Uncle Johns Moon Rock Biscuits Recipes

UNCLE JOHN'S MOON ROCK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
• Pulse flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, butter, and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in raisins and walnuts. Add cream and half-and-half and stir until just combined.
• Drop 4 mounds of batter (about 1/2 cup each) onto each sheet, leaving 1/2 to 2 inches between mounds.
• Stir together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and orange zest and sprinkle over tops of mounds.
• Bake biscuits, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes total. Transfer to a rack and cool to warm, about 10 minutes.

SIMPLE JAMMY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Rub the flour, sugar and butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can do this in the food processor. Add enough egg to bring the mixture together to form a stiff dough.
• Flour your hands and shape the dough into a tube, about 5cm in diameter. Cut into 2cm-thick slices and place on a large baking sheet. Space them out as the mixture will spread when baking.
• Make a small indentation in the middle of each slice with the end of a wooden spoon, and drop a tsp of jam in the centre. Bake for 10-15 mins until slightly risen and just golden. Cool on a wire rack.

PLANET COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Using an electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
• Stir in the flour, then knead the mixture briefly to make a dough. Divide the dough in half. One half can now be frozen or chilled to make another batch of biscuits. On a floured work surface, roll out the remaining dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using plain round biscuit cutters, cut out the following size biscuits: 1 x 8cm, 2x7cm, 4x6cm, 2x5cm and 1x3.5cm.
• Carefully transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 mins until pale golden brown. Leave them on the baking sheet for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix the icing sugar with 2-3 tbsp water to make a smooth, spreadable icing - it shouldn't be too runny. Spoon 1 tsp of the icing into a small bowl and mix enough yellow food colouring to make it bright yellow, then use to cover the largest biscuit and set aside to dry.
• Spoon 2 tsp of the white icing into another small bowl and mix in enough blue food colouring to make it a bright, light blue. Use a little of this icing to cover a 6cm biscuit to make Uranus. Set aside to dry.
• Add a little more blue colour to the blue icing and use a little to cover another 6cm biscuit, to make the water on the Earth. Set aside to dry. Add a little more colour to the blue icing and cover another 6cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl a little extra blue food colour and white icing onto this iced biscuit to make Neptune. Set aside to dry. Add a little more blue and a tiny bit of black food colouring to the blue icing and spread it over the 3.5 cm biscuit to make Pluto. Set aside to dry.
• For Mercury, spoon 1 tbsp of the white icing into another bowl and add enough of the caramel flavouring to make a beige colour. Spread a little of it over a 5cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl a little extra caramel flavouring into the icing on the biscuit. Set aside to dry.
• Spread a little of the beige icing over a 7cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl in a little red food colouring and white icing to make the patterns of Jupiter. Set aside to dry.
• For Saturn, add a little yellow food colouring to the beige icing and spread it over the other 7cm biscuit, leaving a 1cm border around the edge. Use a cocktail stick to swirl a little yellow food colouring into the icing and set aside to dry.
• For Venus, add a little orange food colouring to the beige icing and spread some over the remaining 6cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl in a little orange. Set aside to dry.
• To finish Earth, spoon 1tsp white icing into another small bowl and add enough green food colouring to make it bright green. Blob a little of the green icing over parts of the blue icing.
• For Mars, spoon 1tsp white icing into a small bowl and add enough red food colouring to make it bright red. Spread the red icing over a 5cm biscuit. Using a cocktail stick, swirl a little red food colouring into the icing. Set aside to dry.
• Fit a plain nozzle to a piping bag and add the remaining white icing. Pipe 2 stripes around the middle of the Saturn biscuit to give it its rings. If you like, you can sprinkle the Mercury and Venus biscuits with a little edible gold glitter to make them sparkle.

CHEF JOHN'S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
• Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 5 minutes.
• Make a well in the center of butter and flour mixture. Pour in 3/4 cup buttermilk; stir until just combined.
• Turn dough onto a floured work surface, pat together into a rectangle.
• Fold the rectangle in thirds. Turn dough a half turn, gather any crumbs, and flatten back into a rectangle. Repeat twice more, folding and pressing dough a total of three times.
• Roll dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick.
• Cut out 12 biscuits using a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter.
• Transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Press an indent into the top of each biscuit with your thumb.
• Brush the tops of biscuits with 2 tablespoons buttermilk.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 15 minutes.

UNCLE JOHN'S BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Pour beans into casserole dish and stir in ketchup, onions, Worcestershire, brown sugar, cayenne, Tabasco, salt and pepper.
• Cover top of beans with strips of bacon if desired.
• Sprinkle additional brown sugar on top.
• Bake at 350°F for 2 hours.
• Serves 4-6.