Biscuit week,(or cookies as we call them here across the pond in America) was a hectic rush of flour, sugar, caramel, coconut, molds, sculpting and prayers.
11 bakers 3 rounds and what seemed like 9 million cookies.
SIGNATURE BAKE: This week the signature bake for biscuit week was the Florentine cookie. The florentine , or lace cookie, is typically made of dried fruits, nuts and combined with a caramel, baked and then typically backed with chocolate or drizzled. A florentine should be neat, thin and have a nice crispy snap to them. Paul specifically pointed out that he prefers dark chocolate when making florentines because the amount of sugar makes them so sweet you need the bitterness of the dark to mellow it out. 
each backer had to make 36 identical Florentine cookies.
DAVE- Mango, mixed nuts and sesame seeds with feathered 3 chocolate. Judges said they were thin, crispy, and the 3 chocolate feathering looked very nice. Good snap, good flavor, just needed more texture.
HERMINE- Mango and coconut dipped in pink chocolate and airbrushed with trees. Judges : scruffy looking, needed longer in the oven, some tough texture a little too chewy.
LAURA- Salted Caramel with almonds and raisins, using milk chocolate to coat.. Had never made them before. Judged as good classic florentine, Paul loved the flavors but would have done dark chocolate over milk chocolate.
LINDA- making her sisters favorite with ginger, ground her nuts very fine. Judges said she needed more texture because there was none. But it had good flavor and good snap.
LOTTIE: Quarantine Florentine. Her grandparents favorite cookie. Her flavors of nuts, ginger and sour cherry earned her high praise and even the Paul Hollywood Handshake! Paul said he couldnt find fault with them. Perfect snap, delicious flavors and very neat.
MAK- Mango, Cashew and Cumin, decorated with a peacock feather. Needed Longer in the oven, they were too chewy, they liked the flavors, but it just wasnt a florentine. His peacock feathers looked more like tennis rackets.
MARC- Pistachio and ginger with a ruby chocolate, his florentine came out neat and pretty but had no snap. However they were surprisingly delicious with the ruby chocolate.
MARK- Macadamia and mango topped with white chocolate and cardamom. He left his macadamia nuts chunkier, was worried to go too small. Judges thought they were too lumpy and needed more fruit. They had a good snap but the white chocolate was too dominating of a flavor.
PETER- Modeled after his favorite dessert Sticky toffee pudding, his florentines were filled with nuts and dates . They needed more time in the oven, and the flavors were original and delicious, just no snap.
ROWAN- Orange, raspberry , cherry and almond, decorated by little waistcoats made from modeling chocolate. Oh rowan rowan...again too much. Judges said they were too thick and there was no snap. good flavor, but again he tried to do too much and he just needs to simplify.
SURA- Almond and pistachio with cardamom, saffron and rosewater. Looks amazing, lots of flavor, well balanced but no snap.
TECHNICAL CHALLENGE- Set by Prue.
Each baker had to make 12 coconut macaroons. 6 of the macaroons had to be filled with chocolate and drizzled with chocolate on top, and the other 6 had to have mango curd piped onto it.
Difficulty was knowing how long to bake. The macaroon needs to be a nice light golden brown and just crunch on the outside, but still be slightly moist and sticky on the inside. They also had to be careful not to overblend their coconut, or to make their curd too runny.
11. ROWAN. too soft, underbaked and bad piping.
10. PETER- neat and tidy but underbaked
9. MARC- untidy, sizes weren't consistent, and needed a longer bake
8. LOTTIE- too small and underbaked
7. LAURA- good consistency in sizes, but a little underbaked, too squishy.
6. SURA- needed consistency in her sizes, but tasted good
5. HERMINE- a little hard but still chewy
4. LINDA- overblitzed coconut in her mixture but still good bake and consistency
3. MAK- uniform consistency, good flavor, excellent.
2. MARK- good caramel color, great job, spot on.
1. DAVE- Very neat, delicious flavor, really excellent.
SHOWSTOPPER CHALLENGE
Each baker has to shape and mold cookies to make a 3-D biscuit tablescape for a memorable meal. They want delicious cookies that are shaped and highly decorated, tricking the eye. 4 hours to complete the challenge.
DAVE- Mexican Tablescape with bright colors, intricate bowls and plates. Judges loved it. Delicious flavor, believeable and wonderfully decorated.
HERMINE- Sakura tablescape. The molding looked clumsy, but the decoration looked nice. Pau was not convinced on the flavor.
LAURA- Nan's 80th birthday tea party celebration. Nice bisuit but the concept was very plain and Paul felt like she could have done a lot more in 4 hours than a cake stand and some teacups.
LINDA- Tea in Amsterdam. Using a flakier rosewater shortbread instead of a sturdier cookie. It was extremely pretty, but the dough was overworked.
LOTTIE- Viking tablescape. Poor Lottie had trouble unmolding her viking ship. They liked her tablescape, Paul thought it was a little too rustic looking, but the gingerbread was good and had a nice flavor.
MAK- Indian Chai Tea service. Mak didnt mold his cookies, he did a lot of flat sculpting and building. Judges deemed it clumsy and needing of more care. He did have good flavor though.
MARC- Basic Breakfast for 1 "toast and tea". Overall did a great job, judges called it Brilliant.
MARK_ Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony tablescape. Liked the flavor, but paul said "bit strong innit?" as Prue coughed her way through it.
PETER- Gingerbread Scottish Haggis. Looked great, delicious, well baked and tasty. As always complimented him on originality and cleverness.
ROWAN- 90th birthday Lighthouse and shells breakfast tray. Again Rowan refused to simplify . His lemon biscuit had a lovely flavor but was overworked. Paul said Rowan could do better.
SURA- Ramadan Tea set made from Speculoos biscuits. Great snap, great flavor, but looked rushed, especially the icing.
WHO WAS IN DANGER?? Rowan and Mak. Rowan wont listen to advice. Mak is steady but clumsy. Rowan has potential if he would listen, Mak is steady but lacks artistry.
WHO WAS IN LINE FOR STAR BAKER? David, Mark and Marc. David was 1st in technical, had a good signature and good showstopper. Mark and Marc both did well on their concepts and flavors.
STAR BAKER: Dave
ELIMINATED: Mak
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