Brown Sugar Biscuits

These now compete with the jam drops as favourite biscuit. I strongly recommend splurging on some Billingtons molasses cane sugar. Whilst brown sugar will work, this stuff has the most incredible smell and flavour, and because it is prone to lumpiness, the biscuits have tiny nuggets of sugar that give them a great texture.

Like the jam drops these are well suited to the assistance of a small child. Bizarrely today Hannah declined to help (or even lick the bowl once I'd finished), explaining that as she was a fairy, she was allergic to home-made food and could only eat honey, borek and pizza. It struck me that she never eats bought sweet things (apart from a small amount of confectionery) as there is almost nothing that is safe. The one thing I've encountered (and I should send them a big thank you card) is at Mediterranean Wholesalers, a massive Italian supermarket in Brunswick, which has a cafe with food baked on the premises - wonderously they have a egg and nut free jam biscuit.

125g butter, at room temperature (ie quite soft)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup dark brown sugar or molasses cane sugar
1 tbs golden syrup or maple syrup
1 1/4 cups self raising flour
1 - 2 tbs water, if needed

Cream the butter, vanilla, sugar and honey until light and creamy. (I use an electric hand-held beater here (a Bamix) which still leaves little lumps of sugar just as desired). Mix in flour and enough water, if required to make a dough. (If the butter is soft enough there is no need for water).

Roll mixture into balls (approximately 1 tablespoon of mixture per ball), and place on greased or baking paper lined tray. Flatten balls slightly with palm of hand, then use a fork to make decorative indentations.

Bake at 150 degrees C for 30 minutes or until firm.