Who doesn’t love a selection of irresistibly crunchy, nut biscuits? Nut biscuits really do make the perfect afternoon tea treat, especially when it is paired with a nice hot drink such as tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Nut biscuits are also great for a quick and easy snack, or to bring out as a mid-morning or mid-evening treat.
Our very own selection of nut biscuits includes a delicious range of nutty flavours – from handmade almond biscuits to handmade pistachio biscuits.
How Are Nut Biscuits Made?
Nut biscuits are super easy to make and, most of all, fun and tasty. In this blog, we take a look into one particular type of nut biscuit and how they can be made through a simple and easy recipe.
Almond Biscuits
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour
75g (3 oz) caster sugar
50g (2 oz) ground almonds
1 pinch salt
150g (5 oz) margarine
1 to 3 drops almond extract
24 blanched almonds (optional)
Prep 15min | Cook 15min | Ready in 30min
- Heat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Grease two baking trays.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together except for the blanched almonds. Rub in margarine. Add extract and mould together with your hands.
- Roll out thinly and cut into your desired shape placing a blanched almond on the top of each biscuit, if desired.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or till lightly golden.
What Kind Of Nuts Can I Use In Nut Biscuits?
Almonds: Flat, oval-shaped almonds have a mild, rich flavour. They can be purchased whole, sliced, slivered, chopped, and ground. You can easily remove their brown skins by blanching.
Cashews: Crescent-shape cashews go well with chocolate, and offer homemade nut biscuits a rich, buttery flavour. When your biscuit recipe calls for cashews, choose roasted ones, unless directed otherwise.
Hazelnuts: Also known as filberts, these small round nuts feature a mild, sweet flavour that is enhanced by toasting. Hazelnuts can be used blanched, toasted, chopped, ground or whole. When used for baking, their brown skins should be removed by blanching.
Macadamia Nuts: These rich, sweet, tropical nuts also pair well with chocolate. Macadamia nuts are most often roasted and chopped in nut biscuits.
Peanuts: The most popular nut (despite actually being a legume!), the peanut is usually roasted and salted to bring out its buttery flavour. When your cookie recipe calls for peanuts, use cocktail or dry-roasted peanuts. Spanish peanuts are usually reserved for candies.
Pecans: Grown in the South, pecans have the highest fat content of any nut. They can be used toasted, roasted, salted, chopped, whole, or broken into pieces.
Pistachio Nuts: Pistachio nuts have a mild, sweet flavour. They are available all year long: shelled or unshelled, raw or roasted, and salted or unsalted.
Walnuts: Walnuts can be purchased year-round in both shelled and unshelled versions. English walnuts boast a mild flavour, while black walnuts bear a strong taste.
