Monday, June 21, 2010

Hokey pokey disappointment

The sultana loaf really didn't last very long, so I had to find something else to make for my morning teas. Hokey pokey biscuits (p40) ended up on the menu for the simple reason that they didn't have any eggs in them. They did take my last dribble of milk, though - I'll have to do without milk for the next week, or make some up from milk powder if I need any in a recipe.


Hokey biscuits are pretty straightforward. You start by melting butter, golden syrup and sugar (substituting caster sugar, since I've used all my sugar) in a saucepan with a little milk. When this mixture has melted, you let it cool down then sift in the flour and baking soda.


This doesn't make a very big mix; you're supposed to get 22 biscuits out of it, but I only got 19 - even though I actually used a measuring spoon to scoop out my "tablespoon-sized" balls of dough. Never mind: 15 minutes in the oven and I had a tray of lovely golden biscuits.


Naturally I tasted one immediately. It was a bit of a disappointment really - you expect a hokey pokey flavour, but they don't taste of anything much. There's a faint hint of golden syrup, but actually the thing that makes these biscuits quite similar to (homemade) hokey pokey is the underlying taste of baking soda. It's not strong, but you can taste it.


So no, I won't bother making these again. still, while they're not great, they're also not awful. They'll see me through this week's morning teas - if nothing else, they'll be ok dipped in a mug of Milo!
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2 comments:

  1. BrynJune 22, 2010 at 12:02 PM

    Yeah, I agree. Liz and I made these from the Edmonds a while back, and they weren't near as good as I remember them being when I was a kid. I also think the measurements are wrong. I would be inclined to put more sugar and/or more golden syrup in next time. They were somewhat bland... but like you say, not awful :)

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  2. RobynJune 22, 2010 at 12:24 PM

    Hmm, looks like a little experimentation might be in order. I'd be inclined to up the golden syrup - it'd give a better hokey pokey flavour.

    I wonder if the older Edmonds books have a slightly different version? That would explain why you guys remember them being so much better than these ones!

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