SHE’S one of our fave telly bakers, so we’re excited that Juliet Sears has a new cookbook out to satisfy our cravings for sweet treats.
And in even better news, her book Air Fryer Baking Magic (£20, HarperNonFiction) is stuffed full of bakes you can make in your air fryer!
Her meticulously tested recipes include showstopping celebration cakes, loafs, savoury bites and biscuits.
There are loads of baking tips and hacks to make your efforts go smoother than ever, too.
Juliet’s sharing three of her top treats for Fabulous readers, and you’ll probably recognise them.
Try your hand at making these three British classic biscuits instead of buying them off the shelf – you won’t regret it.
“These classic biscuits were named after Rodger The Dodger, a character from The Beano. He was known for always trying to avoid doing his homework, but I doubt he’d have dodged eating these tasty morsels!”
Makes: 10-12
Prep time: 20 mins, plus 20 mins chilling
Baking time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
*150g unsalted butter, softened
*70g caster sugar
*1/2tsp vanilla extract or bean paste
*1/4tsp sea salt
*240g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
*50g buttercream
*75g jam of your choice (raspberry is a classic)
Method:
1 Line a baking tray or air fryer basket with parchment paper, or use a silicone liner.
2 In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together for 1-2 minutes until creamy, or cream by hand with a wooden spoon. Add the salt to the flour and tip into the bowl, bringing it together to form a dough.
3 Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to 3-4mm thick, using guide sticks or rolling guides if you have them, so the biscuits are of an equal thickness. Cut out the biscuits using a 6-7cm round cutter. Place them on the tray, leaving space between them, and cut a small circle or heart out of the middle of half the cookies. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4 Preheat the air fryer to 170°C. Bake for 9-10 minutes until turning golden. If you need to crisp up the bases, turn them over for the last minute. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5 Put the buttercream in a piping bag cut with a small hole and pipe a ring around the outer edge of the whole cookies (the ones without a cut-out). Add a small dollop of jam to fill the middle. Sandwich with the cut-out biscuits.
6 They will keep for a few days in an airtight container. They can be frozen baked (unfilled) or as dough.
“Whenever I see a Bourbon biscuit it reminds me of my auntie, Naughty Brenda, one of my favourite people in the world!
“We used to visit her all the time, and she’d get out the biscuit tin for my kids when they were little – she always had bourbons!
“You can bake these and freeze half a batch if you wish and just sandwich them together once the biscuits are defrosted.”
Makes: 15
Prep time: 20 mins, plus 30 mins chilling
Baking time: 11 mins
Ingredients:
For the dough:
*125g unsalted butter, softened
*125g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
*2tbsp golden syrup
*1 medium egg, lightly beaten
*250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
*50g cocoa powder
*1tsp baking powder
For the filling:
*50g dark chocolate, chopped
*100g butter, softened
*150g icing sugar
*50g soft dark brown sugar
*1tsp milk
*20g cocoa powder
Method:
1 Start by making the dough. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy, then mix in the remaining ingredients and bring together as a dough.
2 Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out each piece on a sheet of parchment paper until you have two large sheets of cookie dough, about a 2mm thickness. Place each sheet on a baking tray, then refrigerate for about 15 minutes before cutting.
3 Using a 8x4cm rectangular cutter, cut out 30 rectangles and place them onto the prepared tray, leaving a small gap between each one. Re-roll the scraps to use up all the dough.
4 Use a fork or cocktail stick to make little indentations along the length of the biscuits, or use a Bourbon cutter, and return to the fridge for about 15 minutes to allow the dough to firm up.
5 Preheat the air fryer to 160°C. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Check the undersides and remove the paper to crisp up the bottoms or turn upside down for a further minute or so.
6 Remove from the air fryer and transfer to a cooling rack, sprinkling with extra caster sugar while still hot. The biscuits will keep for up to a week in an airtight container.
7 To make the filling, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie or in the microwave. Set aside to cool slightly.
8 Beat the butter in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until soft,
then gradually sift in the icing and brown sugars, beating until
you have a fluffy consistency (add a little milk to bring the mixture together, if necessary). Sift in the cocoa powder, pour in the melted chocolate and stir to combine.
9 Sandwich the cooled biscuits together with the chocolate filling. Use a piping bag to get a neat finish if you wish, otherwise just use a spoon and knife.
“This is one of Britain’s most iconic biscuits, and baking your own in the air fryer, with a silky custard filling, is next level.
“I chose a cutter with a pattern on for these, but you could just use a round or square cutter.”
Makes: 18-20
Prep time: 20 mins, plus 30 mins chilling
Baking time: 12 mins
Ingredients:
For the dough:
*200g butter, softened
*150g caster sugar
*1 medium egg
*1tsp vanilla extract or bean paste
*325g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
*50g custard powder
For the filling:
*65g unsalted butter, softened
*30g custard powder
*175g icing sugar
*1tsp vanilla extract or bean paste
*A little milk, to loosen
Method:
1 Line a tray with parchment paper, or use a silicone liner.
2 Start by making the dough. Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar, or cream by hand with a wooden spoon. Add the egg, vanilla, flour and custard powder, and form into a dough.
3 Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out the dough to a 4mm thickness. Refrigerate for 15 minutes (this will help you cut out neat biscuits that will hold their shape). Cut out the biscuits using a 7.5 x 4cm rectangular cutter. Chill for a further 15-30 minutes on the prepared baking tray.
4 Preheat the air fryer to 160°C. Bake for 9-12 minutes until turning golden and crisp at the edges, and firm to the touch. Turn them over for the last 1-2 minutes if needed to crisp up the bottoms. Allow to cool on the tray for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5 To make the filling, beat the butter until soft, then beat in the custard powder, icing sugar and vanilla. Loosen with a little milk so the filling is of a pipeable consistency. Pop into a piping bag or food bag, snip a hole and pipe the filling to cover half the biscuits on their underside. Sandwich together with a second biscuit.
6 They will keep for three days in an airtight container. The biscuits and dough can be frozen for up to a month, but it’s best to sandwich the biscuits together after defrosting.
