Honey jumbles
Authors of 'Around the Table', Sophie Hansen and Annie Heron, invite you to take your tastebuds on a trip back to your childhood with this delightful baking recipe that's perfect for morning or afternoon tea.
The stuff of childhood nostalgia, these honey jumbles are such a favourite. They’re a simple melt-and-mix recipe, so are a good opportunity to get the kids involved in baking.
I’ve topped these with orange-flavoured icing, but you could stay with the classic option and do half pink and half white (in which case, just omit the orange juice and zest and use a little lemon juice for the white icing and a tiny drop of pink food colouring for the pink).
Edited extract from Around the Kitchen Table by Sophie Hansen and Annie Herron, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99.
Serves: 12
Prep time: 20 mins, plus 1 hour chilling
Cook time: 15 minute
Base
- ¼ cup (65g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (175g) honey
- ¼ cup (45g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1½ cups (225g) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- A pinch of ground cloves
- 1 Tbsp milk
Orange icing
- 1 egg white
- 1½ cups (185g) icing (confectioners’) sugar
- Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
- Combine the butter, honey, brown sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes or until the mixture has melted into a thick caramel. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Pour in the butter mixture and milk and stir until well combined. Cover the dough and pop it into the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll out one piece into a 15cm (6-inch) long sausage on a lightly floured surface. Cut the sausage into three pieces and flatten each into an oval shape. Place on the tray, leaving room for spreading. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake the biscuits for 8 to 10 minutes or until they have puffed up a little and are dry to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- For the icing, whisk the egg white in a small bowl until foamy. Sift in the icing sugar, then add the orange zest and juice, a little at a time, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon of icing onto each biscuit and gently spread to cover. Store the biscuits in an airtight container for up to a week.
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