Fork Cookies (or Fork Biscuits)

Fork biscuits are, according to the interwebs, a traditional English tea time treat. They are a butter cookie made with just three ingredients: butter, sugar, and self rising flour. They are crumbly and "sandy" in all of the right ways. They are also incredibly easy to make.

The dough is rolled into balls and then pressed down with a fork, the same way we make peanut butter cookies.

"Where is the salt?" you ask. So did I. You see, I do not live in one of the lands of self rising flour. Evidently self rising flour contains pastry flour, baking powder, and salt. Fortunately, you can make your own!

I also added the zest of a tangelo to give these cookies/biscuits a faint citrusy flavor. You can also make a chocolate version.

I found these cookies on Ros's blog, The More Than Occasional Baker. It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day, and I was assigned her blog, a chronicle of her passion for baking. It is filled with an amazing number of baked treats. If you love baking, you definitely need to spend some time on her site exploring all of the goodies.

Self Rising Flour

This makes enough for this recipe, plus a little left over. 

1 1/2 C (6 ounces) pastry flour (you can mix cake flour and all purpose flour if you can't find pastry flour)

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/8 tsp salt

Fork Biscuits

Makes 16 cookies. Ros adapted this recipe from Mary Berry.

Ingredients

4 ounces (one stick) unsalted butter, softened

50 grams sugar

The zest of one orange, tangelo, lemon, or tangerine

150 g self rising flour

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F and line one cookie/baking sheet with parchment.
2. Beat the butter until creamy and light. 
3. Slowly beat in the sugar and zest. 
4. Mix in the flour on low until just incorporated. Stir with a rubber spatula to finish blending. 
5. Scrape the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and form it into a rectangle or log. Cut into 16 equal pieces and roll them into balls. 
6. Press each ball down with a floured fork to flatten.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. 
8. Cool on a wire rack.