Biscuits can be sweet or savoury but the latter are much more versatile with endless pairing possibilities.
From sweet chutney to creamy cheese or a slathering of butter, the toppings range far and wide for those with a more salty palette.
Sharing the recipe from her BBC Two show, Mary Berry – Love to Cook, the chef described the biscuits as “a sort of savoury shortbread” that “melt in the mouth”.
She added that they are “so moreish” and the perfect recipe for when there’s leftover walnuts in the cupboard, though any nuts pair well with the cheese.
Mary’s recipe is quick to make too, with just one hour needed to prepare and cook the biscuits.
Method
This all-in-one recipe is so quick to make, particularly if you have a food processor. Start by adding all of the ingredients, apart from the poppy seeds, to the food processor or blender.
Season generously with salt and pepper then blitz until everything is well combined into a dough.
If you don’t have a food processor, start by adding the diced butter and flour to a mixing bowl and rub between the fingertips to a fine crumb.
Add the semolina, mustard powder, egg white, salt and pepper, and stir everything together to form a smooth dough. Add the chopped walnuts or other nuts if using, then combine into the mixture so they’re evenly distributed.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll the dough into a cigar shape about 12cm long and 3cm wide.
Sprinkle the poppy seeds over so they get rolled into the dough, then carefully wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ Gas 6, then line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Cut the dough into 20 thin slices and arrange onto the tray.
Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes, or until pale golden and just firm in the middle. Remove the biscuits from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool down completely.
