Belgium Biscuits
Adapted from the Edmonds Cookery Book
Makes 10-12 double layer biscuits
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125 g (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) butter, softened
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1/4 cup brown sugar
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1 egg
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2 cups flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1 teaspoon cinnamon
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1 teaspoon ground ginger
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1 teaspoon mixed spice
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1 teaspoon cocoa
Icing
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3/4 to 1 cup icing sugar
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1/4 tsp raspberry or vanilla essence
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a few drops of red food colouring
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water
Filling
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam, approximately
Pink sugar
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2 tablespoons white sugar
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a little pink food colouring
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180c/350FCream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice, and cocoa on top of the bowl and then mix into combine and make a firm dough.
Step 2 - On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to 3 mm thick. Cut out rounds using a 6.5cm cutter. It does sort of fall apart as this is a very short biscuit but keep going, you will get there (just make sure that the surface is lightly floured all over so that you can pick these up with a lightly floured palette knife easily. Re-roll scraps - it may seem more mottled and harder to roll together but don't worry you can use this half of the dough for the bottom halves.
Step 3 - Bake at 180 C (350F) for 15 minutes or until cooked. When cold, ice the more attractive looking half of the biscuits. Spread the less attractive biscuits with raspberry jam and place iced biscuits on top. Sprinkle with pink sugar before icing fully sets.
Icing
Step 4 - Mix icing sugar with flavouring and colouring. Add sufficient water to make a pink icing of spreading consistency.
Pink Sugar
Step 5 - To make pink sugar, place sugar in a ziplock bag and add a tiny amount of food colouring. Seal the bag tightly and shake the sugar and massage it with your fingers so that the colouring is evenly spread.