Honey crunch creams recipe
These cookies will bring an aroma of the countryside to the tea table
Makes about 20
Published: May 13, 2019 at 8:59 am
Ingredients
- 250g Self-raising flour
- 2tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 50g Caster sugar
- 115g Unsalted butter, diced finely
- Zest of one orange
- 115g Honey
- 25g Pine nuts or chopped walnuts
- 50g Unsalted butter, diced
- 115g Icing sugar, sifted
- 1tbsp Honey
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Line three baking sheets with baking parchment.
Step 2
Place the flour, bicarbonate of soda and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the orange rind.
Step 3
Put the honey in a small pan and heat until over a low heat until it is just runny but not hot. Pour it over the flour and sugar mixture and mix to a firm dough, taking care not to overmix.
Step 4
Divide the dough in half and shape one half into 20 small balls about the size of a hazelnut. Place the balls on the baking sheets, spaced well apart, and gently flatten.
Step 5
Bake for 6–8 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool and firm up on the baking sheets. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to allow them to cool completely.
Step 6
Shape the remaining dough into 20 even-sized balls and dip one side of each one into the pine nuts or chopped walnuts.
Step 7
Place the cookies, nut sides up, on the baking sheets, gently flatten and bake for 6–8 minutes, until golden brown. Keep a close eye on them.
Step 8
Leave to cool and firm up slightly on the baking sheets before carefully transferring the cookies to a wire rack, still nut sides up, to cool completely.
Step 9
To make the filling, put the butter, icing sugar and honey in a small mixing bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.
Step 10
When the cookies are completely cool, use the filling to sandwich the cookies together in pairs using a plain cookie for the bottom and a nut-coated one for the top. Variation: Try chopped peanuts instead of pine nuts or walnuts, and sandwich the cookies with peanut butter mixed with honey.
Greek honey works well in this recipe, as it has a strong flavour of liquorice and aniseed. If you prefer a more subtle taste, use heather or lavender honey.
This recipe is an extract from The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book by Antony Wild and Carol Pastor (ISBN: 9780754834519, Lorenz Books, £15).
