How to make
BUTTER BISCUITS
Oven - 360°F (180 degrees);
Flat tray covered with baking paper;
You need a mixer to work with.
Beat the butter and powdered sugar until a creamy mixture is obtained. The eggs are added and beaten, one at a time and after each one is absorbed by the mixture well enough, you can add the next one.
The flour, salt and baking powder are sifted directly in the bowl and everything is beaten on low speed with the mixer, until the flour is completely absorbed. The finished mixture is divided into two parts. The cocoa and coffee are added to one and almond flour and almond essence are added to the other. Beat the white mixture first with a mixer, remove it and add the brown mixture and mix well until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Work with a mixer and mix both mixtures in the same bowl.
The two doughs are wrapped separately in foil and left in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. The chilled dough is rolled out between two baking papers with a rolling pin. Roll them out into the thickness of your choice and if you roll it out thicker you will get softer biscuits and vice versa.
Cut them into the desired shape. Arrange them in the tray at a distance. Bake them at 180 degrees for no more than 8-9 minutes. Take them out, leave them in the tray for about 10 minutes and then leave them to cool on a wire rack.
ROYAL ICING
The powdered sugar is sifted through a sieve several times. Beat the egg whites with lemon juice with a wire whisk until a foamy mixture is obtained. Then pour into the bowl of the mixer and beat at low speed. When the foam starts to turn white, add the powdered sugar spoon by spoon. Beat until all of the sugar is absorbed into a thick and heavy mass. When the stirrers are raised, it should drip from them slowly and like a ribbon.
The glaze is made this way, which the frame of the biscuits are made with. It is suitable for sticking various elements to each other and fine decorations. For the inside of the sweets, a thinner glaze is prepared by adding very little water (drops), to reach the desired consistency. It should be thin, but easy to distribute, but also thick enough not to see through.
When working with royal icing (sugar glaze, egg white glaze) after the piping bag is filled, the other part of the bowl is immediately covered with a damp cloth/foil, because the top dries very quickly. It can be divided into several parts and food coloring of your choice can be added to each one.
When working with the icing, start of with putting constant pressure on the piping bag, which makes the glaze to come out slowly, smoothly and evenly. No pressure should be applied. When the boarder is made, a small part of a thinner glaze is applied and a stick is passed through them to form a marble glaze or some other patters. Words can be written with the thicker glaze and ornaments can be painted.
Once decorated, the biscuits are left to dry and the time depends on the thickness of the glaze.
Decorating biscuits is not an easy process. It takes calmness, composure, a good and precise hand, patience, because you'll work slowly, concentration and most of all romanticism for the biscuit maker.
This is not the first time I have tried to decorate biscuits, it can be said that it has been a variable success. I can't say that they are wonderful, rather acceptable, they are just painted on top. Although I provide myself with a good atmosphere, I have no patience and even less of a pinch of romance in my soul. However, I still try to decorate them and it's a really fun activity.
