I have been wanting to use ‘real’ ingredients for so long and one of them was vanilla beans. So last weekend along with some real safferon ($13.52 for a few strands..oh my goodness) I threw some vanilla beans into the shop. The pods were different to what I expected moist and sticky. So being the miser that I am once I spilt and scraped the seeds out I put the seed pod into a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar..yum!
Recipe is courtesy of Women’s Weekly cook it freeze it. I also halved the mixture and put in some chocolate bits just to try it…not bad. The ‘dough’ is like a biscuit crumb so rather than kneading its more like moulding so don’t freak out at the lack of moisture.
Vanilla Bean Butter biscuits
What you will need:
125g butter softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 1/4cup plain flour
How to:
1. place butter and sifted icing sugar in small bowl. Split vanilla bean; scrape seeds into bowl. Beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy; stir in sifted flour in two batches.
2. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth. Shape dough into a 25cm log. Enclose in plastic log and refrigerate for about 30 mins until firm.
3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease oven trays line with baking paper.
4. Cut log into 1cm slices. Bake around 12 minutes. Cool on trays.
Great for morning tea.
xx Deb
