Brandy Biscuits
Brandy Biscuits
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| Yield: | 2-3 dozen biscuits, depending on shape |
Ingredients
Brandy Biscuits
- 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brandy (or apple juice)
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia
Vanilla glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- dash of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 tablespoons milk, to form a glaze consistency
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper or spritz with cooking spray.
Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds to incorporate. In a liquid measure blend the brandy (or apple juice), water, vegetable oil and Fiori Di Sicilia. Pour the liquid ingredients onto the dry and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes or until a soft dough forms.
Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes. Break off the dough in pieces, each about the size of a large walnut. Roll each piece into a rope. From here you may form rings, or simple coils and knots.
To form the crescent horns shown, take two ropes and gently twist one over the other about 4-5 times to form the twist. Curve the twist until the two ends nearly meet and place on the baking sheet with about 1 inch between biscuits. These do not spread much, so can be spaced fairly close together.
For the glaze, blend all ingredients in a small bowl to a medium thin consistency with no lumps. The glaze should be the consistency of heavy cream or melted ice cream.
Bake the biscuits for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. The interior of the biscuit should be quite dry at this point. Break open one biscuit to check the interior. If the biscuits still seem doughy inside, return to the oven for an additional 6-10 minutes or until done inside. Remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool.
When the biscuits are cooled, prepare the glaze and dip the top of each cookie to coat. Sprinkle with freshly grated orange zest or candied peel if desired.
Reviews
02/27/2012- I made these using apple juice instead of the brandy. The dough was excessively oily, so that I had to keep wiping down my hands and the countertop while shaping the cookies. I kept on going and baked for 50 + minutes. The cookies were still a bit chewy in the center. I'm thinking they might dry out more quickly with the alcohol than the apple juice. They tasted quite nice in the end, but if I make them again I would use less oil, a little less flavoring (it is quite strong), and allow for a much longer baking time.
11/20/2011- These are great. The texture is just right, and the brandy brings out the flavors in everything. As an added perk, they really smell good while baking. :)
- 02/27/2010
- reminds me of the cookies we had in my childhood, but less doughy. I added orange peel, grated. to glaze. Just sweet enough and they grown on you You can control sweetness by how much glaze you put on the cookie.
- 02/22/2010
- Here's a recipe for bakers who like to adapt to what's on hand and what sounds good! First, I had a bottle of Sno-Shoe, a blend of brandy and peppermint schnapps (scroll down to the bottom for a label photo and description: http://www.badgerwest.com/phillipcordials.shtml), so I used that instead of brandy. (The mint flavor didn't come through in the finished product, interestingly.) And, as I don't have a bottle of Fiori di Sicilia (yet!), I used a generous splash of vanilla extract and a single drop of food-grade orange essential oil in its place. (I'll try lemon oil next time -- again, another way this recipe is open for fun changes.) I did add a touch more oil in the mixing, as our cold, dry Wisconsin winter makes flour extra thirsty. As I was in a time crunch, I skipped the fancy shaping and simply rolled the dough into golf-ball-sized bits; in the future, I'll probably roll larger portions of dough into logs, then cut them into 1-2" lengths; this would make dipping and eating easier. (Don't get me wrong -- I love hand-shaped cookies -- I just don't always do it.) This method gave me over four dozen cookies, which benefit from a longer baking than one might think; they really do need a long bake to dry out, as they're not chemically leavened. Then, for the glaze, I had to double the amounts in the recipe; I used vanilla extract in the first batch and almond in the second. Again, many other flavors could be used here. All in all, a delicious, creative recipe. One could use part white whole wheat flour; a different type of booze; a strongly-flavored oil; another type of extract or essential oil to flavor both cookie and glaze. Cookie shapes are limited only by one's imagination, too. For me, the best part is how unsweet these are! I like sugar and all, but it's great not to be clubbed over the head with it sometimes. Thanks, KAF, for preserving an old, happy recipe!
- 02/21/2010
- I baked these cookies last night. I cut the recipe in half. I couldn't get the dough to stay together when I rolled it, so I worked in an egg yolk. I made tiny cookies, in spirals, crescents, and knots. ( I got 25 1" - 1 1/2" cookies). I had to add an extra 10 minutes to the bake time for them to be dry inside. I love the Fiori di Sicilia flavoring, but in the first cookies I tasted, it was overpowering. Next time I will use a tiny bit less. I think the cookies mellowed overnight, because today they are delicious. These are a dry, not sweet, Italian cookie. I think they are great, but I don't think everyone would agree.
- 02/19/2010
- How many biscuits will this receipe make?
this makes 2 to 3 dozen depending on their shape. mary @ KAF
