Regency Refreshments: Naples Biscuits

These seem much like modern Lady Fingers: something that you don’t really eat by itself, but use as a base for making something else. The oldest reference I can find on Google Books is 1810 (which doesn’t, of course, mean that this when they were invented, but it does tell us that they existed during the period). The earliest recipe I could find is from The Virginia Housewife (1838), but I also found that A New System of Domestic Cookery (1824) calls for Naples Biscuits to be used as an ingredient in several other dishes.


The Virginia Housewife (1838) :

Lobscouse & Spotted Dog (ISBN 0393320944) has a recipe for these and I saw no reason to wander:

3 Eggs, separated
1/3 c. sugar
1/8 tsp rose water
¼ c. salt
¾ c. flour

Preheat oven to 350°.

Whip the egg whites until doubled in volume. Continue to whip, gradually adding the sugar, until the whites are smooth and glossy.

Beat the yolks and stir in the rose water and salt. Fold into the egg whites. Sift the flour into the egg mixture and stir gently to combine.

Either pipe 2-3” “fingers” onto a lightly greased cookie sheet with a pastry bag or spoon into a greased Madeline pan.

Bake 10-15 minutes.

My friends’ reactions:

They’re perfectly inoffensive, but they’re not something any of us would seek out as a treat. I think I’d add more rose water, or possibly make them with orange water instead and dust them with powdered sugar.