Come and view this post on my new page: Red Hill Recipes
When I met Lincoln in August 1996, his favorite biscuits (‘cookies’ to non-Australians) were Coffee Scrolls: A crunchy cinnamon flavoured bit of loveliness with a big pink dot of hard icing on top. I can’t remember which company made them (Arnotts maybe?) but I loved them too. They really were just so perfect with coffee.
I can’t remember the exact time frame, but it would only have been a couple of years later that they disappeared from shop shelves, never to be seen again. A great mystery, to be sure, and an indubitable tragedy which has often been lamented at our house.
Anyway, we are in penny-pinching mode at the moment (I believe that's a common side effect of building a house!), and it is Valentines Day today. Well, actually it’s tomorrow, but Lincoln is going to be away then, so we are having ours a day early. And instead of spending money on my honey this year, I shall attempt to recreate his old favorite biscuit. Coffee Scrolls (fructose free, of course), complete with a big pink dot of icing. Is that romantic enough? Happy Valentines Darling! (Excuse me while I go sample a few...)
Coffee Scrolls
This recipe makes 70 or so.
Ingredients
1 cup (250 gr) butter
1/2 cup (150 gr) glucose syrup
1/2 tsp pure non-bitter stevia powder
2 tsp bicarb soda/baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
2 1/2 cups (370gr) plain/all purpose flour
Icing
1 cup (170 gr) dextrose
3 Tbsp water
1 tsp coconut flour (corn or wheat flour would work here too, but I like coconut)
big pinch cinnamon
a few drops of pink food colouring (optional - but obviously the icing dot won't be pink without)
Directions
1. Add butter, glucose syrup, stevia, bicarb soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger to a mixing bowl. Blend until smooth.
2. Add flour and combine. This is a thick dough, so a wimpy mixer might struggle. If so, just incorporate the flour by hand (rather than wreck your mixer).
3. Split the dough in two, and shape each lump into a long even log, about 28cm long and 4cm in diameter (11 inches long with 1 1/2 inch diameter).
4. Roll dough logs up in cling/plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour or more (till firm).
5. While the dough is chilling, make the icing. Add the icing ingredients to a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly to break up any lumps of coconut flour. Allow it to boil briefly, then remove from heat and let it cool.
6. Take one log out of the fridge, and using a piece of dental floss, cut 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick slices, and place rounds on a baking/parchment paper lined cookie sheet. If the dough is really hard, a sharp knife may work better. You don't need to leave much room between, these don't spread much. Repeat with the second dough log.
7. Bake at 160C (320F) for 15-18 minutes, turning cookie sheet around half way through.
8. Let cool on a rack, then add the very important big pink dot of icing to the middle. I used a little teaspoon, put a dab of icing on, then spread it around a bit. If the icing has gotten too hard to spread, just warm it a little on the stove, and it will melt again (I had to do that several times, it's much easier to get a smooth dot when the icing is a bit runny). Allow the icing to set.
