James Martin's easy biscuits taste as good as they look and make an ideal Valentine's Day gift
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:15 mins
- Cook:15 mins
- Easy
- Makes 14-16, depending on cutter
- Freezable (Biscuits can be frozen before adding jam)
Ingredients
- 100g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 50g cornflour
- 50g ground almonds
- 250g pack cold butter, cut into cubes
- 50g glacé cherries, finely chopped
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 8 tbsp cherry jam, sieved
Method
- STEP 1
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Sift the icing sugar, flour and cornflour together into a bowl. Stir in the ground almonds and butter, then rub in the butter until smooth. Stir in the chopped glacé cherries and almond extract, and bring together to form a dough.
- STEP 2
Roll out on a lightly floured surface, then stamp out biscuits using a heartshaped cutter. Keep re-rolling the trimmings until all the dough is used. Carefully transfer the biscuits to baking trays lined with parchment and bake for just 8-10 mins until just pale golden.
- STEP 3
Using an upturned bottle top or similar, press gently into the centre of each biscuit to make a round indent. Spoon in a little jam and return to the oven for 2 mins. Remove and cool on a wire rack, before dusting with icing sugar to serve.
