St Catherine Cakes for Non-Smug Snacks.

I'm going through a bit of a biscuit thang at the mo. I could be aaaawfully smug and tell you that it's because I'm adding more and more miles to my running scedge at the mo which makes snacking kind of mandatory and, well duuuh, biscuits are the perfect snack...but I'm afraid I'd be lying.

 

Not about the adding of miles, but about the running more thing leading to the more biscuits thing. Nono, if I were being proper-runner-smug about it I would tell you about all the biscuits I'm NOT eating and all the raw almonds and dates I'm getting through (lies). Sooo yes, it's not the runnyrun thing at all, but the coldycold thing, and the darkydark. Some days it feels like it's getting dark AT LUNCH TIME up here...get me out. 

And all this coldyness and darkyness means hot drinkyness....soso much tea. And what goes better with so much tea than so many biscuits. You see. Afternoon time, about 3 o clock, when it feels like PJ time is just around the corner...uh, what am I saying?...when PJ time is just around the corner, it's time for tea (or sweetsweet frothy coffee) and a treat or two to see you through those dark hours ahead.

Not something overly ingulgent with goo or squidge, but a nice sturdy bite that can be dunked, or not, and if it's cinnamony, all the better. So following on from my new friend the Snickerdoodle, which fulfilled the same requirement, I give you St Catherine Cakes. Not cakes so much though, as shortbready spirals with a crunchy sugar coating....mymy it is a good job I'm doing all those miles. With Love and Cake.

St Catherine's Cakes.

From Hamlyn Teatime Favourites

A few notes:

• I made this in my food processor, up until the point at which you add the currants...if you don't have one, just sift the flour etc into a big bowl and rub the butter in with you finger tips.
• The dough is fairly crumbly and dry, that's ok, it shouldn't need too much rolling out anyway, so don't be tempted to add any more liquid to make it come together better, the dry crumbly dough means a lovely short biscuit.
• These spread out a lot in the oven, so you might find it best to bake in 2 batches, as I did.

Makes about 24

You will need

A lined baking sheet

350g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp cinnamon

25g ground almonds

225g caster sugar

225g butter

50g currants

1 egg, lightly beaten

25g granulated or demerara sugar

• Preheat the oven to 200°c.
• Pulse the flour, bicarb, cinnamon, ground almonds and caster sugar in a food processor.
• Add the butter and whizz until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
• Tip this mixture into a large bowl and stir through the currants.
• Add the egg and bring everything together to form a dough.
• Transfer to a floured surface and roll out to a rectangle; about 30cm x 20cm.
• Brush the rectangle all over with water and sprinkle over the remaining sugar.
• Cut the rectangle into strips of about 1cm x 20cm.
• Coil up each strip so you have a spiral and place each spiral onto your baking sheet leaving plenty of space between each one.
• Bake for around 15 minutes until golden, and then leave on the baking tray for a few minutes to firm up.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely or pop straight next to your cup of tea.