Bitifoor (Sudanese Eid butter biscuits)
Bitifoor: crumbly piped butter biscuits baked by the trayful before Eid in Khartoum
During the last days of Ramadan, Khartoum neighbourhoods smell of butter and vanilla as women bake bitifoor, the piped biscuits whose name comes from the French petit four, for the Eid visits that follow. They are piped into rosettes, fingers and swirls, sometimes topped with a piece of glacé cherry or dipped in chocolate, and arranged on platters with ka'ak and sweets for guests. The texture is melt-in-the-mouth, short and delicate. Over-soft butter is the classic mistake, giving biscuits that spread into flat puddles; use butter soft enough to dent, not oily, and chill the piped trays for 15 minutes. Chef's tip: a little cornflour in the flour keeps them extra tender and crisp.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- 9 oz unsalted buttersoftened
- 3 ½ oz icing sugar
- 1 eggat room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 10 oz plain flour
- 1 ⅜ oz cornflour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
To decorate
- 1 ¾ oz glacé cherries (optional)quartered
- 3 ½ oz dark chocolate (optional)melted, for dipping
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Step 2: Beat the 9 oz unsalted butter and 3 ½ oz icing sugar for 4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the 1 egg and 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract.
4 minStep 3: Sift in the 10 oz plain flour, 1 ⅜ oz cornflour, ½ tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt and mix on low just until a soft, smooth dough forms. Do not overmix.
Step 4: Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large open-star nozzle and pipe rosettes or 6 cm fingers onto the trays, 3 cm apart. Press a piece of 1 ¾ oz glacé cherries into the centre of some. Chill the trays for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 5: Bake one tray at a time for 12–14 minutes, until firm with pale golden edges. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then on a rack; they crisp up as they cool.
28 minStep 6: Dip the ends of some fingers in the 3 ½ oz dark chocolate and leave to set. Store in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bitifoor (Sudanese Eid butter biscuits) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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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