Plain Good Butter Biscuits Recipes

EASIEST EVER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Put the butter in a bowl and beat it with electric beaters until soft and creamy. Beat in the sugar, then the egg and vanilla, and finally the flour to make a dough. If the dough feels a bit sticky, add a little bit more flour and knead it in.
• Pull pieces off the dough and roll them out to about the thickness of two £1 coins on a floured surface. The easiest way to do this with small children is to roll the mixture out on a baking mat. Cut out shapes using a 9cm biscuit cutter, or a use the rim of a small glass and peel away the leftover dough around the edges. Press some clean toys gently into the biscuits, making sure you make enough of a mark without going all the way through. Re-roll off-cuts and repeat.
• Transfer the whole mat or the individual biscuits to the baking sheet and bake for 8-10 mins or until the edges are just brown. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then serve. Will keep for three days in a biscuit tin.

BASIC BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Pour milk into flour mixture while stirring with a fork. Mix in milk until dough is soft, moist and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and toss with flour until no longer sticky. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick sheet and cut with a floured biscuit or cookie cutter. Press together unused dough and repeat rolling and cutting procedure.
• Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheets and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

PLAIN GOOD BUTTER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Sift the flour then measure. Add b. powder and salt and sift again.
• Cut in the butter. Hyde recommends using your fingers for this by rubbing the butter into the flour. I usually don't because the heat of my hands and fingers tend to melt the butter and that's not good. If you have "hot hands" too, use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour.
• Add the milk gradually, stirring gently. Add only enough milk to bring the flour together in a soft ball. Turn the mix onto a floured surface and knead it reluctantly, just enough to incorporate all the milk. Gently pat the dough into a 1/2" tall layer. Handle the dough as little possible so the biscuits will be tender.
• Cut the dough into rounds or squares and place in a buttered pan. It helps biscuits to rise more if you allow the sides to touch. I don't know why this works but it usually does for me.
• Bake for 12 - 15 minutes at 400 deg.
• You can make these into great appetizers by adding shredded cheddar and fresh parsley to the flour before adding milk. Then cut the biscuits with a small cutter (or glass) about 2" in diameter.

BUTTER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium glass bowl.
• Mix in flour, baking soda, and sour cream.
• Divide batter evenly into the cups of an 8-cup muffin pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

BUTTER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Beat the butter with the icing sugar, a pinch of salt and the lemon zest until a smooth.
• Sift in the flour and add the milk, mix to a dough and then knead briefly. Wrap and chill for 1-2 hours.
• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Roll the dough out on a floured worksurface to 2mm and cut out different shapes. Arrange the biscuits on the baking sheets, grouping all the same sizes together. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden, then cool completely.
• Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl set over simmering water. Dip one side of each cookie into the chocolate and leave to cool and set.

BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Beat the salted butter, vanilla and sugar together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Sift over the flour and beat again until just combined. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle.
• Pipe the dough in small 5cm swirls on one large or two smaller baking trays lined with baking parchment, spacing them apart to allow for them to spread. Bake for 15-20 mins until pale golden.
• Leave to cool on the trays for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.