Cypriot almond biscuits

A Paul Hollywood recipe on a day I fancied almond biscuits with coffee. A match obviously made in heaven!

Serves: 40 biscuits.

Ingredients:

• 125g flaked almonds, toasted (plus extra to finish)
• 125g unsalted butter
• 185g sugar
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 2 tbsp milk
• 200g plain flour
• 25g cornflour
• icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Toasting nuts is quite a simple task. It involves dry frying them, mixing them regularly as they brown to avoid them burning. I could have toasted them less, judging by the picture in the book Paul surely did, but they got a very deep flavour this way which we like.
   
   
   
   
2. Blitz the 125g flaked almonds briefly in a food processor until coarsely ground - you want them to retain some texture.
   
3. Cream the butter until pale, then slowly add the sugar, creaming as you go, alternating with splashes of brandy, and then the milk. Keep going until everything is well combined.
   
4. Gently fold in the coarsely ground almonds, then sift over the flour and cornflour and mix gently. Use your hands to bring the mixture together into a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 min.
   
   
   
   
5. Take teaspoonfuls of the chilled dough, shape into balls with your hands and put them on non-stick trays (or lightly buttered trays). Flatten each a little, leaving some space between the biscuits to allow for spreading. Top each biscuit with a couple of flaked almonds.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Bake at 160°C for 20 min or until the biscuits are just firm to the touch but still quite pale.
7. Leave on the baking trays for a few minutes to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
   
8. Dust generously with icing sugar before serving.
   
9. Stored in an airtight tin, these biscuits will keep for 3-4 days. I would say 1 week, minimum.