Tips for preparing biscuits

Imagine biting into a biscuit that''s just the right amount of crumbly, just the right amount of sweet and tastes so good that you want it for days afterwards. Baking biscuits sounds easy, but we all know that sometimes things go wrong and the biscuits aren''t as good as you''d like them to be. Here are some tips to make sure your biscuits are always perfect.

Be careful with the measurements

Sometimes we think that when baking biscuits, we don''t really need to weigh the ingredients exactly and that we can just add a little "by eye". This impression is usually given by old, experienced housewives who tell us that they added a little of this, a little of that and that was it. But if you haven''t tried the recipe, it''s better to stick to it. It is true that when adding extras such as various extracts, nuts and the like, things can be added a little according to preference and our taste. However, it is important to always measure the amount of baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour added.

With the flour, be careful not to shake the bowl in an attempt to flatten the flour, as this will leave you with more than you would like.

At the same time, do not push the flour into the bowl, but flatten it slightly at the top with the tip of a knife.

When measuring liquids, make sure that you measure in a transparent container with the measurements marked on it and that you take the reading at eye level, as this is the most accurate way to measure.

Mix the dry ingredients separately

Care must also be taken when mixing the individual dough ingredients themselves. It is best to mix the dry ingredients together first and then add the liquids. When mixing further, be careful not to mix too little or too much, as this will only affect the looseness of the biscuits.

Prepare the ingredients in advance

Ingredients such as butter, eggs, etc., which are usually kept in the fridge, must be brought to room temperature in advance. We know that butter is much easier to mix if it is soft rather than hard. If we are short of time, we can of course also melt it quickly in the microwave.

Use baking paper

To prevent the biscuits from sticking to the tray, place baking paper on the tray. If the recipe does not require us to grease the paper, it is usually better not to do so. This is because when the cookie base is too greasy, it can cause the cookie to fall apart.

Chill the dough before rolling

When you need to roll out your dough, it is a good idea to refrigerate it for a few hours before rolling it out. Sprinkle the surface on which you are going to roll with flour beforehand to prevent the dough from sticking to it. Be careful not to add too much flour, as it will add to the dough, which can become very dry and hard. Always roll only small parts of the dough together, while keeping the rest of the dough in a cool place. We know that the thinner the dough, the crispier our biscuits will be.

We also need to grease the moulds

Dust thebiscuit cases with a little flour beforehand to prevent the dough from sticking to them. When you continue to press the moulds into the rolled out dough, make sure that the shapes are as close together as possible, as this will leave less dough.

The biscuits should be of similar thickness

When shaping the biscuits by hand, make sure that they are roughly the same thickness so that they all end up baked the same way. When placing the biscuits on the tray, make sure, of course, that there is enough space between them for them to grow.

Preheat the oven

Always preheat the oven to the desired temperature before baking. This usually takes 15 to 20 minutes. Always bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, moving the tray about halfway through baking and rotating it from the upper to the lower third so that the biscuits are evenly baked.

The tray should be cool

Make sure the tray is cold before putting the new biscuits in the oven. If we put the mixture on a hot tray, it will melt and crumble prematurely, which will result in deformation of our biscuits.

Are they baked yet?

Usually biscuits are done when the edges start to brown and turn golden. You can also check by pressing the centre of the cookie a little and seeing if it returns to its original shape.

Test a few biscuits

Sometimes it is a good idea to test bake just a few of the biscuits before baking the whole tray. For example, if they crumble too much, you can add a little more flour and so on.

Cool the biscuits before putting them away

We''ve baked the biscuits, but that''s not the end of the story. We also need to be careful how we cool them. Place the biscuits on a wire rack on a raised surface so that they do not remain wet on the surface below. If the biscuits are loose, wait a minute or two before moving them to prevent them from breaking.

Keeping the biscuits

Cool the biscuits before putting them away so that they do not get wet. They must be stored in containers that do not allow air to dry out the biscuits. Clear plastic containers are best for this, as they keep the biscuits fresh and you can quickly see what is inside. For biscuits with various sprinkles or toppings, place baking paper between the layers of biscuits. At the same time, take care not to mix biscuits with different flavours and hardnesses, as the flavours will mix.

I hope you find these tips helpful, and I am attaching a recipe for chocolate biscuits.

We will need:

• 450 g butter
• 1 and 3/4 cups white sugar
• 2 and 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 6 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 900 g dark chocolate, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 180° C. Put the melted butter and sugar (brown, white) in a bowl and mix together with a mixer. Gradually add the eggs, flour and baking powder, which have already been mixed together, and vanilla. Mix well and add the chocolate chunks, which are folded into the mixture by hand. Using a spoon or other utensil, scoop out mounds of the mixture and add them to the baking tray lined with baking paper. As we pointed out in the article above, make sure that the mounds are evenly sized and that there is enough space between them. Bake our delicious biscuits in the oven for 15-20 minutes.