MOROCCAN BUTTER ISCUITS

MOROCCAN BUTTER ISCUITS

From "New Jewish Cooking" by Elizabeth Wolf Cohen

Ingredients

250 g unsalted butter, softened
250 g sugar
375 plain flour
25 g ground almonds
coarsely chopped walnuts to decorate (optional)

Method

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter until white and creamy, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add sugar and continue beating until very smooth and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir in flour and ground almonds by hand until well blended and a soft dough is formed.
If dough is too soft to handle, add a little more flour or chill until dough is firm enough to handle, 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 150oC/300oF/Gas Mark 2

Lightly flour large baking sheets, do not grease. With lightly floured hands, divide dough into walnut-sized pieces and roll into smooth balls.
Place on baking sheets about 2.5 cm/1 inch apart. Press a few walnuts on the top of each ball.

Bake until set, 20 to 30 minutes.
Do not let biscuits overcook or brown at all, they should remain a creamy off-white colour.
Remove to a large rack to cool.
Store in an airtight container.