Description
These delicate almond biscuits are buttery, lightly sweet and have just the right hint of almond flavour. Decorated with colourful royal cream icing, they’re lovely for afternoon tea, special occasions, festive baking or simply when you fancy something homemade and pretty.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Biscuits
- 1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons - 250 g butter or good quality margarine, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp almond essence
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, approximately, plus a little extra if needed
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Royal Cream Icing
- 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 2 to 3 tbsp water, added gradually
- 1/2 tsp almond essence, or up to 1 tsp according to taste
- Food colouring of your choice
Instructions
Biscuits
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened 250 g butter or margarine with 1 cup sugar until pale, creamy and fluffy. Add 1 egg and 1/2 tsp almond essence, then beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups of the all purpose flour with 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing until incorporated.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour a little at a time until you have a soft, smooth and workable dough. You might not need every last bit, depending on the moisture in your ingredients. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
- If the dough feels too soft to handle, cover it and refrigerate for approximately 20 minutes. This makes rolling and cutting much easier.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking trays with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough out to approximately 5 mm thick. Cut into your preferred shapes using biscuit cutters. Alternatively, roll the dough into logs and slice into even rounds.
- Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking trays, leaving a little space between them. Bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, depending on their size and thickness.
- Remove from the oven when the biscuits are set and the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden. They should remain fairly pale rather than becoming deeply browned.
- Leave the biscuits on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring them carefully to a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely before decorating.
Royal Cream Icing
- Place 2 cups sifted icing sugar in a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 tsp almond essence and 2 tbsp water, mixing until smooth. Add the remaining water a little at a time until you achieve a thick but spreadable consistency.
- Divide the icing into separate small bowls if you’d like to use different colours. Add food colouring a drop at a time, mixing well until you achieve your preferred shades.
- Spread or pipe the icing onto the completely cooled biscuits. You can decorate them with different colours, make pretty patterns or sandwich two biscuits together with a little icing.
- Allow the icing to dry and set completely before stacking or storing the biscuits. Then they’re ready to enjoy!
