I had a sudden memory of my mum making these Venetian cookies… and then I wondered if they were Viennese shortcakes, but I don’t think they were. These ones come from the G.E.C. cookery book which was published in 1961. Viennese shortcake have much more butter (9 oz very soft butter and 9oz plain flour with 2oz cornflour to 2 oz icing sugar – oh, and some vanilla extract) and are sandwiched together with butter cream and jam. Venetian cookies are much less buttery and use self-raising flour! I remember them as being very crumbly and delicious.
Venetian cookies
- 2 oz caster sugar
- 2 oz margarine (my mum always used Stork)
- 4 oz self-raising flour
- 1 small egg
- vanilla essence
- cream sugar and margarine and add vanilla
- beat in the egg and fold in the flour
- roll into small balls about the size of a walnut
- flatten, and sprinkle with sugar then make a pattern with the tines of a fork
- place apart on a greased tray
- bake at 375° F for about 15 mins
Lois Elsden 