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Biskut dahlia
Piped flower butter cookies
Piped flower-shaped butter cookies for Hari Raya
In the last days of Ramadan, Malaysian kitchens from Johor to Kedah turn into small factories of kuih raya, and biskut dahlia is one of the easiest and prettiest: soft buttery dough piped through a star nozzle into ruffled flowers, each with a bit of glacé cherry or a chocolate chip in the centre. They are crisp at the edges and tender inside, with a vanilla-milky flavour from custard powder and milk powder, and they fill the jars set out for open-house visitors at Hari Raya Aidilfitri. This version uses one egg yolk; for an eggless batch, replace it with 2 tablespoons of milk. Dough that is too stiff is the usual problem, as it will not go through the nozzle; beat the butter well and keep the kitchen warm. Chef's tip: chill the piped trays for 15 minutes before baking so the petals hold their sharp ridges.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the dough
- 7 oz unsalted buttersoftened
- 2 ½ oz icing sugar
- 1 egg yolkor 2 tbsp milk for eggless
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 7 oz plain flour
- 1 oz cornflour
- ⅔ oz custard powder
- ⅔ oz milk powder
To decorate
- 8 glacé cherriescut in small pieces; or chocolate chips
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Beat 7 oz unsalted butter and 2 ½ oz icing sugar for 4–5 minutes until very pale and fluffy. Beat in 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
5 minStep 2: Sift 7 oz plain flour, 1 oz cornflour, ⅔ oz custard powder and ⅔ oz milk powder over the butter and fold in until smooth; the dough should be soft enough to pipe.
Step 3: Line two trays with baking paper. Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a large open-star or dahlia nozzle and pipe 4 cm flowers, holding the bag upright and pulling away sharply. Leave 3 cm between them.
Step 4: Press a piece of 8 glacé cherries into the centre of each flower. Chill the trays for 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan).
15 minStep 5: Bake for 13–15 minutes, until the ridges and bases are light golden and the cookies are firm at the edges but still a little soft in the middle.
14 minStep 6: Cool on the trays for 5 minutes, then on a rack. Store airtight for up to three weeks.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 105 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does biskut dahlia take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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