When Christmas is around the corner, there are always a few mistakes in the kitchen when making biscuits. The dough can’t be rolled out properly, it sticks to the cookie cutter, the biscuits are too tough… Sound familiar? Help is at hand! In this article we show you how to avoid the most common mistakes when baking biscuits in order to create the perfect biscuits.
Problem No. 1: The dough is too crumbly
If your dough cracks when you roll it out, doesn’t hold together at all, or you can’t get it to shape properly to make Vanillekipferl, for example, it’s pretty frustrating. In this case, it helps to add some binding liquid. Egg white, egg yolk or 1-2 tablespoons of milk are ideal for this (alternatively, use plant-based milk). But be careful: it is better to add a little several times than too much at once. Work in carefully, but do not knead the complete dough again.
Problem no. 2: The dough is too sticky
Is your dough sticking to the cookie cutters or your rolling pin? Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, that works wonderfully! Some ground nuts, flour or sugar are also good anti-stick aids.
You can also dip cookie cutters in flour first, so that the dough doesn’t stick to them. With a brush, the traces of flour will magically disappear from the biscuits. ✨ You can then remove the dough from the work surface with a spatula.
Problem no. 3: The biscuits lose their shape while baking
This can particularly happen with butter biscuits. So make sure that your biscuits are still cool before you put them in the oven. To make this work (and because most of us don’t have a big enough fridge to hold a whole tray), you can divide the dough into portions. In this way, you can prepare the dough in portions while the other parts are still waiting in the fridge.
Problem No. 4: The icing is not sufficiently white
Have you made cinnamon stars, but the icing is more translucent than snow-white? Here’s our very simple trick: glaze the cinnamon stars only after baking!
Problem no. 5: Dry biscuits
Of course, this can be due to the biscuit recipe. But more often, the incorrect oven temperature is the cause of dry biscuits.
Fan-assisted or convection ovens dry out biscuits more, so try to bake them for fewer minutes. In addition, the oven setting for hot air must be 20 degrees lower than for top and bottom heat. (By the way, if there is no information about the oven setting, you should use top/bottom heat).
You should also bake your biscuits for 1-2 minutes less if the oven has been running for a while. By then it will be quite hot and more efficient due to a more constant oven temperature. (So only open the oven when you absolutely have to – that saves energy!)
Problem No. 6: What to do with leftovers?
Do you have leftover ingredients, a few packets are open and cookie cutters are lying around everywhere? Then look for another biscuit recipe where you can use your leftovers. You might have to adjust the quantities a little.
Or you can use them to make completely different dishes! With eggs, for example, you can make scrambled eggs or fried eggs. Or cook them and mix them into a salad, a sandwich, make an egg salad…
Problem no. 7: The biscuits become tough during storage
This can happen very quickly, especially with anise biscuits. It is best to put the latter in a freezer bag and store them in a biscuit tin with a lid. If they still get hard, you can put them outdoors, which will make them softer again. Or you can simply store them in the freezer and defrost them before eating.
For most biscuits, however, a closed biscuit tin is perfectly adequate. They should keep well for 2-3 weeks without becoming tough. Again, you can freeze your biscuits well wrapped for 1-2 months and then defrost them in portions as you need them. This is best done on a plate or cookie rack for about 30 minutes. The only exception is meringues: they should not be frozen.
And always remember: making biscuits should be fun! If you’re too stressed, get some fresh biscuits from Farmy – this way you can sit back, relax and enjoy the Christmas season.
What do you think?