Making three different kinds of biscuit at once is much easier than it seems, thanks to Mary Berry’s straightforward recipe.
In fact, the legendary baker is said to use this recipe from Mary Berry’s Absolute Favourites to bake plenty of biscuits when her grandchildren visit.
Not only is the dough versatile, but it can also be frozen for later use or stored in the fridge for up to two days, making it perfect for spontaneous baking sessions or when you want to prepare treats in advance.
According to BBC Food, you can freeze the log of lemon cookie dough beforehand to achieve perfectly round biscuits.
If made as per instructions, this recipe produces 20 of each variety, and cooks in as little as 10 minutes.
Mary Berry’s three-way biscuit recipe
Ingredients
For the biscuit dough
- 175g/6oz butter, softened
- 75g/2½oz caster sugar
- 175g/6oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 75g/2½oz semolina
For the chocolate chip biscuits
- 50g/1¾oz milk or plain chocolate chips
For the lemon biscuits
- One lemon, finely grated zest only
- One or two tbsp demerara sugar
For the almond biscuits
- One tsp almond extract
- 40g/1½oz flaked almonds
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan ovens) or Gas Mark 4. Prepare three baking trays by lining them with parchment paper.
To create the biscuit dough, combine the butter, sugar, flour, and semolina in a bowl using an electric mixer until a soft dough forms, being careful not to overmix.
Alternatively, you can mix the butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon until creamy, then incorporate the flour and semolina. Divide the dough into three equal portions, dust your work surface with flour, and knead each batch.
For the chocolate chip biscuits, mix chocolate chips into one portion of dough, roll the mixture into 20 balls, and space them out on one of the prepared trays. Flatten each ball with a fork to create discs about five centimetres (two inches) wide, then bake for 10 minutes or until they are golden-brown.
For the lemon biscuits, incorporate lemon zest into the second portion of dough. Shape it into a long log (approximately 20 cm or eight inches in length) and coat it in demerara sugar.
Wrap it in cling film and place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes until firm. Slice the log into 20 rounds, each roughly one-centimetre (½ inch) thick. Arrange them on a baking tray with space between each piece and bake for about 10 minutes, or until they are lightly golden.
For the almond biscuits, mix almond extract and most of the flaked almonds into the final dough portion. Roll this dough into 20 small balls and place them on the third baking tray, spacing them out.
Top each ball with a few flaked almonds and flatten them with a fork to form discs about five-centimetres (two inches) wide. Bake for around 10 minutes, or until they are golden-brown.
