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Lancashire Nuts

Biscuits : Cakes
Lancashire

Very small, low-bake, white wheatflour sweet biscuits, or scones, made to form a very open texture with the addition of cornflour, rice flour or similar. Formed into balls and flattened before baking. Served sandwiched with jam, etc.

(The term 'Lancashire Nuts' also refers to a small-sized form of prepared coal, much used by blacksmiths.)


Lancashire Nuts
Image: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk



Original Receipt from Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser - Wednesday 24 January 1934

LANCASHIRE NUTS. A quarter-pound of flour, the same quantity of butter and sugar, and cornflour, half-a teaspoonful of baking powder, one egg and some lemon curd. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the beaten egg, and the flour sifted with baking powder, alternately. Shape into small round balls of equal size, flatten a little, and bake in a hot oven. When cold, put two together with lemon curd between them, and dust with castor sugar.


Despite the name, Lancashire Nuts seems to have had a particular popularity in Scotland, and appear frequently in Scots newspaper recipe columns...


Original Receipt from the 'Aberdeen Journal'- Wednesday 20 October 1948

To-day's Recipes By ELSPETH STUART
New and Novel Lancashire Nuts, adapted to present-day conditions.

Cream together 3 oz. margarine and 2 oz sugar. Work in the following. 2 oz. self-raising flour 2 oz. semolina, 2 oz. custard powder. Flavour as desired. Shape into balls as for perkins, place on a greased baking tray and bake 15-20 mins., till pale straw colour, in moderately hot oven.



Although now rare, or extinct, in Lancashire, we're informed by @amiraspantry of their continuing popularity - in a refined form - in Egypt and the Arab-speaking world; "For the Eid we prepare lots of cookies like Kahk, betefour, Ghorayeba and this Lancashire cookies. Lancashire cookies originated in the UK and seems it traveled to Egypt during the British occupation period and although I do not like occupations or whatever comes with it, I like these cookies so much that I might forgive a year or two of their 74 years of occupation :)."


Lancashire Cookies for Eid
Image: amiraspantry.com



Highly refined Lancashire Nuts for Eid
Image: Unknown







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