Seriously I have been baking for over 30 years and cannot make biscuits!They either sit in a lump or spread and join up.tell me why please!
niixs,
Sep 6, 8:50pm
I don't know why it happens but I'm the same.a really bad biscuit maker, especially the dough type ones. I found this very easy recipe that even my 10yr can make and it seems to be fool proof!
Chocolate Chip Cookies. 100g butter or marg, softened 100g soft brown sugar 1 egg 1t vanilla essence 150g self-raising flour 75g porridge oats 50g choc chips or drops 50g white choc drops Oven 175C fan bake. Beat butter/sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix again. Sieve in flour and mix in. Add oats and both white and milk chocolate and mix all together. Put generous spoon full of mixture (lumpy heaps are ok!) onto lined baking sheet and bake for about 8min then move to lower rack in oven and continue baking for futher 5 or so mins. Cool on tray for cpl of minutes and then move to cooling rack. Should make about 20 biscuits.
Mine are in oven as I type and smelling very yummy. Good Luck
buzzy110,
Sep 6, 9:41pm
There have been many threads on this exact same problem. It seems that hardly anyone understands that the problem is usually in the creaming.
When the recipe says "cream butter and sugar" that is exactly what it means. Beat the bejesus out of it till it looks pale and creamy and there are no sugar granules visible. Now this is easier said than done. I overcame the problem many years ago by first just creaming the butter. Beat it until it is pale in colour. Then add the sugar 1/3rd at a time. Others in here have suggested using caster sugar which I think is infinitely sensible. Just be careful to measure by weight as caster sugar is smaller and you can get more by volume.
Once you have the creaming problem cracked you'll never make another dud batch of biscuits again. They'll be perfect every time, just so long as you follow the recipe instructions for making the rest of the biscuit.
I know most may not agree with me but I used my old Edmond's recipe book for many years and every recipe was perfect. I never had a failure and the range of biscuits is also almost complete. If I ever wanted to make biscuits I'd first go to my Edmonds or, maybe I'd dig out my beautiful Millie's American Chocolate Brownies recipe.
You cannot go wrong with American Chocolate brownies. No creaming at all and always perfect. They are just 'length of cooking' sensitive i.e. they need to be tested or they come out a tiny bit too soft and gluggy.
buzzy110,
Sep 6, 9:56pm
Annabelle White's Brownie
Ingredients: 100g Cocoa 200g Butter - melted 400g or 2cups Caster Sugar (This is not a misprint!) 4 Eggs 1tspn Vanilla (I assume this is essence rather than powder) 90g Flour 1tspn Baking Powder 200g Chocolate Chips
Method: Sift Cocoa into a large mixing bowl Add melted Butter, Sugar, Eggs and Vanilla Mix to a smooth paste Sift together Flour and Baking Powder and then add the chocolate chips Pour mixture into a 20cm X 30cm Swiss Roll tin Bake in a preheated oven at 150dC for 65mins Mixture should feel slightly undercooked. Slice when completely cooled.
elliehen,
Sep 6, 10:14pm
"Controlling Spread in Cookies with Baking Soda: From How Baking Works; Exploring the fundamentals of Baking Science, by Paula Figoni
Cookies spread across a cookie sheet when a they have too little structure and cannot hold their shape. Whether this is desirable or not depends on what kind of cookie you wish to bake, but often some spread is desirable.
There are many ways to increase cookie spread: One way is to add a small amount of baking soda, as little as .25 to .5 ounce (5 to 15 grams) for 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of cookie dough. This increases pH of the dough, weakening gluten, and also weakening egg protein structure. With less structure, cookies spread more and have a coarser, more porous crumb. Since moisture evaporates from a porous crumb more easily, baking soda often provides for a crisper crumb, as well.
Measure baking soda carefully. Baking soda increases browning significantly, and if used at too high a level, it leaves a distinct salty-chemical off flavour. Too much baking soda also causes eggs in baked goods to turn greyish green."
kuaka,
Sep 7, 2:28am
I feel your pain.Check out the "scones" thread.I can't make them to save myself.Not too much trouble with biscuits though, usually pretty good with just the occasional flop/failure/disaster!
sammysmum,
Sep 7, 2:33am
my daughter diplomatically says i am better at cooking than baking and to please buy biscuits!
jascas,
Sep 7, 3:09am
This is s great biscuit recipe - no creaming required and they don't spread too much: Chocolate Cornflake Biscuits 150g butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chocolate drops 2 cups cornflakes ( I crush them a little bit)
Melt butter in a large saucepan on the stove or large bowl in microwave. Stir in sugar.Cool.Stir in egg and vanilla essence.Sift flour and baking and stir into butter mixture with chocolate chips and cornflakes.Combine well.Break off tablespoons of dough and placed on greased oven trays.Press top of biscuits lightly with a fork. Bake at 180 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes Makes 24
schnauzer11,
Sep 7, 3:24am
Re:any baking failures-remember to have fresh Baking-powder,it only lasts a few weeks before losing it's oomph.Chuck,and replace.
kinna54,
Sep 7, 6:26am
Well said buzzy, and I still use my really old version of the Edmonds book, the new one is different! Still can't go past the good old vanilla biccies (replace the sultanas with choc chips) and the shrewsbury biccies, never fail!
kinna54,
Sep 7, 6:32am
schnauzer11 wrote: Re:any baking failures-remember to have fresh Baking-powder,it only lasts a few weeks before losing it's oomph.Chuck,and replace.[/quote
Yep, this is the one item I never replace with a budget variety, I do insist on buying Edmonds, and it does keep longer, (let's face it you only use a tsp or 2 per bake so you need it to stay fresh, and who can afford to waste ingredients, false economy to scrimp on this item) a tip I learnt years ago is to always shake the container lightly to "activate" the rising agent in the baking powder ingredients, and stir the contents gently before measuring.
camper18,
Sep 7, 11:34pm
Another tip for crisp biscuits is to leave them on the tray until cooled down. They can seem quite soft when you take them out of the oven but will crisp up nicely if left to stand on the tray till cool.
daisybel,
Sep 26, 5:15pm
While baking powder does lose its oomph over time - it is certainly not in a few weeks.The recommended time for baking powder replacement is 6 months.To test if it is still active you can put 1 teaspoon of baking powder into 1/2 cup hot water, it should start to fizz immediately.
j96,
Sep 26, 9:09pm
Oh i've had my baking powder for about 5 years! I use salf raising flour tho
I also make "dough type" cookies in the kitchen whizz. just made a gorgeous batch with granddies. I actually got some of the dough actually made into biccies before the rascals ate it all! I just use the Edmonds Shrewsbury bic recipe and it's spot on every time, great for using with cutters. Flour the cutters, and if mix feels a litttle soft, add a bit more flour on the rolling pin as you go.
kinna54,
Sep 26, 11:52pm
Posting for you, hope you have success with this.
Shrewsbury Biscuits*(adapted for making in the kitchen whizz)*
125g butter softened (or margarine) 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1 TBSP grated lemon rind 2 cups flour 1tsp baking powder Raspberry jam (to fill if desired)
Place butter and sugar in the whizz and cream together. Add egg and lemon rind and whizz again to combine. Add sifted flour and baking powder, using the machine on pulsewhile the mixture is combining. Turn onto a floured board, kneadlightly and roll out to about 4mm thickness Note: roll out part of the mix at a time, as it’s much easier to handle., and over handling can toughen the mixture. Cut out desired shapes withcookie cutters.
Bake on greased oven trays at 180 deg. for 10-15mins. When cold biscuits can either be sandwiched together with raspberry jam, with the top biscuit dusted with sifted icing sugar, or biscuits can be left single and dusted with sifted icing sugar.
edited to say: I use marg for this recipe, creams better and makes a "shorter" type of biccie.
daisybel,
Oct 3, 5:39pm
I can personally say that the recipes here for biscuits work well <http://www.foodlovers.co.n- z/recipes/biscuit-recipes-reci- pes> if you are hesitant I would suggest trying something basic like a chocolate chip biscuit first off. With self raising flour - make sure you give the bag a good shake before using to ensure that the raising agent is evenly distributed.
pheebs1,
Oct 3, 6:21pm
hey hon do the destitute gourmet scones i know this thread is about cookies but 2 cups cheese 2 cups self raising flour pinch salt and then enough milk to form a really wet but still held together dough its like a cup cup and a half i can never remember but the mixture is wet and goopy without be a sloppy mess then i put huge spoonfuls on a baking papered tray and cook 180ish for about 15mins let me tell you any fool can make these and they come out huge fluffy and are consequently gone in minutes drat and then you have to make some more
pheebs1,
Oct 3, 6:23pm
re the spreading anytime i make those choc chip ones they come out like frisbees! ha its the darndest thing i find for me a mix of self raising flour and plain works as too much flour you get little cakes not enough you get flying saucers all good fun
wildflower,
Oct 3, 9:55pm
I have to watch I don't overcook, our oven is a very basic and not very hot gas one so recipes usually take longer.If it's something I'm making for the first time it makes it hard.And I have to allow for the fact biscuits cook a little more as they cool down or else I make rock hard ones!
niixs,
Sep 6, 8:50pm
I don't know why it happens but I'm the same.a really bad biscuit maker, especially the dough type ones. I found this very easy recipe that even my 10yr can make and it seems to be fool proof!
Chocolate Chip Cookies. 100g butter or marg, softened 100g soft brown sugar 1 egg 1t vanilla essence 150g self-raising flour 75g porridge oats 50g choc chips or drops 50g white choc drops Oven 175C fan bake. Beat butter/sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix again. Sieve in flour and mix in. Add oats and both white and milk chocolate and mix all together. Put generous spoon full of mixture (lumpy heaps are ok!) onto lined baking sheet and bake for about 8min then move to lower rack in oven and continue baking for futher 5 or so mins. Cool on tray for cpl of minutes and then move to cooling rack. Should make about 20 biscuits.
Mine are in oven as I type and smelling very yummy. Good Luck
buzzy110,
Sep 6, 9:41pm
There have been many threads on this exact same problem. It seems that hardly anyone understands that the problem is usually in the creaming.
When the recipe says "cream butter and sugar" that is exactly what it means. Beat the bejesus out of it till it looks pale and creamy and there are no sugar granules visible. Now this is easier said than done. I overcame the problem many years ago by first just creaming the butter. Beat it until it is pale in colour. Then add the sugar 1/3rd at a time. Others in here have suggested using caster sugar which I think is infinitely sensible. Just be careful to measure by weight as caster sugar is smaller and you can get more by volume.
Once you have the creaming problem cracked you'll never make another dud batch of biscuits again. They'll be perfect every time, just so long as you follow the recipe instructions for making the rest of the biscuit.
I know most may not agree with me but I used my old Edmond's recipe book for many years and every recipe was perfect. I never had a failure and the range of biscuits is also almost complete. If I ever wanted to make biscuits I'd first go to my Edmonds or, maybe I'd dig out my Annabelle White's American Chocolate Brownies recipe.
You cannot go wrong with American Chocolate brownies. No creaming at all and always perfect. They are just 'length of cooking' sensitive i.e. they need to be tested or they come out a tiny bit too soft and gluggy.
buzzy110,
Sep 6, 9:56pm
Annabelle White's Brownie
Ingredients: 100g Cocoa 200g Butter - melted 400g or 2cups Caster Sugar (This is not a misprint!) 4 Eggs 1tspn Vanilla (I assume this is essence rather than powder) 90g Flour 1tspn Baking Powder 200g Chocolate Chips
Method: Sift Cocoa into a large mixing bowl Add melted Butter, Sugar, Eggs and Vanilla Mix to a smooth paste Sift together Flour and Baking Powder and then add the chocolate chips Pour mixture into a 20cm X 30cm Swiss Roll tin Bake in a preheated oven at 150dC for 65mins Mixture should feel slightly undercooked. Slice when completely cooled.
elliehen,
Sep 6, 10:14pm
"Controlling Spread in Cookies with Baking Soda: From How Baking Works; Exploring the fundamentals of Baking Science, by Paula Figoni
Cookies spread across a cookie sheet when a they have too little structure and cannot hold their shape. Whether this is desirable or not depends on what kind of cookie you wish to bake, but often some spread is desirable.
There are many ways to increase cookie spread: One way is to add a small amount of baking soda, as little as .25 to .5 ounce (5 to 15 grams) for 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of cookie dough. This increases pH of the dough, weakening gluten, and also weakening egg protein structure. With less structure, cookies spread more and have a coarser, more porous crumb. Since moisture evaporates from a porous crumb more easily, baking soda often provides for a crisper crumb, as well.
Measure baking soda carefully. Baking soda increases browning significantly, and if used at too high a level, it leaves a distinct salty-chemical off flavour. Too much baking soda also causes eggs in baked goods to turn greyish green."
Edited to add:US source where 'cookies' = our biscuits(and 'biscuits' = our scones)
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