New Blog & Butter Biscuits

Hello – welcome to my brand new/old website and blog. Basically the same as the old but newer and better. Why the change you may ask? While there was nothing wrong with “Nayla’s Kitchen” it was only ever a working title until I came up with something slightly more creative and meaningful. And why the “Literary Chef”? Well, I always have and most likely will always read obsessively and a couple of months ago I was deeply lost in Arthur Towles’ new novel “A Gentleman in Moscow”. Late at night I was transported into a kitchen where possibly the most mouthwatering sounding bouillabaisse was being described. I really wished I had that exact recipe so I could create that exact experience – when I realised that as a trained chef surely I should be able to come up with a recipe? That idea then kept developing until I decided to run entire supper clubs based on novels – so keep your eyes out for my first supper club! I can’t wait to share my first literary recipe with you too.

What else is new? I hope you’ve noticed the site is slightly more organised and all the recipes from my wedding cookbook project (still ongoing of course) are all easily accessible on your right! A new recipe of the series is also going to be coming out imminently… I do hope you enjoy my new site as much as my old one and you will keep coming back.

Now, I have of course also been baking and I recently made these extremely buttery and moorish biscuits. I think Germans must be the best national at baking biscuits (controversial statement I know). At Christmas the whole nation is suddenly locked away in their kitchens, baking multiple different types of Christmas biscuits which you then bring round each others houses where you gossip over biscuits and tea. To get you all into the mood, here are some non-Christmas themed butter biscuits. (Of course you can bake them at Christmas too). They simply melt in you mouth and the pear sugar adds a satisfying crunch. Enjoy!

Secrets to Success: 

• For a smooth glaze, always pass your egg yolk through a sieve. I know it’s a bit of hassle but whenever I don’t do it I always regret it after!
• To make rolling out of pastry easier, just before chilling shape the pastry into a round disk. Then, start by ridging the pastry, which means press the rolling pin gently down from one edge of the pastry to the other (vertically), turning as you go. Do this until the pastry is roughly 1
  Print Recipe

  Butter Biscuits

  Simple, vanilla flavoured buttery biscuits

  

  Course

  Patisserie

  Cuisine

  Baking

  Prep Time

  45 min

  Cook Time

  10-15 min

  Passive Time

  60 min

  Servings

  biscuits

  Ingredients

  • 190 g butter at room temperature
  • 90 g caster sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 egg yolk
  • 1 egg yolk for glazing
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 250 g plain flour
  • 50 g pearl sugar can sprinkle with granulated sugar if not available

  Course Patisserie Cuisine Baking Prep Time 45 min Cook Time 10-15 min Passive Time 60 min Servings biscuits Ingredients 190 g butter at room temperature 90 g caster sugar pinch of salt 3 egg yolk 1 egg yolk for glazing 1 vanilla pod 250 g plain flour 50 g pearl sugar can sprinkle with granulated sugar if not available

  Instructions

  1. Cube the butter and add to a large bowl with the sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy
  2. Scrape the insides of the vanilla pod and add to the bowl, together with the 3 egg yolks. Beat together thoroughly
  3. Sift the flour and salt together over the mixture and combine quickly to a soft dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for about an hour
  4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Cover a couple of baking sheets with baking paper
  5. Dust the work surface with flour and start by rolling out half the dough (keep the other dough in the fridge). Roll to about 0.5 cm thick and then cut out biscuits in any shape you desire and lay on baking sheet
  6. Pass the last egg yolk through a sieve and use the sieved mix to lightly glaze the biscuits. Sprinkle with the pearl sugar and bake around 15 min until lightly golden. While they bake prepare the second baking sheet
  7. You can re-use the leftover dough, but you may need to knead it together briefly and chill again
  8. Let biscuits cool and enjoy with a nice cup of tea

  Recipe Notes

  

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  cm thick and then roll out as usual.