Tea time: Lemon twist biscuits

Using extra virgin olive oil rather than butter means that these biscuits are wonderfully light and also dairy-free.

Lemon Twist Biscuits (makes: 25 biscuits)

Ingredients

• 2 cups of plain flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• A pinch of salt
• ¾ cup of Esporão Galega extra virgin olive oil (or a suitable alternative)
• 2 small lemons (zest and juice)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• Sugar to roll the biscuits in

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (slightly lower for fan oven) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt) in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil with the zest and juice of the lemons and the vanilla essence.

Pour this liquid mixture gradually into the flour mixture while stirring to create a dough.

Form the dough into small balls (as if you’re making cinnamon balls), roll them lightly in the sugar and place them on the baking tray, spaced well apart from each other.

Bake for 15 minutes, checking every so often until they are a golden colour. Allow to cool completely.

Esporão Galega extra virgin olive oil from Portugal is a fruity olive oil with hints of apple and hazelnut. Available at Fortnum & Mason in-store and online. esporao.com/en