KEY POINTS:
Nothing beats a good baking session. Homemade biscuits are a New Zealand tradition ... and they taste so much better than the bought variety
The well-thumbed and dog-eared copy of the Edmonds Cookbook says it all. I love baking.
Favourite recipes are tweaked, notes made to add a little something or remove an ingredient all together, baking can be a bit of an experiment depending on what is in the cupboard.
The only rule I insist on is to use butter, as margarine doesn't cut it - the flavour is all wrong and licking the bowl doesn't taste half as good.
In the chapter on biscuits in an old family cookbook from 1970, the Australian and New Zealand Complete Book of Cookery, I found a picture of the glamorous cookery editor surrounded by platters and jars of biscuits and became immediately intrigued by Maori Kisses.
A chocolate, date and walnut biscuit sandwiched together with sherry icing, it looks to be a scrummy little treat indeed.
The book goes on to say that biscuits of all types have always been popular with New Zealanders, and in the past the home cook has set a day aside to fill the cake and biscuit tins - "aahhh, if only, sorry, can't do a thing, today is baking day".
The thing to remember though is that, no matter how enticing each new ad for the most delectable, gooey and sinful biscuit creation of the month is, homemade biscuits end up tasting a bloody darn sight better.
CHEF'S TIP
After baking, cool biscuits on a wire rack. As soon as they are cold, before they can absorb any moisture from the air, transfer to an airtight container to retain their freshness.
