Tea drinkers of Aotearoa, your new favourite dunking bikkie is here.

There are several things I love about this recipe. The first is that they make a delicious dunking biscuit, the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea shared with friends. The second is that the recipe is a generous one and makes three trays of biscuits, filling a large cookie jar and many lunchboxes along the way. And lastly, the warming spices that flavour these biscuits are so wonderfully autumnal and will make you feel glad for the cooler weather and shortening days. That’s a whole lotta goodness in one little biscuit!

SPICED BISCUITS

Makes about 40

• 250g butter, cubed, softened
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 160°C on fan bake and line three trays with baking paper. 

Cream the butter and sugar with electric beaters (I do this in my food processor with the regular blade) until the mixture is pale, light and fluffy.

Add in the egg and beat again until well combined.

Add in the dry ingredients and beat/process again until just combined. 

Roll teaspoon-sized amounts of the dough into small balls and arrange on the trays. You may want to wet your hands from time to time as you go to stop the dough from sticking to your hands.

Using a wet fork (I wet mine again every second biscuit), press the balls flat. Put into the oven and cook for 15 minutes or until golden brown. You may need to rotate the trays and swap between racks as you go to ensure even cooking. 

Remove the biscuits from the oven and arrange on a cooling rack to cool. Store in an airtight container where they will last at least a week… though I can guarantee they will all disappear well before then!