I print recipes on a whim, to make during December, when time is on my side. But, last year I did not make many recipes, so I do not have that much ready to go. With that in mind, I am working my way through quick and easy recipes. This one for spiced almond biscuits comes from The Happy Foodie, and I changed it slightly to use what I had at home.
Skip ahead to the recipe for Spiced Almond Biscuits
Living with the wild
Living on the edge of a biosphere means we get to see many wild animals in our garden. Some, like our tortoises, were placed there with intention. And others, like snakes, are unwelcome guests. We have a semi-resident frog that delights in our pool, and which Dave has to keep catching and releasing before Holly gets to it. And then there are chameleons and geckos, the latter of which are plentiful. In 2020, when the world went into lockdown, an owl decided to nest close to our bedroom at night. I have not seen it, but I can hear the call most evenings. And then a harrier hawk joined the fray. It feeds on eggs from other birds nests, and preys on pigeons, sparrows and squirrels. The latter of which we do not get in Gordons Bay. Hopefully, it leaves our owl alone!
The chorus at night
The evening after the hawk was spotted near our house, I was kept awake by the owl hooting through most of the night. Usually it does not bother me, but it was quite vocal for hours. This normally sets Holly off, who will then go outside and bark at it. But Dave was quite firm in telling her to stay inside. However, someone else’s dog did not get the memo, and it barked non stop for hours, long after the owl had gone silent. I will not mind the owl hooting while the hawk is around. And I also enjoy the sound of the frogs as dusk sets in. The only noise I cannot abide is that of the mosquitoes, which have been relentless this summer. Are there night noises where you live, and if so, what from, and do you enjoy them?
Take a look at this inspiring recipe for ♥ Spiced Almond Biscuits ♥ from Lavender and Lime #LavenderAndLime Share on X
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Spiced Almond Biscuits
Ingredients
- 150 g flour,
- 120 g xylitol
- 50 g almond flour
- 7.5 mls ground cinnamon
- 2.5 mls bicarbonate of soda
- 1.25 mls ground cloves
- 1.25 mls ground nutmeg
- 125 g salted butter, softened, and cubed
- 1 egg
- milk for glazing
- 50 g slivered almonds
Method
- Place the flour, xylitol, almond flour, cinnamon. bicarbonate of soda, cloves and nutmeg into a stand mixer bowl
- Whisk to combine, then add the butter and mix with the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
- Add the egg and mix until a dough forms
- Roll the dough out into 15g balls, and place onto a lined baking tray, spaced apart
- Flatten with your fingers until 5mm thick, then place the baking tray into the fridge for 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 190° Celsius
- Remove the baking tray from the fridge, brush the tops of the biscuits with milk, and scatter the almonds on top
- Gently press them into the dough to make sure they stick
- Place the baking tray into the oven and bake for 15 minutes
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and leave the biscuits to cool on the tray for 1 minute before placing onto a wire rack to cool completely
- Store in an airtight container for up to one month
See the links below for blog posts I published on May 21:
- 2024: Chestnut Chocolate Ganache
- 2021: Tea Biscuits
- 2018: Blueberry Angel Food Cake
- 2017: True Faith And Allegiance
- 2015: Pistachio Gelato
- 2014: Brunch Ideas
- 2013: Fig Jam
- 2012: Lemon Garlic Linguine With Prawns
- 2011: Food Quiz Number 53 For A Friday
- 2010: Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Such a lovely little treat. Almonds always make me think of my mom, who’s a big fan. I don’t keep xylitol in the house out of an abundance of caution for Luka, but it’s nice that there are so many alternatives now for those who can’t have sugar.
I also don’t like to have it because of Holly, but it was all I could get last December, so I just be very careful!
We keep our windows closed at night so I usually don’t hear any outside noises. A barking dog , I might hear. I don’t have any owls that live near our house although I know there are some in vicinity but I’ve never seen one. I like spice cookies and your recipe looks easy. I’ve never tried baking with xylitol.
Xylitol is always my second choice, but that as all I could get last December 🙂
Delicious. I love the sounds of summer! We have birds wake us up every morning.
such a lovely sound to be woken up to 🙂
That’s pretty cool to live so many different wild animals around. The wildest animal we have in my neighbourhood is rabbit :-))
Those spiced nutty cookies look fantastic!
We have lots of rabbits in the park close to where we live – but they never come into our garden 🙂
Such a lovely bake, Tandy! I love those warm spices and almonds together – these biscuits sound absolutely perfect with tea or coffee.
Thanks for saying that!
living in the sub-tropics we have a lot of animals around us including fruit bats and birds and very very loud possums! who love to run across our roof at night with hob-nailed boots on – hehehe… Love an almond biscuit!
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
I am not sure that roof noise would be something I would like! We have birds that slide down the roof during the day, and the screeching sound is awful 😉
I very much like the ingredients and look of your biscuits . . . and have reread the number of your home’s outdoor inhabitants more than once 🙂 ! Love the sound of the tortoise and the frog and definitely the owl. Remember there being one atop my childhood home – when he hooted, I could go to sleep in peace – I knew he was looking after me !
Somehow, the owl hoot is peaceful!
Hi Tandy, these biscuits sound great. I like making biscuits. We get a lot of birds in our garden due to the close proximity of Delta Park. We get the odd owl visitor and have three permanent hadedas, Eleanor, Edward and Elsebe, three return weavers, and lots of overfed fat grey loeries.
The loeries must be amazing to have in the garden – my dad has a few as well, and the hadedas of course 😉
I am a big fan of spice in bakes and this is a perfect cookie for me to try.
I hope you enjoy them 🙂