Make ahead three-way biscuits

(Thanks to my sister for the photo!)

This is a Mary Berry recipe (with a few small changes to the method from me) and the biscuits she makes with her grandchildren. The dough is used for three kinds of biscuits here, chocolate chip, almond and lemon demerara. Or just choose one of those flavourings for all the dough (and increase the quantity of the flavourings accordingly). But if you don’t like the sound of any of those, why not add what you like?

You can prepare and keep the basic dough (before adding the flavourings) in the fridge for one or two days before baking too.

Equipment:

• Kitchen scales

• Baking sheets (2 or 3 if making all the flavours)

• Greaseproof paper

• Cling film or a large freezer bag

• Large bowl

• Electric whisk

• Measuring spoons

• Wire cooling rack

• Large plate

• Optional: Fork

• Optional: Citrus zester

• Optional: Bread board

For the basic dough:

• 175g softened butter (you can cut it into pieces and put it in warm water to soften, if you forget to take it out of the fridge)

• 75g caster sugar

• 175g plain flour (plus about 1 tablespoon extra for dusting the surface)

• 75g semolina

For the chocolate chip biscuits (using a third of the dough):

• 50g milk or plain chocolate chips

For the lemon biscuits (using a third of the dough):

• 1 teaspoon lemon extract (or 1 finely grated unwaxed lemon zest)

• 1 to 2 tablespoons of demerara sugar

For the almond biscuits (using a third of the dough):

• 1 teaspoon almond extract

• 40g flaked almonds

To make the dough:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160 fan/ Gas 4.

2. Line your baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

3. Put the butter, sugar, flour and semolina into the bowl and mix with the electric whisk until it forms a dough. If it stays in crumbs, use your hands to bring it together into a dough by gently squeezing it.

4. If you are making the dough ahead of time for baking later, now is the time to wrap it in cling film or a freezer bag and put it in the fridge.

5. Dust your clean worksurface or a bread board with about a tablespoon of flour. Put your dough on this surface.

6. Shape your dough into a rectangle and chop into three equal pieces (I weighed mine and they were around 160g each).

   For the chocolate chip biscuits:

7. Push the chocolate chips into one of the dough portions and form it into a circle shape.

8. If you want to make medium sized biscuits, cut your dough into about 8 pieces. If you want to make small biscuits, cut your dough into up to 20 pieces.

9. Shape the pieces into balls and put them on a baking tray, spaced well apart.

10. Push down slightly, either with your fingers or a fork.

11. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

12. Take out and leave to cool, ideally on a wire rack.

For the lemon biscuits:

1. If using the lemon extract, make a small depression/ well with your fingers in the second piece of dough and knead or squeeze in (or just knead in the lemon zest).

2. Roll the dough into a 20cm-ish long sausage shape.

3. Put the demerara sugar evenly on a large plate and roll the dough in it.

4. Wrap the dough in cling film or a large freezer bag and pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm and nearly frozen.

5. Take it out and slice into about 20 pieces.

6. Arrange on a baking tray, spaced well apart, and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until pale golden brown.

7. Take out the tray and cool on a wire rack.

For the almond biscuits:

1. Make a small depression/ well in the last piece of dough and knead or squeeze the almond extract in.

2. Add most of the flaked almonds and squeeze/ roll them in.

3. Form the dough into a circle shape and cut it into about 20 pieces (to make small biscuits).

4. Roll each piece into a small ball and arrange on a baking tray, spaced apart.

5. Place a few almond pieces on top of each biscuit and press down with your fingers or a fork.

6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden-brown.

7. Cool on a wire rack.