Not only are these packaging free, they are a million times tastier than their shop bought counterparts!
Recently I made teeny tiny versions of these using my smallest cookie cutter, and packaged them up in jam jars for gifts - they went down a storm..!
This recipe is adapted from  “Let’s Bake” by Cathryn Dresser

For the biscuits

• 200g plain flour
• 75g custard powder (I have yet to find a plastic free version of custard powder, but I reckon the payoff of one tub for about a bazillion biscuits, vs a LOT of wrappers works out in my favour?) 
• 25g icing sugar
• 175g butter (I always use salted, but all the recipe books specify unsalted. Take your pick..!)
• +/- 1 tbsp milk (you might need this to get it to all come together into a dough)

For the icing

• 50g soft butter
• 150g icing sugar
• 1tbsp custard powder
• 1 tbsp milk

• Put the flour, custard powder, and icing sugar into a food processor, and blitz to get rid of any lumps
• Add the butter and whiz again until if comes together into a dough. If it’s not looking very dough like, add tsps of milk and keep whizzing until it does
• Tip out the dough, and shape it into a disc. Place the disc of dough in a freezer bag, and then in the fridge for about 20 minutes
• Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan, and line two baking sheets (I use the re-usable silicon liners)
• Take your dough out of the fridge and divide it into two equal-ish pieces (this just makes it easier to roll out)
• Lightly dust your work surface with flour, and then roll out the dough to about the thickness of a pound coin
• Cut out your biscuits-I used a plain circle cutter that was about 6cm diameter, but you can use any shape you like-Nigella does custard cream hearts in one of her books!
• Place them on the baking tray, and then bake for 8-10 minutes (adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your biscuits) until they are a ‘pale golden colour’
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack to cool completely
• To make the icing, combine the icing sugar, butter and custard powder, and mix (I use our kitchen aid). Add the milk, and mix well again until light and fluffy
• When the biscuits are completely cool, sandwich them together with the icing

What's your favourite shop bought biscuit?

Have you been able to find a recipe for a homemade version?

Do share in the comments!

This is a great bake and since I discovered the recipe I’ve been making a couple of these pretty much every week, (or double the recipe and stash a couple in the freezer).
It is great for an after school snack, or as a plastic free addition to lunchboxes and is delicious spread with butter. It’s also one of those bakes that just keeps getting better as it gets squishier and squishier if you can wait a day or two before tucking in.

The recipe is from one of my favourite cookbooks The Five O’Clock Apron by Claire Thomson, and the only thing I’ve added to it is a handful of raisins.

• 175g malt extract (I couldn’t find any in the supermarket, but did manage to track some down in Holland and Barratt)
• 85g dark muscovado/dark brown soft sugar
• 300g pitted dates
• 150ml hot black tea
• 2 large free range eggs
• 250g plain flour
• A good handful of raisins or sultanas
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

NB. I normally double this recipe and make four loaves at a time, as it's not really any extra work and then I can pop three loaves in the freezer for busy weeks when I don't have time for baking.

• Grease 2 (or 4)  450g loaf tins with a little sunflower or vegetable oil
• Pre-heat the oven to 150C
• Put the malt extract, sugar and dates into a bowl (I use the bowl of my food processor) and cover with the tea. Leave for 5 minutes to allow the dates to soften, and then whiz the whole lot up in a blender or food processor.
• Tip the whole lot into a bowl, add the eggs and stir well.
• Add the flour, baking powder and bicarb and stir again. I chuck in a good handful of raisins at this point.
• Divide the mix between the two loaf tins, and bake for 50 mins until firm and well risen. Double check by inserting a skewer into each loaf and seeing if it comes out clean.
• Allow to cool, before running a palate knife around the edge and tipping the loaves out onto a cooling rack.
• If you can bear it, wait a day before slicing and serving buttered

What are your 'go to's' for plastic free and zero waste

snacks or lunchbox additions?

Do share in the comments!