RECIPES: JOHN WHAITE. FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS: CLARE WINFIELD. FOOD STYLING: JEN BEDLOE AND SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH. STYLING: VICTORIA ELDRIDGE
MAKES ABOUT 16. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN,
Make the dough up to a day ahead. The biscuits will keep for up to 2 days.
Flatten the dough into a disc about 2cm thick before chilling - you won’t need to roll it for as long. Make sure the dough stays cool - using short, sharp rolls will help prevent it breaking up. Lightly whisk the unused egg white with a pinch of salt, then freeze.
FOR THE DOUGH
• 175g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 40g light brown muscovado sugar, sifted
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 130g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
• 1 large free-range egg yolk (see tips)
TO FINISH
• 16 tsp (about 68g) rhubarb and ginger jam (we used Rosebud Preserves)
• 250g icing sugar
• Pink food colouring (optional)
YOU’LL ALSO NEED…
• 5.5cm round cookie cutter; 2 baking sheets lined with compostable baking paper
USEFUL TO HAVE…
• Dough scraper
1 To make the dough, put the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and toss. Rub in the butter until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and cut in with a dough scraper or butter knife until the mixture starts to clump together, then use the heel of your hand and fingers to bring it together into a smooth dough. Wrap, flatten into a disc, then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (see tips).
2 Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. On a well floured worktop, roll out the dough to about 5mm thick. Cut out with the cookie cutter, then re-roll any scraps and repeat. Put the discs on the baking sheets, spaced well apart. Bake for 8-12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Leave to cool on the sheets.
3 Take half the biscuits and turn them over. Add 1 tsp jam to each, then top with the remaining biscuits. Set on a wire rack.
4 For the icing, mix the icing sugar with water, 1 tbsp at a time, until you have a thick but pourable icing. If using food colouring, add just enough for it to blush. Pour the icing over the biscuits, letting it drip down the sides so it covers the biscuits (apart from the base, of course). Allow the icing to set before devouring.