Eggless Tutti-fruity Biscuits

Tutti-fruity is something that is associated with every 80s, 90s born kid.I remember the tutti-fruity cakes we used to get in our school canteen. We also used to get some tutti-fruity biscuits from our favourite local bakery. They were not just visually attractive, but delicious as well....aahhh!!! those were the days!!!! This recipe that I am sharing today, is eggless, as well as without any Baking powder or soda. And believe me, baking powder/soda will not be missed in these scrumptious biscuits. They are flaky, crispy, light and buttery, even without those raising agents. Just follow my recipe EXACTLY, and you won't mess up, I promise (See the Important Tips at the end of the post)!!

This recipe can be doubled without any problems. But it cannot be scaled 3-4 or more times, to make a bigger batch. As it's eggless, the texture and taste will be compromised if you scale it up by more than 2 times. Please bear this in mind.

Yield: 20 cookies

Pre-preparation: Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Ingredients:

100 g Unsalted butter (COLD and cut into cubes)

80 g Caster sugar

Scant 1/8 tsp Salt

1 tsp Orange extract

1 tsp Orange zest

150 g All purpose flour

10 g Cornstarch

20 g Custard powder

75 g Tutti-fruity

Method:

1) Sift together all-purpose flour, cornstarch and custard powder;

2) Whip together cold butter and sugar, till it turns white and becomes extremely fluffy;

3) Pop in the extract, zest and flour mix in this butter mixture and mix it in with a spatula. Add in the Tutti-fruity. The mixture will be crumbly. But if you try to roll it into a ball with your hands, it will bind together in the form of a dough. Don't knead it as the heat from your hands will start melting the butter. We need to keep the dough cold. If the dough starts becoming shiny and starts glistening while you are mixing it, just keep it in the fridge for 15 minutes;

4) Use your hands to just roll the dough into a ball and cover and keep it in the fridge for 15 minutes;

5) After 15 minutes, take the dough out from fridge and roll it into a log of 6 cm diameter. Cover with parchment paper and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm it up for easy slicing. If you're not comfortable rolling it into a log, you can roll it flat into 1/2 inch thick sheet (keep the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper/aluminium foil, and use your rolling pin to flatten it and roll it into a sheet). Then you can use your cookie cutters to cut shapes out of it. But before cutting, place your dough sheet on a flat tray/plate and keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes. REMEMBER, WE HAVE TO KEEP THE DOUGH CHILLED AT ALL TIMES;

6) Take the log out of fridge and cut it into 1/2 inch thick slices. If you have rolled into sheet, use your cookie cutters to cut shapes and place them on your lined cookie sheets. Put the cookie sheets in the fridge while you pre-heat your oven to 180°C (160°C for convection/fan ovens) for 15-20 minutes 

7) When the pre-heating is finished, take the cookie sheets out of the fridge and bake the biscuitss at lower rack @ 180°C (160°C for convection/fan ovens) for 15-18 minutes. Check the biscuits after 15 minutes. If the sides and top of the biscuits feel firm and set, switch off the oven and take the cookie sheets out. If they're not firm, continue baking for 3-4 minutes more and then check again. When the biscuits are done, take the cookie sheets out of oven and leave the biscuits on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes. Then take them out on a cooling rack to cool down completely before packing in an airtight container. These stay good for 15 days in a cool dry place when packed in an airtight container.

Important tip: 1) The quality of your butter will affect the taste and texture of your biscuits, as butter is the main ingredient here. So go for pure high quality butter, with high fat content. 

2) Remember to keep the dough chilled at all times. If you are making these in a hot room, like kitchen, keep popping the dough in fridge very frequently. This makes it easy to work with the dough, otherwise your dough will keep crumbling away.

3) Do Not skimp on beating the butter. You REALLY need to beat it till light and fluffy, to ensure your cookies are light.

 Your biscuits are ready!!!! Munch on😋😋

Happy baking, till next time👋🏻Byeee!!