand) for 30-45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is tender and bubbly.



Mini pastries

Roll out the pastry, similar to the galette above, and cut the dough into smaller pieces. I've had success with both circles and squares. Add some of your filling in the middle, brush the edge with beaten egg, and gently seal the edge so that the filling won't leak out. Poke a couple of small steam holes, brush with egg, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 200c/180c fan assisted (pre-heat beforehand) for 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of your pasties, until the pastry is golden brown.

And fillings?

Peach and raspberry

2-4 peaches or nectarines, peeled
1+ cup of raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tbsp flour plus: 1 tsp if using fresh raspberries, 1 tbsp if using frozen raspberries

Slice the peaches/nectarines if making a galette, dice them for mini pastries. Stir all ingredients together. There is extra flour in this filling to soak up the juices released by the raspberries - no one wants a soggy bottom!