Ingredients:

12 oz Plain Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

pinch of salt

6 oz Caster Sugar

4 oz Ground Almonds

10 oz Butter (or margarine)

1/2 tsp Almond Essence

Whole Blanched Almonds to decorate

Method:

Place all dry ingredients into a bowl and combine briefly.

Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs - just as you would to make pastry.

Add Almond essence and mix well to obtain a still dough.

Roll out thinly and cut into rounds (or any shape you wish and have a cutter for).

Place biscuits on a baking tray covered with baking parchment (or well greased).

Gather together the excess dough and re-roll and then cut more biscuits.

Repeat until all dough used.

Gently press a whole blanched almond into the centre of each biscuit.

Bake at Gas Mark 4 for 15 minutes until pale golden.

If using a 3” round cutter this mixture makes about 2 dozen biscuits.