Salty sweet butter herb biscuits

Whenever I make these biscuits, my guests are always intrigued — the results are buttery with a delicate salty-sweet flavour which plays with your tastebuds when you eat them!”

Makes around 45 biscuits

Ingredients:

225g butter, softened

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp fine salt

½ tsp coarse sea salt (I like to use Maldon)

4 tbsp icing sugar

2 tbsp sugar

250g flour, sifted

50g cornflour

1 tbsp mixed herbs (such as finely chopped fresh rosemary and thyme leaves or ½ tsp oregano and 2 ½ tsp za’atar)

TOPPING

Water, for brushing Coarse sea salt Za’atar

METHOD:

Using a stand mixer with a K blade, mix together the butter and olive oil at medium speed for 2–3 minutes, scraping the sides as you do so.

Add in the fine and coarse salt, icing sugar and sugar and mix briefly.

Add in the flour, cornflour and herbs. Mix until the ingredients come together to form a soft dough. Wrap and chill for 3 hours. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place half of the chilled dough on a floured sheet of baking parchment and flatten to 5mm (around . in) thickness. Using a knife, cut the dough into 7 x 3cm rectangles.

At this stage the dough is very soft, so transfer the rectangles, still on the baking parchment on a tray, to the freezer for 15 minutes.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Line two large baking trays with parchment. Transfer the chilled biscuits to these large

Perfect for a pick-meup and a little bit different lined baking trays, making sure to space them well apart.

Lightly brush each biscuit with water and sprinkle over coarse sea salt and za’atar.

Bake the biscuits (in batches if need be) for around 15 minutes, until the edges are golden.

Cool and store in airtight containers, where they will keep for at least a week