ICED DARKLY SPICY GINGER BISCUITS, wheat & butter-free

There is something about lightly sweetened spicy ginger cookies that act like men magnets.

Spicy Ginger Cookies with white chocolate drizzle & crystallised ginger
'Oh yeah! This is a real cookie!' 'Very More-ish.' (tasters)

Iced Darkly Spicy Ginger Biscuits are no exception.

67 normally goes for naked biscuits, especially if they taste fantastic already.  For something like the MacMillan fund-raiser, though, the Blogger will go a bit wild, dribbling on white chocolate ganache and other nice things to raise sales.

It worked.

The cookie dough is easy to put together - though you will need electric beaters or a stand-alone mixer with a good motor. 

Cost: £2.50

Makes: at least 24 small or 12 large

Ingred:

   215gm/7.5oz white flour, spelt or wheat

   100gm/3.5 wholemeal flour, spelt or wheat (opt. but if not using replace with plain white flour)

    1/4 tsp salt

   1 tsp baking soda

   2 tsp cinnamon
   1 1/2 tsp cloves 

   1/2 tsp dried ginger

   1/2 tsp nutmeg

   

   1/3 cup/75ml molasses/ black treacle)

   175gm/6.2oz dark brown sugar   
   1/4 cup/60ml sunflower oil

   1 extra large egg
   1 tsp vanilla extract

   

  

Left: crystallised ginger
Right: ginger in syrup   

 Ganache: 
    4 oz/115gm white cooking chocolate
    90 ml double cream 
    1/2 tsp vanilla

Garnish:
    3/4 c/100 gm crystallised ginger, finely diced, and clump-free

Method:

1. Preheat Oven to 180 c/350F  
2. Line two cookie trays with greaseproof paper
3. Stir together flours, salt, baking soda and spices, distributing spices evenly 
4. In a good-sized bowl, beat sugar, molasses and oil with electric beaters for 5 mins until thick and well blended  
5. Beat in egg & vanilla
6. Add dry ingred in halves; beat till blended - the dough will be very thick
7. Use a 20 ml ice scream scoop/spoon to drop dough onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper; the cookies need a little room but not much
8. Dip clean thumb into a dish of water; shake off excess; press thumb on the centre of the cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake 12-15 mins
9. Cool 5 mins on tin; then use a fish slice to move to a cooling rack until completely cold.
10. Meanwhile, chop crystallised ginger into fine dice, separating the pieces as you go.
11. Pour ganache (method below) into a piping bag with a fine tip, or use a small teaspoon, to drizzle decorative lines over the biscuits (if you're feeling lazy or the kids want to help, dip the top of cookie into the ganache). 
12. Quickly sprinkle generously with crystallised ginger; serve when icing is set

Icing:

1. Chop chocolate finely; set aside
2. Heat cream in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. When steam starts rising and tiny bubbles appear at the outer edge of the cream, it is ready; don't let it boil.
3. Take pan off heat; add chocolate in stages, whisking each time to incorporate
4. Add vanilla, stir; pour into a heatproof bowl & cool
5. Cover with clingfilm, allowing it to stick to the surface of the ganache
6. Refrigerate at least a couple of hours

Comments:

• 'Oh yeah! The ginger comes through very well; the texture is great.  This is a real cookie.' 30-something lawyer (male)
• 'I love these!' senior underground driver
• 'Absolutely beautiful!  They were so moist and lovely.' Independent butchers
• 'Once you have one, you want more; I took some home from the MacMillan sale and enjoyed them very much.' Political agent

Tips:

• leftovers keep well for up to 4 days if kept in an air-tight tin
• crystallised ginger & ginger in syrup are available at major supermarkets 
• if you haven't any cream or chocolate for ganache, an icing sugar glaze made with 3 tbsp icing sugar & 1 generous teaspoon milk will work but adds sugar

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This recipes has  been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and  may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.