How I Bake the Perfect, Crispy Timorese Ladder Biscuits

If you're looking for a unique and utterly captivating cookie to bake, you've found it. With their rich, buttery flavor and subtle sweetness, they are the perfect treat to enjoy with an afternoon coffee or tea. The almonds give them a nice nutty flavor and the fennel seeds give a distinct licorice touch. These cookies never fail to impress!

This recipe was developed by Subtle Asian Baking members Otilia Li and Yalang Enke.

Happy Baking! - Sharon Hsu (@sparklecakerie)

How To Store

The Golden Rule: Keep Them Airtight and Dry

The enemy of these biscuits is moisture, which will make them soft/stale instead of crisp and snap-able.

Short-Term Storage (Up to 1-2 Weeks)

1. Cool Completely: This is the most important first step. Let the biscuits cool to room temperature on a wire rack after baking. Trapped heat will create steam and ruin their crispness.

2. Airtight Container: Place the completely cooled biscuits in a rigid, airtight container. A glass or plastic Tupperware-style container is perfect.

3. Parchment Paper Layers: If you need to stack them, place a sheet of parchment paper between each layer to prevent them from scratching each other.

4. Cool, Dry Place: Store the container in a cool spot away from the stove, oven, or direct sunlight.

For Longer-Term Storage (Up to a Month)

For the best texture over a longer period, the freezer is your best friend.

1. Freeze: First, lay the cooled biscuits in a single layer on a baking sheet or freezer-safe tray.

2. Freeze Until Solid: Place the entire tray in the freezer for about 1-2 hours. This freezing step prevents them from sticking together.

3. Transfer to Airtight Container: Once frozen solid, transfer the biscuits into a heavy-duty freezer bag or a freezer-safe airtight container and store in freezer.

To Thaw: Simply take out the number you need and let them sit at room temperature in the open air for a few minutes. They will "defrost" almost instantly and regain their crisp texture.

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Timorese Ladder Biscuit

Yield

45 to 60 biscuits, depending on size

Author

Yalang Enke and Otilia Li

Prep time

35 Min

Cook time

15 Min

Total time

50 Min

The Timorese ladder biscuit is a delicious crisp biscuit infused with a nutty, Lum Ying / almond texture and licorice flavor. The ladder biscuit received its name due to the crimp shape, making it seem like a step ladder or a ladder to heaven.

Ingredients

• 8 egg yolks 
• 7 tablespoons caster sugar (approximately 125 g) 
• 300 g plain flour 
• 125 g butter 1/4 cup “Lum Ying” or almond slivers (pounded with mortar & pestle) 
• 1 tablespoon aniseed or fennel seed (pounded with mortar & pestle) 
• 40 g vegetable oil 
• 1 1/2 tablespoon milk powder

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 
2. Pound the Lum Ying/almond slivers with mortar & pestle. It needs to be small enough for the dough to be rolled and crimped but leave some small chunks for texture. 
3. Pound the aniseed or fennel with mortar & pestle. Don’t pound too much as you need a mixture of seeds and powder for the texture. 
4. In an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until pale. 
5. Add egg yolks and mix well. 
6. Add the milk powder and oil and mix well. 
7. Then slowly add the flour a few tablespoons at a time while mixing slowly. Take care not to mix too much as this will make the dough tough. The dough should be soft and not sticky to the touch. 
8. Add the seeds and nuts and either mix by hand until well blended or on the slow mixer setting, slowly incorporate the seeds and nuts into the dough. Rest the dough for about 5 minutes before proceeding to the next step. 
9. For the TRADITIONAL METHOD, skip this step and go straight to "step 10".
10. For the MODERN METHOD, split the dough into 2 portions, wrap each portion in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for approximately 1 hour. Using one portion at a time, continue with next step.  
11. Step 10. Place dough onto a floured board, using 4 chopsticks* as a level guide and a rolling pin, roll the dough until it is approximately 1cm thick. Then using a pizza cutter or rotary cutter or knife, cut the dough into long strips approximately 2cm wide by 7cm long (or whatever length suits your baking tray) and evenly place the strips onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. * Use a total of 4 chopsticks, with 2 chopsticks on each side. On 1 side of the dough, place the first chopstick in 1 direction and then the second chopstick in the opposite direction. Repeat for the other side of the dough. This provides an even height for the dough. 
12. For each strip, use the crimper to make the “ladder” steps. For more information, see above for the instructions. 
13. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown, turning the tray at 10 minutes. The ladder biscuit will appear oily but this is ok, as the oil will disappear when the heat is turned off. 
14. When the biscuits are ready, take the tray out of the oven, leave the biscuits in the tray to cool for about 5 minutes before placing the biscuits onto a wired rack to cool completely before storing them. At this stage the boiling oil surrounding the biscuit will disappear and get absorbed into the biscuit.

Notes:

Try not to eat all the biscuits on day one, as the flavor gets better (sweeter and more licorice) the next day or two.

Recipe COPYRIGHT © respective recipe developer/author. All rights reserved for the respective recipe author.

ladder biscuit

dessert, cookie

Timorese/Chinese

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @subtleasian.baking on instagram and hashtag it #TimoreseLadderBiscuit

About the Bakers

Two cousins, Yalang Enke and Otilia Li, wanted to document and share recipes from their traditional Chinese-Timorese heritage with Portuguese and Indonesian influences. Yalang and Otilia were both born in East Timor (also known as Timor-Leste) and left East Timor at a young age. Yalang at age 3 and Otilia at age 6 months. It was tradition for these recipes to be handed down from mother to daughter via word of mouth and hands on experience. However, having grown up in Australia, Yalang and Otilia realized that many of their generation were not motivated to learning these amazing recipes (including themselves). Therefore, before these recipes are lost forever, Yalang and Otilia aim to research, recreate, test and document all the amazing traditional Chinese-Timorese recipes. For more of their amazing recipes, visit their website/blog.