DAIRY-FREE DATE, ORANGE & WALNUT FREEZER COOKIES:spelt or wheat flour, dairy-free option, high fibre, make ahead, easy, early Christmas baking

These lovely biscuits* are full of healthy ingredients, and are perfect to make now, ready for the hectic festive season...

An unadorned deliciously moreish cookie stufffed with dates & nuts,
made in advance, frozen and baked to order. (icing is an option)

 

During the festive period, it's easy to experience sugar-overload with cakes, cookes and other icing-laden items designed to appeal to the sweet-toothed.  

For something different but still satisfying, these biscuits are a perfect alternative.  They're not too sweet and have a  more-ish quality that's somehow delicate AND robust.  The contrasting textures of crisp and tender are most appealing.    

And  - a godsend to Christmas planning - they are made ahead, frozen and baked to order.

Got a spare half hour -- or a family t(w)eenager who fancies making something easy for the holidays?  Prepare the dough; bake a few cookies for immediate consumption and stash the rest of the dough in the freezer.  

Slice and bake when needed, returning the remaining dough to the freezer. The cookies taste even better two or three days after baking.  

The recipes make 30'ish biscuits but is easily doubled. 

Cost: min £3'ish for standard ingredients; £4.00'ish for dairy-free (11/24)

Makes: 30

Ingreds:

113g/4oz pitted dates (67 loves loose Medjool dates but budgets usually dictate packaged, here Waitrose chopped dried pitted) 

zest of a medium orange

1/2tb fresh orange juice

1 stick/115 gm/4oz dairy or plant butter (67 used Tomor)

3/4 cup/135 gm/4.7oz brown sugar (or white or a 50-50 mix)

1 small egg

3/4 tsp orange essence 

scant 1 cup/120gm/4.2oz white, 1/4 cup/30gm/1oz wholemeal spelt plus 3 tbs extra flour (or standard wheat flour, all white or a mix of white & brown)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Orange Glaze (opt)

zest 1/2 orange

1.5tb fresh orange juice

1/2 cup icing sugar

Method:

1. Pour boiling water over dates to remove preservatives; drain, rest on paper towel; add to orange zest & orange juice in med bowl; set aside. 
2. Beat fat at medium speed until fluffy; gradually add sugar until blended.
3. Add egg and orange essence; beat well.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder & salt;  beat on low, in stages, into butter mix
5. Stir in dates & nuts until evenly distributed; the dough will be  soft
6. Divide into three equal portions, cover with a damp tea towel.  One by one, pat into a log shape 6-8 inches long; place close to the long edge (nearest to you) of a piece if cling film that is longer than it is wide; tuck the edge neatly over and under the dough (enclosing it) and roll to the outer edge of the film; twist both ends to even out bumps and air pockets
7. Chill at least 2 hours or overight OR freeze up to 1 month.  
8. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 180f 350F degrees or in air fryer on bake function.  Line rimmed baking sheets with greaseproof paper
9. Take a roll of dough out of freezer (no need to defrost); use a sharp knife to cut as many 1/4 inch slices as you need.  Place cookies 1-inch apart on lined baking sheets.   
10. Rewrap dough and return to freezer 
11. Bake 9-10 minutes until edges are brown and centres are golden  
12. Cool slightly on baking sheets; move to wire rack to cool completely.
13. If glazing cookies, mix orange zest and 3 Tablespoons juice. Whisk in ½ cup confectioners sugar (add more for thicker glaze); drizzle over each cookie; allow 10 minutes to firm up.  
14. These taste even better a day or two after baking and  travel well  

Comments:

'I love these; they're crisp and crumbly at the edges, the insides are tender and cakelike, and the dates and nuts are perfect for the holidays.  More, the cookies look plain but will appeal in a sea of iced offerings.'  Retired writer

'The biscuits were delicious and melted in the mouth.  I wasn't sure what flavour they were but it didn't matter; I liked them very very much.  They don't need icing.'  67 caretaker

(inspired by Good Cooking Mum) 

 

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.

UPDATED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, ORANGE & GINGER SOUP: Vegetarian, dairy-free option, easy, prep-ahead, wallet-friendly

Warming Butternut Squash soup tantalises with Christmas flavours  but work equally well for Hallowe'en & Nov 5th.(Update)

                                                                                                                  first posted 2020; updated 2024

Hints of ginger & orange in this full-bodied party soup 

A bowlful of this luscious Butternut, Ginger & Orange soup is a delicious treat, sliding down like warm silk.  

It'a vegan, make-ahead, easy and wallet-friendly -- a boon for cooks as well as health-conscius family and guests.

If you can find a Golden Butternut squash (instead of standard gourds) the flavour of the soup is ambrosial. Grown in Greece, Golden Butternut Squash is promoted as having richer, sweeter and fuller flavour, intensified by roasting the squash in advance  

If Golden Butternut isn't available, a regular one will still tastes lovely. Fresh ginger adds warmth without heat, and fresh orange juice  adds a lovely citrus backdrop.

The recipe makes a very generous portion of thick rich soup base, too much for most households unless you're entertaining a crowd.  67 recommends freezing half the base for another time.   

Soup as a first course is always a wise dinner choice from a budget point of view -- soup satisfies hunger pangs without dampening the appetite but cuts down on demand for expensive mains.  

Cost: min £3.75'ish (9/24)

Makes: almost two litres

Ingreds

   1 good-sized (about 1kilo/2 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, in large bite-size pieces (see how to cut and peel a butternut squash from The Kitchen)

   2 handfuls cooked brown rice (adds fibre) OR 2 potatoes, peeled

   2 tbsp olive oil

   pepper & salt

  scant 1/2 cup white & light green bits of spring onions

              OR 1 med onion, coarsely chopped (FODMAP, see Tips)

  2 decent-sized stalks celery, peeled, chopped

  2 large carrots, washed and coarsely chopped

  1 tb olive oil

  scant tbsp dairy or plant butter

  1 quart/2.5 cups chicken or good vegetable stock (67 uses Marigold vegan granules)

Ingredients for each half recipe of base:   

   1.5 tb finely grated peeled ginger

   zest and juice of a medium orange (about 1/2 cup)

   slug olive oil

   min 1/2, max 1 litre good stock, depending on how thick you like your soup 

Garnishes:

• finely chopped chives
• Memorable Crunchy Croutons
• vegan bacon bits

Method: