Spicy Gingerbread Custard Creams

It's coming to the end of my academic year, and I wanted to make something for my teachers as a sort of 'thank you'. Inspired by an idea of lots of spice going into gingerbread, I thought - how about spicy gingerbread? It turned out very well, and I embossed the tops with a special tool used to emboss letters. Makes about 30 sandwich biscuits. 

Ingredients

For the Biscuits 

113g Softened Butter

75g Granulated Sugar

165g Dark Brown Muscavado Sugar

1/4tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2tsp Salt

3tsp Ground Cinnamon

3/4tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/2tsp Ground Ginger

1/4tsp Ground White Pepper

1/4tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 1/2tsp Vanilla Extract 

235g Plain Flour

1 Egg, Beaten

Chilli Powder

For the Filling

25g Softened Butter

1.5tbsp Instead Custard Powder

100g Icing Sugar, sieved

1/2tsp Vanilla Extract 

2tsp Milk

Method 

1. Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add all the other dry ingredients except the flour, and mix until properly incorporated.

2. Slowly add the beaten egg, mixing between each addition, then add the flour, and fold in. Collect up all the dough and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for 20 mins. Preheat oven to 190C/fan 170C.

3. Take a lump of dough, and roll out on a floured surface to about 1/2cm in thickness and using a cookie cutter, cut out cookies, and using a palette knife, transfer onto a lined baking tray. Rub a little chilli powder into each biscuit, and place batch in the oven for 9-10 mins. In the meantime, roll out and cut another batch. Once cooked, leave for 2 mins, then place on a wire rack. They will be soft and will harden when cool, so be careful.

4. To make the filling, cream the butter until light, and slowly add the custard powder and sugar. Add the vanilla and mix until well combined. Add more milk/icing sugar until you achieve a thick paste texture. Spread a dollop on one, leaving a bit on the edges without, and place another on top, wiggling it to spread the filling around the entire biscuit. 

Enjoy :)

Banana and Pecan Muffins

A change from the normal incredibly unhealthy recipes I put on this blog, these fibre-full treats taste good, and serve as a fantastic snack. I make them mini-muffin size, and I recommend to as well, as with most bakes, I find the standard muffin size too large. This recipe makes around 8 or 9 normal sized muffins.

Ingredients

250g Plain Flour

25g Natural Wheatgerm

1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Ground Cinnamon

100g Pecans, Roughly Chopped

3 Small Bananas (350g total weight including skins)

1 Egg, Beaten

85g Butter, Melted

100g Light Muscovado Sugar

175ml Buttermilk 

Icing Sugar for dusting (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan 180C. Grease or line your muffin tin. In a large bowl combine the flour, wheatgerm, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and 85g of the pecans. Peel and mash the bananas.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, butter and sugar, then stir in the mashed banana and buttermilk. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined, but don't overmix it or the cake will turn out heavy.

3. Spoon the mixture into the tin, about 3/4 the way up. Sprinkle with the remaining pecans, and bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack.

4. Once cooled, dust with icing sugar, or cut a design out of a circle of greaseproof paper to make a template, and dust over that.

Gingerbread Latte

The days are getting shorter and colder, and at this time of the year people need a pic-me-up. Overpriced coffee shops love to bring out winter ranges, and this is a staple whom's taste is incomparable, and can easily and cheaply be made at home, as it really is just coffee and the special gingerbread syrup. This recipe will make a small jug of syrup, of which not much is needed for each cup, so will probably last long enough for even the most keen coffee-holic.

Ingredients

For the Gingerbread Syrup

2 Cups Water

1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar

2 1/2tsp Ground Ginger

1/2tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2tsp Vanilla Extract

A Pinch Ground Nutmeg

Strong Coffee

Milk

To Finish (optional)

Whipped Cream

Cocoa Powder

Ground Cinnamon

Ground Nutmeg

Mini Marshmallows

Method

1. Place all of the gingerbread syrup ingredients into a medium saucepan, and bring to the boil, mixing every so often

2. Reduce heat to a medium and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered. This is to boil of some of the water, and reduce the syrup, making it thick and with a more concentrated flavour. Once done, it should be thicker than before, yet not as thick as something like golden syrup.

3. Remove from heat and pour into a jug or a resealable container. Make your coffee, and then add around 1/4 cup of syrup (less or more if desired) and add milk (frothed milk is nice with this recipe).

4. To finish, add whipped cream, and then possibly cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, or whatever you want and enjoy :)

To store, seal the container, or cover the jug with cling film in a cool, dry place.