Coffee time with a spicy Date biscuit

I tried this recipe from Sandra for Date and Spice biscuits out on some friends who came for coffee recently. Ginger is one of my favourite spices and it was a great way to use up the chopped dates I’d got in the cupboard.

Date and Spice Biscuits

5oz/150g chopped dates

2oz/50g brown sugar

2oz/50g treacle or golden syrup

4oz/110g butter

1 egg

6oz/175g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsps ground ginger

A few sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to around 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. If the dates look dry, place them in a bowl and soak in boiling water for about 5 minutes and then drain. Beat the sugar, treacle (or golden syrup), butter and egg together in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ginger and mix well.  Add the dates and leave the mixture to chill for 20-30 minutes. Divide the mixture into about 20 biscuits (about the size of a walnut) and place on the baking tray. Press each one to flatten out. Bake for around 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool.

Meryl says : To add a bit of interest, roll each biscuit in sesame seeds prior to baking.

All sorts of Gingerbread

Jayne's Gingerbread

I had a special request this week for a recipe for Gingerbread ‘of the sort you roll out’. So I found this one amongst Grandma Abson's old magazine cuttings. It's a perfect recipe to make Gingerbread Valentine biscuits too as well as the usual Gingerbread Men. 

Gingerbread for your heart's desire

110g/4oz butter

75g/3oz soft brown sugar

4 tbsp golden syrup

300g/11oz plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsps ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 180°C, Gas mark 3, 375F. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan. Then remove from the heat. Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a bowl and stir the melted mixture into the dry ingredients to make a stiff dough. Roll out the dough about 5mm/1/4 inch thick. Use cutters to make shapes. Place the shapes onto the lined baking trays and bake, in batches, for 9-10 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

I got a message from Jayne a few days later : ‘Just to say I made gingerbread this afternoon; the recipe is fab, really easy and yummy...’ This week she made some more and brought them to work ... and she'd added a lovely romantic topping for a Valentine's Day recipe!

I love all things with ginger and Grandma Abson has Ginger Buns amongst her recipes as well as the famous Yorkshire Parkin.  Enjoy all sorts of Gingerbread!  Let me know which you like best.