National Biscuit Day!

Today (29th May) is national biscuit day, a chance to celebrate one of our favourite snacks and an excuse to eat lots of them!

To celebrate, we have put together some fun facts about biscuits and a biscuit recipe for you to make your own at home!

How did biscuits get their name?

The name biscuit comes from the Latin word ‘biscoctum’ which means twice cooked. It was named this because bread was cooked twice to extract all its moisture and then left to harden. This became known as the biscuit. As biscuits have little moisture they could be stored for months and so they were often part of the staple diet for sailors and soldiers.

What is Britain’s favourite biscuit?

McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Digestive continues to reign as Britain’s favourite biscuit. According to a YouGov survey the snack was rated the best biscuit by 81% of biscuit eaters!

Are Jaffa Cakes, Cakes or biscuits?

There are some who think Jaffa Cakes are cakes and some who believe they are biscuits. Well, we can now say Jaffa Cakes are in fact cakes! While their size and packaging would suggest they are biscuits, McVitie’s have responded to say that Jaffa Cakes are definitely cakes!

Not all good…

Biscuits are super yummy, but studies have shown that 25 million people have actually been injured by biscuits! The majority of people getting scalded when dunking their biscuits in their tea!

The most valuable biscuit?

A biscuit taken from the Titanic before it sank sold at auction for £15,000!! It was named the world’s most valuable biscuit! Another biscuit taken from the Titanic before she set sail was also sold for £3525! That’s two very expensive biscuits…

Would you rather?

Would you rather go on a date to a fancy restaurant or stay in with a cuppa and a biscuit?
Well studies have shown 83% of people would rather have tea and a biscuit than go out on a date! So you’re not the only one!

Biscuit obsessed?

On average households in Britain buy 96 packets of biscuits a year! This has worked out to Brits spending £500 a second on biscuits! That is pretty biscuit obsessed!

A Royal blessing

The Royals seem to be lovers of biscuits too! Prince William and Kate Middleton had their wedding cake made by McVitie’s! It was made from 1700 Rich Tea biscuits and 17kg of chocolate! That is a lot of biscuits…

Easy Biscuit Recipe

So, has this got you craving some biscuits? Well here’s an easy recipe for you to make your own!

Ingredients:

- 200g butter, softened

- 200g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 400g plain flour (+ extra for dusting the surface)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan oven/gas 6
2. Mix 200g softened butter with 200g caster sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. 
3. Add 1 egg and ½ tsp of vanilla extract and mix to combine the ingredients.
4. Sift over 400g plain flour and stir until the mixture is well combined 
5. Use your hands to give everything a good mix and press the dough together 
6. On a floured surface, roll out the mixture to the thickness of two £1 coins
7. Cut out shapes using a biscuit cutter or use the rim of a glass if you do not own a biscuit cutter and peel away the leftover dough around the edges
8. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 mins or until the edges are golden brown
9. Leave to cool for 5 mins 
10. Decorate as you please – with icing and sprinkles or whatever you wish! They are then ready to be eaten!

These will keep up to 3 days in a biscuit tin.