Hazelnut, Walnut and Apricot Wafer Biscuits

These biscuits are superb - very thin and crisp - perfect alongside a cup of tea or coffee, or to use as a scoop for ice cream. You can switch out the hazelnuts/walnuts/apricots to your favourite dried fruit and nuts :) Other spices could also work really nicely - my favourite just happens to be cinnamon :)

This recipe easily makes 50 biscuits. However, what I do is take the dough out of the freezer, slice enough biscuits to fill one or two trays and bake them. Then return the rest of the dough to the freezer! The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months so it is a great backup bake if you have guests over.

Keep the biscuits in an airtight container, and they will stay crisp for around a week.

Makes at least 50 biscuits.

Ingredients:

• 400g (2 & 2/3 cups) plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 100g (1/3 cup + 2 tbsp) butter
• 240g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) soft dark brown sugar
• 70ml water
• 75g (3/5 cup) hazelnuts
• 75g (3/5 cup) walnuts
• 100g (1/2 cup) dried apricots, chopped

Method:

1. Line the base and sides of a 1kg loaf tin with baking parchment or kitchen foil.

2. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt into a large mixing bowl.

3. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar and water, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly.

4. Pour the butter/sugar mixture into the flour mix, and stir in. Once no more flour speckles can be seen, add the hazelnuts, walnuts and dried apricots and stir in until evenly distributed.

5. Tip into the prepared loaf tin. Level the top, then cover and place in the freezer for at least an hour (or in the fridge for 3-4 hours). It needs to be cold enough to slice thinly, without being brittle.

6. Preheat the oven to 190c (170c fan)/375f/ gas mark 5. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.

7. Take the biscuit dough out of the tin and unwrap. Use a sharp knife to slice 1-2mm slices of biscuit, and place onto the baking trays. These won't spread too much, so only leave about 1cm in between.

8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before transferring to a box.