Crunchy Honeycomb Biscuits (Cookies) Recipe

Crunchy Honeycomb Biscuits (Cookies) are a favourite of mine, having that exquisite blend of 'crunchiness' and 'mouth-melting' that separates any home made cookie from a shop-bought one.

How to make Crunchy Honeycomb Biscuits (Cookies):

sieve (strainer) the flour into a mixing bowl to ensure that it is free of lumps, add the bicarbonate of soda (baking powder) and the ground ginger, then stir well. Add the butter or margarine and mix together well, then add the caster sugar (superfine sugar) and mix again. Beat the egg and add just half to the bowl. Work this well into the mixture but use no other liquid because the warmth of your hands will knead it into a pliable dough.

Form the dough into two rolls, about 1" (2.5cm) in diameter then cut into lengths about ½" (1cm) thick. Place these about 2" (5cm) apart on a flat baking tray that has been lightly oiled or greased with butter (the 2" allows room for the biscuits to spread while cooking). Don't worry if your baking tray only holds a few, you can bake them in batches.

Place the baking tray into a preheated low oven (Mk 3 - 325ºF - 170ºC) for about 12-15 minutes until the biscuits turn a very light golden colour. Remove the biscuits and place them on a wire cooling rack if you have one - otherwise a large flat plate will work. As you remove them, they will still be moist and flexible so it's best to use a slice to move them.

If you don't have a wire cooling rack and are using a flat plate, after about 10 minutes of cooling, turn the biscuits over to allow the other side to cool and dry also. Once cold, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.