100g/¾ cup almonds
50g/½ cup shelled pistachios
300g/2¼ cups plain/all-purpose flour
200g/1 cup caster/superfine sugar
1tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
2–3 eggs
Zest of 2 clementines
1tbsp fennel seeds
50g/⅓ cup icing/confectioner’s sugar
These are brilliant biscuits to give away as gifts; they last longer than most baked goods, and are great to have around the house during the Christmas season, to pull out at a moment’s notice when people drop round for a coffee. They were borne out of a deep affection for the nuts and biscuits left out on Christmas Eve for the birds and squirrels in L. M. Boston’s The Children of Green Knowe. Fennel and clementine feel appropriately Christmassy, but you can replace them with other spices, or leave them plain.
Makes 24
1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan/425F/gas 7. Toast the almonds and pistachios in a dry pan. Don’t let them colour too much; you want them to take on a little gold.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Beat 2 of the eggs with the clementine zest, and pour this in, mixing with a wooden spoon. Knead the dough, adding some of the third egg if it is too dry; the dough should be workable, and not too sticky. Fold in the nuts and fennel seeds, ensuring they’re evenly distributed.
3. Divide the dough into 2 logs, and place on a baking sheet, at least 5cm/2in apart. They’ll be too wet to stay in a cylinder in the oven, so don’t worry when they start to spread out. Dust the tops with a layer of icing sugar. Transfer to the oven for 25 minutes.
4. Once the logs of dough are firm, and cooked inside (a skewer will come out clean), remove from the oven, and reduce the heat to 160C fan/350F/gas 4.
5. Allow them to cool only a little, until you can touch them, and then slice into finger-width pieces. Lay them out on a lined baking sheet, cut-side up. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn them over and give them a final 15 minutes. They should be crisp; perfect for dipping into coffee.