Sift by Nicola Lamb
By Nicola Lamb
1 hr 40 mins
Not Too Tricky
makes 16-20
About the recipe
Salty, rich and toasty, these biscotti-inspired biscuits have been formulated so they’re just on the dentist-approved side of crunchy. The tenderising effect of the butter is evident. The coffee in the dough should be pretty imperceptible after baking – just offering a bit of balance with its pleasant bitterness.
Recipe From
Ingredients
80g butter, softened
80g caster sugar
110g whole eggs (about 2)
200g plain flour
2g baking powder (about ½ tsp)
3g flaky sea salt (about 1 tsp)
80g roasted salted peanuts
1½ tsp espresso powder
100g milk chocolate, chopped into 0.5cm pieces
75g desiccated coconut
PLUS
100g dark or milk chocolate, chopped, to melt and dip (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 195°C/175°C fan.
- Cream the butter and sugar until well mixed and a little bit fluffy, 2 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, peanuts, espresso powder and chocolate chips together. Paddle the dry ingredients through the butter mixture. A wet dough will form.
- Fill a clean tray with the desiccated coconut. Move the dough into the tray and divide by eye into two. Roll and press the dough into 2 x 5cm wide rectangular logs. Make sure these are well formed with no big holes. Press the desiccated coconut into the surface of each log, ensuring it is covered. Move them to a clean, lined baking tray, ready to bake.
- Bake the logs for 25–30 minutes. They will spread and rise slightly, be pale golden brown and crack on the surface. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for 20 minutes.
- Slice the logs into 2cm-thick pieces on the diagonal using a serrated knife.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/140°C fan.
- Lay the wedges back on the baking tray and bake for an additional 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.
- This will give you a tender, but crisp, biscuit. You have the option to bake for longer if you want them harder but note they do harden further as they cool.
- If desired, melt the dark or milk chocolate over a bain-marie until liquified. Dip the biscuits (either the bases or in half vertically) into the chocolate, then leave to set on a lined baking tray. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
