Ingredients:
80g plain flour
390g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
A pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
120ml freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon of rose water
180ml olive oil
1 teaspoon of sherry (optional)
Honey syrup:
125ml runny honey
50ml water
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line your baking trays with baking paper.
2. Sift the flours, spices and salt into a bowl. Tip these dry ingredients into a food processor with the butter and whizz until it resembles breadcrumbs. If you do not have a food processor, you can achieve this by rubbing the chilled butter into the flour using your fingertips until you achieve the same effect.
3. Add the orange zest, juice, rose water and gradually add the olive oil. Add the sherry if using. Combine and turn onto a floured surface to knead for approx 5 minutes. You could also do this in your food processor if you have a dough hook.
4. Take dessertspoon sized pieces of dough and either roll them into balls or shape them into crescent moons – or both. Place on baking trays and bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool slightly on the trays before dipping into the honey syrup.
5. To make the syrup, place the honey, water and spices in a small saucepan and heat. Stir until boiling, lower the heat a little and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes to thicken and intensify the flavour. Take off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
6. Using one biscuit at a time, gently dip the underside of it in the warm honey syrup. Place this on a spoon and with another dessert spoon, scoop up a little more of the syrup and drizzle it over the top to soak into the biscuit. Do this over the bowl so that any syrup not absorbed can flow back into the bowl and be used on the other biscuits.