How to make seeded savoury shortbread biscuits
Nigella seed-topped biscuits are the perfect mid-Christmas Day nibble to keep your guests' hunger at bay until the big finale
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Your support makes all the difference.Christmas is one long, extended nibble. From when we wake up to the moment we lay down to rest we’re eating. There are the main meals – Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas lunch and the medley of greatest hits that is Boxing Day.
But, in a desperate bid to consume the most calories possible, we graze throughout the day.
Chocolates nicked from the dish by the TV, rogue pieces of turkey as we do the dishes post-Christmas lunch, and the odd sausage roll because... well, just because.
You could be a Scrooge and fight it, but why bother? It’s a season to celebrate and what better way to do that than with lovely things to eat and drink?
This seeded shortbread is an excellent tool in the nibble kit. You can make the dough ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator. Roll them out, brush them with melted butter and dust them with a mix of seeds. The choice of seeds is up to you but sesame and Nigella are a winning combination. Add in some cumin, but not too much as it’s a strong one. Caraway, and even celery seeds, are a nice addition as well.
Set the biscuits out with some cheese, dried fruit and nuts and you’ll keep hunger at bay. The seed mixture will make more than you need but it’s just the thing to dress up roasted carrots or sprinkle over hummus or a salad.
Seeded savoury shortbread
Makes two dozen using a 5cm biscuit cutter
115g butter, softened, plus additional melted
50g light brown sugar
50g ground almonds
135g plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cupful of mixed seeds: nigella, sesame, cumin, caraway, celery
Preheat oven to 175°C. Cream the butter and sugar together. Stir in the ground almonds. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together then add to the creamed mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the flour and creamed mixtures together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Bring it together into a block, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about the depth of a pound coin. Use a small biscuit cutter or a glass and cut out rounds. Place the rounds on a baking tray lined with a silicone sheet or baking parchment. Brush each round with some of the melted butter and dust generously with the mixed seeds.
Bake in the oven for around 10 minutes until the biscuits turn golden brown. Leave the biscuits to cool on the pan for five minutes then remove them to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
@juliapleonard
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