Sweet Treats – Lemon Scented Biscuits

Popular in Britain at Easter where they are spiked with currants and called Trinity biscuits, these biscuits are a delightful way to enjoy a cup of tea. Once you have the dough made, there’s no reason at all why you could not roll it into a sausage shape, cover it with clingwrap and freeze it ready for a quick batch whenever the mood strikes.

They are very short and buttery in texture, not unlike a shortbread. If you really wanted to gild the lily you could coat them in a thin lemon-scented icing sugar, but to me that screams using the good china and sugar cubes. Best to keep it simple and sensational.

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS

125 g butter, softened; 1 heaped cup (125 g) caster sugar; very finely grated zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons, skins scrubbed to remove the wax; 250 g (2 cups) plain flour, sifted; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 1 egg white, extra; 2 tbsp caster sugar, extra

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 170°C in a fan-forced oven. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.

Using electric beaters, cream the butter until soft and creamy, then add the sugar and lemon zest. Continue beating until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about five to ten minutes.

Add the plain flour and beaten egg to the mixture and beat briefly to combine into a ball of dough but don’t overbeat. At this stage, you can roll the dough into a sausage shape, cover in cling film and freeze for another time.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured bench top and roll the dough to about 1cm thickness. Use a biscuit or scone cutter and cut into rounds and place on baking sheets about 4cm apart. Brush with extra egg white.

Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until they are light golden brown and slightly firm on top. They will crisp up as they cool. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, transfer to a cooling rack and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar.

Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

COST

$2.70 for 25 biscuits