Sand Cookies

Things are a little grey here, literally, metaphorically.

I woke to the sound of rain hitting the windowpanes and when I left the left the house, though the rain had stopped, the streets were wet and the sky overcast. M is off on another stint to Japan on Thursday, and though he'll be back before the end of the month, his impending departure for his year long stay there is looming, menacingly, at the end of the summer.

So, a photo of the Gladioli that are currently unfurling on my kitchen table and cheering the room up considerably, and a biscuit recipe that was passed to me some years ago by the lovely Anna. These are so simple to make that I have made two batches in the last few days alone, one to take to visit my Grandmother last Friday who has been unwell, and another on Sunday night just because.

If you use regular sugar rather than caster it will remain grainy as the biscuit bakes, giving them their name of 'Sand Cookies', however I used caster sugar both times (by accident and unthinkingly) and it worked just fine, but the name didn't really apply.

Sand Cookies, from Anna

90g cold, hard butter

125g self raising flour

60g sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C or Gas Mark 3/4

Mix all the ingredients together into a dough. It should be quite soft but not fall apart - if it does then just add a little more butter. Roll out then cut into biscuits. Place on greased baking tray in oven for 10-15 mins or until browning slightly.