BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food

Subject: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:14 PM

I am of the considered opinion that you can't beat the humble ginger nut, with the fig-roll a close second. The figrolls I prefer, I should add, are the ones with the ribbed top. The smooth ones are slightly less inspiring visually. But I'm willing to have my mind swayed on that point.
    Always, by the way, dunked in tea. I think dunking in coffee wrecks the flavour.
    Anybody else have any opinions on these(or related) matters?

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: bobad
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:31 PM

I'd rather expend my empty calorie quota on a glass of good whisky.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Wesley S
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:44 PM

Cookies - IF and when they are dunked - should only be dunked in milk. End of story.

And the best cookies in the world are Snickerdoodles. Followed by chocolate chip and/or a good oatmeal raisin

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Morticia
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:45 PM

I have one word for you...Hob-nobs. Oh, perhaps that is two words? Still, Hob-nobs for the win.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:07 PM

Hot buttered biscuits, slathered with good molasses! Uummmm! Oh, you mean them English things...

Oatmeal cookies and milk are great!

OATMEAL COOKIES
(Old Prussian recipe, Sikorsky family)

1/2 cup brown sugar (Demerara preferred)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
1-2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups oatmeal

Mix both sugars with shortening, using wooden
spoon. Mix in the flour, soda, eggs and vanilla.
Add and mix in oatmeal.
Roll in balls and press down
on greased cookie sheets.
Bake 350 F. for approx. 8 minutes.
Makes approx. 6 dozen.

Molasses-ginger cookies (biscuits), fresh and moist, ain't bad!

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: RangerSteve
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:29 PM

Wesley S - sorry, but I have to disagree. I don't know if you're from the U.S. or overseas, so I don't know if you're familiar with Stalla Doro brand cookies. They are excellent dunked in coffee for breadfast.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Wesley S
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:31 PM

Yup - I'm in Texas. Have you ever tried a Snickerdoodle?

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: gnomad
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:36 PM

This one could run on for a loooong while.

For my two-pennorth; dunking = gingernuts in cocoa [none of your namby-pamby drinking chocolate, thanks] and non-dunking = a Garibaldi+cheddar sandwich.

Mind you, water-biscuit with salami has its charms too.

Fig rolls, mmmm, right about the ribbed tops, Greg.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:46 PM

A glass of cold, fresh milk and a packet of Malted Milk biscuits... the ones with the cow on to dunk.

Bliss.

Can't beat it...


Unless it's a cup of hot, milky coffee and a packet of Rich Tea biscuits.

I can get through an entire packet, just dunking them.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: GUEST,Canadienne
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:08 PM

Kimberley
- the ultimate biscuit!

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:48 PM

Whose snickerdoodles? There are steam-dozen recipes.

SNICKERDOODLES 1
(Hagerstown, MD)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix sugar, shortening and eggs. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Chill dough. Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts. Combine 2 tbsp sugar and cinnamon; roll cookies in this mixture.
Bake 375 F. for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
--------------------------------------------------------

SNICKERDOODLES 2
(Basic, Joy of Cooking)

3 eggs
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix eggs, shortening and sugar together until slightly lumpy.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Mix the dry mixture with the wet one.
Wrap the dough and refrigerate for about one hour.
Roll dough into balls.
Sprinkle the cookies with cinnamon sugar and set on cookie sheets. Bake at 350 F. for about 8 minutes.

Recipe 2 taken from internet (Wackipedia); my "Joy of Cooking" is too old to contain the recipe.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: greg stephens
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 03:33 AM

I had some amazingly disgusting Irish biscuits the other day, can't remember what they were called. They involved a bit of jam/jelly, with strange sculptured lumps of pink stuff on top of that. Far out, man.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 04:01 AM

Just to clarify the difference between biscuits and cakes. When left out in the open for several days, biscuits go soft and cakes go hard. If your biscuit goes hard after a few days out, you've got a cake. Some of those knickerdoodoo things sound more like cakes to me.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Scoville
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 11:21 AM

Fig Newtons. Man, do I love Fig Newtons.

And I've got a recipe somewhere for corn-meal cookies, which sounds like a horrible idea (cookies . . . made from corn meal) but they are addictive.

I always liked spice cookies. My grandmother gave me a recipe for sally-anns but the marshmallow-glaze icing doesn't work in the humidity here (the cookie part is great). And I've got her family recipe for Moravian molasses cookies but they have to be rolled so thin that we hardly ever make them. TOo much work.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Bert
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 11:39 AM

I prefer shortbread AND whiskey.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 12:56 PM

The distinction made by Liz has no meaning in America, where cookies, depending on moisture content (and molasses or other content in some) may be soft when they are bought or made but go hard as they dry out. Most are hard when fresh and stay about the same for the few days they remain uneaten.
'Biscuit' seems limited in usage to certain products in England; the American 'cookie' covers a much broader range of product. One of the few store-bought cookies I like is a molasses-ginger cookie, soft when the bag is opened, but hardens with time. Going soft is usually associated with high humidity and mold, and quick disposal in the trash.
Of course much of America has low humidity and almost everything quickly goes hard and dry if exposed.

'Biscuit' in America applies only to the quick soft breads, 2-3 inches in size, baked in the oven or on stove top and served hot with butter, gravy, molasses, jams or jellies, etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Bill D
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 06:57 PM

I forget...what DO Brits call those soft, baked things? Is 'scones' the only term used? (and though I have had scones, the ones I know are not 'exactly' like US biscuits)

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Bert
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 07:01 PM

Scones is the nearest thing. Generally scones are thicker and smaller diameter, sometimes sweetened and sometimes with raisins or currants. The dough recipe is pretty much the same though.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 07:04 PM

They have been likened to British dumplings which are sometimes boiled or steamed... but nothing like American dumplings.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: GUEST,Canadienne
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 07:05 PM

not just scones

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 07:32 PM

"Of course much of America has low humidity and almost everything quickly goes hard and dry if exposed."

Ah - now I think I understand US politics.... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 08:04 PM

Guest Canadienne. First time I have seen a name for them, but my favorite cookies when I was a kid were what seem to be called Welsh cakes. They were made by my grandmother (Irish) and kept in a large stone crock. They approach scones in type.
Scones may look like an American biscuit, but the mix is entirely different. This is a common biscuit recipe:

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

2 cups all purpose sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (or sour cream)

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add buttermilk and blend with a fork into a soft dough. Place on a lightly floured board and roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a small biscuit cutter to desired size (about 2/12 inches is good).
Bake in preheated oven at 400-425 F. for 12-15 minutes or until tipped with gold Serve piping hot with butter and whatever you like. Gravy, honey and preserves are most popular.
Perhaps the most common bread in the 18th c. in America.
Also can be made with corn meal (stone-ground, or fine).

Scones usu. are made with eggs, sugar, and butter.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCONES
Dominique Guyot, Chateau Lake Louise High Tea

4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3 whole eggs
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 1/2 cup sour cream (we find we use less)
Pinch salt
(Cinammon and Vanilla extract are optional)

Eggwash
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 beaten egg

Combine flour, sugar, butter and baking powder in a countertop mixer or by hand. Easiest to combine sugar and butter and then add flour-baking powder in 2-3 portions. Blend at lowest speed.
Add eggs and mix well. Add raisins, etc. (optional).
Slowly add cream and salt.
When dough is smooth, cover and refrigerate 12 hours.
Dust counter, roll out dough.
Cut to desired shape and size. We use a 2 1/2 inch can.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
In a small bowl, mix and blend eggwash. Brush top of scones with eggwash.
Bake at 375 F. (170 C.) for 15 minutes (Check first small batch, varies depending on altitude, humidity.

I like mine flavored and, I think, end up with something approaching the Welsh cakes.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 09:26 PM

Robin - well said!

I don't like sweet bikkies, but gimme a traditional Scottish Oatcake any day - yum

also yum are spelt & linseed crackers

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Bert
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 09:31 PM

almost everything Foulestroupe!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Becca72
Date: 21 Jun 07 - 04:58 PM

ice cold milk and an Oreo cookie, they forever go together what a classic combination...


:-) Just wanted to get that stuck in someone else's head after reading this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Jun 07 - 05:34 PM

Lorna Doone shortbread cookies were a favorite among the store-boughts when I was small; never liked Oreos except for the filling, which I licked off, leaving the rest.
I see that Nabisco still makes Lorna Doone, but I can't find them in my stores (western Canada).

Subject: RE: BS: Biscuits(cookies): Nature's Wonder Food
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Jun 07 - 06:07 PM

I actually found a package (a round roll) of Cadbury's chocolate coated shortcake 'biscuits' (imported) at a Celtic Festival a few weeks ago. I made them last 3 weeks.

I used to buy Cadbury's Shortcake Snacks 40 years ago in a rectangular package with 6 little squares of delicious coated shortbread. I can find some Cadbury products now & then, but I'm sure they are not the same.