Masak Masak Ala Emak

  Linzer cookies In its wildest dreams, a jammy dodger could never aspire to the melting tenderness and celestial lightness of the Linzer cookie. The idea is the same: two biscuits, sandwiched together with jam, a hole or small shape cut out of the top one, so that the jam glints beckoningly through. But the Linzer cookie is the extravagant Austrian Christmas version, the dough rich and short with ground toasted hazelnuts.

  Coconut biscuits These amaretti-style coconut biscuits are a perfect sweet treat – and also free from dairy and gluten. Ingredients 150g/5½oz ground almonds 75g/2¾oz desiccated coconut, plus extra for coating 150g/5½oz caster sugar ¼ tsp salt 100g/3½oz egg whites (see recipe tip) 2 tsp icing sugar, for dusting Recipe tips Method Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix together the ground almonds, desiccated coconut, sugar and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Spoon the egg whites into the dry ingredients and fold in gently until you have a thick paste. Pour the extra coconut into a shallow dish. Roll out 12 balls from the paste and roll each one in the coconut. Place the balls on the baking tray, approximately 2cm/¾in apart, as they will expand while cooking. Dust lightly with the icing sugar and bake for 18–24 minutes until the coconut starts to brown. Leave to cool completely on the t

  Lemon biscuits These zesty lemon sandwich biscuits will provide a great pick-me-up for any mid-afternoon slump. Ingredients For the biscuits 150g/5½oz salted butter, softened 85g/3oz caster sugar 1 lemon, zest only 1 large free-range egg yolk 280g/10oz plain flour 1 tbsp custard powder or cornflour For the filling 75g/2¾oz unsalted butter, softened 130g/4¾oz icing sugar 4 tbsp lemon curd Method To make the biscuits, use a stand mixer or electric hand-held whisk to cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together for 2–3 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the egg yolk and beat for another minute to combine. Tip in the flour and custard powder. Mix on a low speed until just combined and the mixture starts to clump. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a ball. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of baking paper and cover it with another sheet of baking paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle about 3–4 mm thick. Place the sheet of dough in the fridge to ch

  Biscoff cheesecake Indulgently rich, lightly spiced and not too sweet, this no-bake Biscoff cheesecake is surprisingly easy to make. Leave out the brandy if you prefer.