Clotted Cream Nutty Slices

The last time that we were in England, my husband and I visited my high school friend who was living there. Weather in England can be very much like Seattle, and no matter what the season, you should be ready for cool and wet weather. We were walking around the town one afternoon and it was just pouring rain. I was so soaked! We were looking for a respite from the rain and we happened upon a Carnegie library. I hadn’t realized they had Carnegie Libraries in the UK, but they do. We decided to stop in, take a look around, and dry off a bit.

I looked at the cookbooks while we were there and I came across this biscuit (cookie) book by one of the contestants from the Great British Bake-Off. I thumbed through it and knew it was a great book. I had taken a photo of one recipe, which I had made and posted a while ago. I didn’t find this book in the bookstore, and it wasn’t readily available through American booksellers. The other day I checked and I could get the e-book on iBooks! I was thrilled.

This is a slice and bake cookie, which are super convenient to make. They were originally called Fudgy Nut cookies, but they aren’t fudgy in the American sense. They contain chopped clotted cream fudge, which is like fudge with no chocolate. I bought some fudge at our local British store, but you could use chopped up caramels in a pinch. I used pecans (which are decidedly not British) but it’s the only nut that I had sufficient quantity. You cut some nuts finely and some coarsely, but they coarse nuts make these hard to slice. The fudge pieces to melt and become caramel on the baking sheet, but just think of that as rustic. They are super buttery, and I wonder how they would taste with hazelnuts (what the original recipe called for) and caramel. Maybe I will try that next.

Clotted Cream Nutty Slices

200 grams flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

125 grams butter, room temperature

125 grams light brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

175 grams toasted nuts (125 grams chopped, 50 grams finely chopped)

100 grams clotted cream fudge, chopped

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the butter, cut into small chunks, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla and stir on medium until the dough comes together. Add half of the chopped nuts and all of the finely chopped nuts, as well as half of the chopped fudge. Stir on medium until the dough comes together.

Shape the dough into a log, about 1-1/2” in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Slice the log into 1/3” slices and place on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the remaining chopped nuts and chopped fudge on the cookie slices, pressing the nuts and fudge into the dough.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cookies are browned along the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Biscuit by Miranda Gore Browne