Brown Sugar Biscuits - Yum

With a couple of dinner parties to attend, it was time to get baking, and make something delicious for the lovely hostessi (do you like my latin plural of hostess?). I am quite taken with baking gifts for friends at the moment, partly because it gives me extra sweet things to write about here. And let's be honest, a batch of biscuits (cookies to some of you) takes half an hour to make, so its easier than ducking out to the shops for a bunch of flowers. This recipe for brown sugar biscuits caught my eye because, brace yourselves, THEY KEEP FOR THREE WEEKS. There is nothing worse than creaming butter and sugar and doing everything else to make the perfect biscuit and then have your beautiful creation taste much less delicious than it should because it has gone stale in half a day. Grrrrrr. These beauties would never do that to you.

And as for taste? They have a similar flavour to a pecan pie with the combination of the pecan and the dark brown sugar. They are really crunchy (maybe not the best choice for someone with teeth problems) and are scrumptious dunked in a hot cup of coffee or tea. They even look perfect. I will make these again and again and again. Just don't tell my friends how easy they are.

The recipe comes from "From Market To Table" by Joan Campbell and Barry McDonald. Coincidentally, this was the book that supplied my first post just over a year ago. Since August is my blog's birthday month, I am giving away a food magazine subscription. If you haven't already entered send me an email or leave me a comment with a suggestion for what you would make for a milestone birthday.

Brown Sugar Biscuits

from "From Market To Table" by Joan Campbell and Barry McDonald

125g butter softened

250g dark brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups plain flour

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

pecan halves to decorate

Preheat oven to 185C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Beat butter and brown sugar together until they are light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, and beat into the creamed butter mixture until just combined.

Roll teaspoonfuls of mixture on a lightly floured surface, then place on the oven trays, leaving about 5 or 6cms between each. Press a pecan onto the top of each ball, flattening it a little. Bake for 15 mins or until golden. Cool on a wire rack then store in an airtight container up to three weeks.