(Nearly-)Whatever-You-Want Chocolate Cookies

Spring seems to have finally, finally sprung.

I'm having to adjust to taking pictures with sunlight streaming into my kitchen instead of the beautiful muted light we've had all winter. I went out yesterday without a coat or thick scarf or boots or socks. The woollen throw has been tossed off my bed. The violets are flowering in every nook and cranny of my little garden and the buds on my apple tree are bursting open.

To celebrate, I've made cookies.



About ten years ago, mum bought a simple, magazine-style cookbook from the Australian Women's Weekly series. She spent a year working in Melbourne before I was born and I think she came across the series at that point. We've only ever made one recipe from the book: the chocolate cookies. They've evolved over the years but they're still essentially the same - thick, crispy-on-the-edges, squidgy-middled and wonderfully deep with muscavado and plenty of cocoa powder.

I've made them to say thank you. I've made them for picnics. I've made over a hundred for a catering job. I've made them when friends have come to stay. Mostly, I've made them when I really wanted a chocolate cookie.



Since I first posted about them in 2009 (they were the eighth recipe I posted on here), they've got a little lost in the archives. I wanted to talk about them again, so I thought I'd see what else you could fold through the dough. I usually use pecans with whatever other chocolate I have on hand - usually dark. So I could try a few different things, I split one batch of dough into three: Crystallized Ginger & Dark Chocolate, Double Chocolate & Walnut and Freeze Dried Raspberry & White Chocolate.

I used:
80g dark chocolate
25g crystallized ginger pieces

40g dark chocolate
30g milk chocolate
45g toasted walnuts

100g white chocolate
7g crushed freeze dried raspberries

I haven't tried baking freeze dried raspberries into anything before and sadly it didn't work here - any bits on the outside burned and I wasn't happy with the flavour (so the recipe went from whatever-you-want to nearly-whatever-you-want). Despite that, the ginger variation was great (though I might add a little more ginger next time - I was nervous as this packet seems extremely fiery) and I'm always a massive fan of the nut-chocolate combination.

What combination would you try?



(Nearly-)Whatever-You-Want Chocolate Cookies
(adapted from an Australian Women's Weekly book - I'm not sure which as I can't find the book)

125g unsalted butter
200g soft brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
185g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Mix in:
350g of assorted chocolate, nuts etc

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Put the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and briefly beat to soften it up. Add the sugar, egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate, baking powder and salt and mix on the lowest setting to combine. Stir through the mix-ins. Use a couple of teaspoons to create smallish heaps of dough on a lightly greased baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes (12 if from frozen). Leave to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack.

The dough can be chilled for about 24 hours and frozen for a few months. I freeze formed ready-to-bake cookies on a tray then transfer them to a zippy bag. You can then bake them straight from the freezer whenever you want fresh cookies.

(Makes about 25-27 small cookies)



Three more posts about cookies/biscuits:
2012: Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
2011: Sesame Wafers
2010: Peanut Butter Biscuits

Seville Marmalade Almost-Linzer Torte

I made a big batch of Seville Orange Marmalade in January. Before I came out to Switzerland, I ate it every day for breakfast.

I'm obsessed with toasted wholemeal bagels spread with lots of salted butter that melts and mingles with the bittersweet marmalade. The buttery mixture often breaches the edge and runs in sticky rivulets down your fingers. I couldn't bring a jar with me as I came over with hand luggage, so I've been dreaming about it every morning (though Homemade Granola has been an acceptable replacement). The half term stint is nearly over, so on Sunday morning I'll be joyfully munching through a marmalade bagel with lots of hot tea in a sticky mug.



To try and make it last the full year until the Sevilles come back again, I tend to go through a jar quite slowly. As a result, I've never really baked with it. This year I miscalculated the number of empty jars, so I ended up with about half a jar worth of marmalade in bowl. It seemed like a good opportunity to experiment.



Usually a Linzer torte has a lattice on top and the short, crumbly pastry is enriched with egg yolks and flavoured with lemon and cinnamon. This recipe evolved from an Alice Medrich recipe for a speedy, non-traditional torte. I've halved the recipe to make a smaller 6" torte (and in doing so simplified the recipe even further). It isn't a proper Austrian Linzer anymore - the flavours and texture are different - so I've called it the Almost-Linzer.

In a way, it's a bit like a giant cookie that you slice up - it's not very thick, about 1.5cm. The shreds in the marmalade give it an extra texture that you don't get with other jams. The ginger gives it a bit of fire to balance out the sweetness from the pastry and the bitter note from the oranges.



This recipe is wonderfully adaptable. I've made several tortes with the more traditional raspberry-redcurrant jam (the same as in the swiss roll), spiced with cinnamon. I've also tried vanilla with a swirled combination of raspberry-redcurrant and chunky apricot. My friend Steph, of Desserts for Breakfast, made a cranberry and clove version of the same original recipe. I think it's best if you use a jam or filling that had a touch of bitterness or tartness to counteract the outside. I've always used almonds, but I'd love to try hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts.

I think it's considerably better when it's fully cooled (or on the next day), but I find it very tempting hot - it smells so good - and often can't resist. It's soft when it's warm but goes chewy as it cools, which makes it easy to transport. It took me two slices to fall in love with it but now I'm thrilled I have it in my repertoire.

Do you bake with marmalade?



Seville Marmalade Almost-Linzer Torte
(adapted from Alice Medrich's Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts)

50g whole almonds
65g plain flour
75g light brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
big pinch of fine sea salt
75g unsalted butter
1 tsp milk
100g seville orange marmalade*

Place the almonds, flour, sugar, ginger and salt into a food processor and blend until fine. Cube the butter then add it with the milk and blend until the dough just comes together. Wrap a 25g chunk of the dough in a bit of cling film. Lightly grease a 6" round cake or tart tin with a removable base, then scrape the rest of the dough into it. Use your fingers to press it out into an even layer with a little lip at the side. Place the little ball of dough and the tin into the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes - meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170C/340F.

Spread the marmalade out in the middle of the tin, leaving a gap at the edge. Tear the extra bit of dough into small chunks and arrange on the top. Put into the oven and and bake for 30 minutes until the sides and splodges in the middle are deep golden-brown and the jam is bubbling. Sit on a wire rack. After five minutes, run a knife around the edge and remove the tin. Leave to cool fully. Keeps well for at least 4 days in a sealed tin.

(Makes one 6" torte, 6-8 slices)

* The jams and marmalades I make are generally soft-set. If yours isn't, a tiny bit of lemon juice or water should loosen it slightly. Lemon would also be a good idea if the jam is purely sweet (i.e. not a little bitter, like marmalade).



A few more recipes that use ginger:
2012: Ginger Bourbon Pecan Pie
2011: Ginger Root Bundt Cake
2010: Gingernuts

Best of... Ginger Recipes

Ginger is one of my favourite ingredients to bake with. As well as the traditional powdered ginger, I love using the fresh root, infusing it into syrups and grating it into pies and jam. When you add stem and crystallized ginger to the mix, you've got a party.

One recipe that uses three types of ginger is the utterly divine Ginger Bourbon Pecan Pie. The multiple punches create a deeply nuanced pie.



I am addicted to ginger biscuits. The Gingernuts below, Ginger Oats or even Ginger, Orange & Chocolate Biscotti - I don't care. They're all amazing.

All I need now is someone to solve the mystery of why gingernuts increase in ginger-power when dipped in tea...



Though it started off as a random experiment, Ginger and Apple Jam has become a staple in our family. It's very easy to make and stores brilliantly. The apple flavour appears first, followed by the kick. It somehow feels clean and fresh. (I sound like a toothpaste advert. Error!)

Though the shock-factor ingredient in the Ginger Root Bundt Cake is the parsnip, the ginger (stem and ground) makes the cake. I used a lemon drizzle because the flavours work brilliantly together (see also the Lemon, Date and Ginger Cake). It tastes like dark, nutty gingerbread.

Finally, you could go back a few years to the Blueberry and Ginger Layer Cake I made for mum's birthday. I infused a simple soaking syrup with slices of fresh ginger then brushed it over rounds of plain sponge. The cake was then layered with a blueberry compote and covered with a ginger cream cheese icing and fresh blueberries.

Though I was worried that I could never improve upon chocolate as the flavour choice for her cakes, ginger proved me wrong.

Spiced Cocoa Nib Chocolate Cakes

These little cakes try to pretend they're muffins or simple treats - but they're not.

They're deeply laced with dark muscovado and quality cocoa. Their hearts are soaked with spiced syrup, pushing them into the league of squishy brownies and chocolate fondants. They're topped with crunchy, slightly bitter cocoa nibs.

Each bite needs the cradle of a spoon.



The spices in the soaking syrup are totally up for adaptation. I replaced the chili powder with some fresh ginger, added vanilla, used powdered cinnamon instead of sticks and so on. It needs to stand up to the powerful flavour of the muscovado, so make sure you give it some punch.

*

After thinking for weeks that I had to keep this piece of news deathly quiet, I realised a few days ago that I only needed to keep the image secret, so...

I'm very excited to say that I'm one of the finalists for the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2012! My image is shortlisted in Food Portraiture and will be displayed in the free exhibition at the Mall Galleries from 25-29th April. I still can't believe it!



Spiced Cocoa Nib Chocolate Cakes
(adapted from Paul A Young's Adventures with Chocolate)

For the cakes:
55g plain flour
35g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
110g dark brown muscovado sugar
95g unsalted butter, soft
1 egg
45ml double cream
40ml water
25g cocoa nibs

For the syrup:
75g caster sugar
75ml water
1/2 vanilla pod, or 1 once scraped out
1/2 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp ground
1cm width of fresh ginger, cut into rounds
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Prepare a muffin tin with six cases - I scrunched up squares of baking paper as Paul suggested. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together into a bowl. In a stand mixer cream the sugar and butter together until creamy. Add the egg and beat well to combine. Add the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix to combine - it will be a stiff mixture. Finally add the cream and water in two additions, mixing well between each one. Divide the mixture between the cases. Sprinkle with the cocoa nibs.

Bake for 14-18 minutes, checking to see if they're done at 14. They should be lightly domed and spring back to the touch of your finger in the centre.

Once the cakes are in the oven, make the syrup. Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for a few minutes then take off the heat and leave to infuse. When the cakes are out of the oven, brush them with plenty of syrup while they're still hot. Keep feeding them as it disappears. Best served barely warm.

(Makes 6)

Ginger Bourbon Pecan Pie

As I swept this pie out of the oven and placed it upon the wire rack with a flourish, mum happened to walk by.

"Is that it?"

A few hours after her skeptical remark, she was softly moaning as she ate a thick slice. This is quite a pie.



Helen has been staying with us for the past few weeks. While peering over my shoulder at these pictures, she started crooning in a M&S voice.

"This is not just pecan pie....this is Poires au Chocolat Pecan Pie..."

(I have to note at this point - before you start thinking I've branded this pie - that the truly genius idea of adding three types of ginger and bourbon to a pecan pie is Allison Kave's, not mine. I did switch up a a few things but she definitely deserves a lot of credit for the recipe.)



The first time I made this I took it to Oxford. My friend Sam was having a birthday pub crawl. I carried it (along with a chocolate ganache tart) from 'spoons to the goth pub, from Far From the Madding Crowd to the Eagle & Child... and so on, from breakfast to supper time.

At that point we cracked open the bag and dug in, eating off napkins and spreading crumbs everywhere.

I learnt three things that day. One, though it did help it keep shape en route, pie dishes are pretty heavy. Two, due to the extremely chilly day, it was very cold when we ate this - it's much better slightly warm. Three, this is an absolute winner of a recipe.



You could serve it with a little scoop of ice cream (I tried a slice with some vanilla) but, to be honest, it's so good on its own that anything else - ice cream, cream, creme fraiche - only dilutes the flavour.

And so, in reply to my mum - yes, this is it.

It is punchy, deep and nuanced. It stands on its own. It is crunchy, silky smooth and flaky pastry all in one bite. It is softly sweet, spicy, nutty, fragrant and many other good things. It needs no more introduction...



Ginger Bourbon Pecan Pie
(Filling adapted from Allison Kave of First Prize Pies's recipe in Remedy Quarterly Issue 7, pastry adapted from Michel Roux's Pastry)

For the pastry:*
250g plain flour
1 tsp sea salt, finely ground
1 tsp caster sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp cold water or milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
150g unsalted butter, cold and cubed

For the filling:
200g pecans
100g dark brown sugar
80g light brown sugar
3 eggs
135ml maple syrup
2 tbsp bourbon
a globe of stem ginger, finely chopped + 1 tbsp of the syrup
2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch of salt

Sieve the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg, water/milk and vanilla together. Place the cubed butter into the flour bowl and rub the butter into the flour until it resembles wet sand. Add the egg mix in one go and mix with a knife. Pull together with your hands. Tip onto a surface and squish with the palm of your hand a few times to combine. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out 2/3 of the pastry into a big circle of about 3-4mm thickness. Lightly grease the pie dish then line with the pastry. Crimp the edges if you want. Don't prick the base. Return to the fridge to chill while you make the filling (or for up to 24 hours, wrapped in clingfilm).

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F. Tip the pecans onto a oven tray and place into the oven. Toast for a few minutes until they smell wonderful and look slightly darker. In a big bowl combine the sugars, eggs, maple syrup, bourbon, three types of ginger and salt together. Add the slightly cooled pecans and stir. Pour into the tart case.

Bake for 15 minutes at 220C/450F, then reduce the heat to 180C/350F and bake for a further 15-20 minutes. You may need to cover the top of the pie with foil to stop it browning/burning too much. The pie will have risen and cracked but will fall and settle when it cools. Best served slightly warm.

(Serves 10-12)

*This recipe makes about a 1/3 more than you need. You could use it for another tart or - as it's not a sweet pastry - for a savoury recipe. Or you could run a lattice over the pie - but I would worry that it would stop the gorgeous crust forming.

Updated 31/08/15: cooking times.

Ginger Root Bundt Cake

Today I had lunch at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. I'm no restaurant critic but it was a truly wonderful meal.

The menu is full of surprises and combinations you wouldn't imagine. The infamous meat fruit is charming, incredibly realistic and delicious. I went with my friend Helen (it was our bon voyage lunch - she's about to go off on a long trip) and her main of chicken with cooked lettuces sounded a bit odd but oh my - I'll never question cooked lettuce again.

All of the dishes needed to be balanced on the fork. Eating one element alone often didn't quite work, but when you had a little of everything - BAM. The brown bread ice cream with salted butter caramel and malted yeast syrup (and a touch of apple and lemon) needed careful balancing. The most magical part of it was that every bite is different - each one a unique combination. It seemed to evolve as you ate.

I adored the Autumn tart - figs and blackberries with vanilla cream and blackcurrant and perfect pastry and biscuit ice cream. (I just can't stop raving. I should probably take a step away from the computer and calm down before I post, but I don't want to. You're just going to have to live with the barrage of delicious/mind-blowing/delighful/wonderful. And yes, if you're confused, I did have a starter and two puddings.)

As a final 'sweet taste' we were given tiny pots of Earl Grey ganache (made with a mixture of milk and dark chocolate) and a long finger of a shortbread-esque biscuit, flavoured with caraway seeds. I've never tasted a sucessful Earl Grey dessert before. I've never tasted caraway in a sweet dish before. Each element was delicious, but together? The combination totally blew me away. It seems so unlikely and difficult to imagine but they blended and enhanced each other perfectly.

This cake also works on an unusual-but-good combination. I chose the recipe because I was intrigued by the ingredients. Lots of treacle, sunflower oil, wholemeal flour, ginger, lots of raising agent and parsnip? As I was putting it together and baking it I was pretty unconvinced.

Yet I liked the first slice. The second? Even more. It just keeps on growing on me. I can only really describe it as dark gingerbread with a nutty taste. The drizzle adds a lovely contrast.  It's perfect with a cup of tea and a book (I'm currently addicted to an Icelandic Saga to the point that I missed my tube stop this morning because I was so entranced).

Ginger Root Bundt Cake
(adapted from Short & Sweet by Dan Lepard)

For the cake:
2 eggs
100g dark brown sugar
100g black treacle
150ml sunflower oil
150g parsnip, roughly grated*
4 chunks of stem ginger, chopped
75g plain flour
75g plain wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger

For the drizzle:
50g icing sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon (approx)
finely grated rind of 1/4 lemon

Carefully grease a bundt pan with butter and dust with flour, making sure you get into the cracks and don't forget the central funnel (you can also use a normal 20cm round cake tin - line it with greaseproof paper). Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan).

Separate one of the eggs and set aside the white. Place the yolk and the other egg into the bowl of a stand mixer with the dark brown sugar and whip for 5 minutes - the mixture should be paler and have increased in volume. Add the treacle and oil and whip again until smooth and fully combined. Add the parsnip and ginger and stir to combine. Sieve in the flour, wholemeal flour, baking power, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger and fold in. Finally whisk the remaining egg white to soft peak and gently fold into the mixture.

Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer can be inserted into the middle and come out clean or with a few small crumbs. Turn out immediately and let the cake drop down from the pan in its own time (a little boiling water can be poured onto a towel to place underneath the rack if you like - the steam seems to help it unmould).

While the cake cools, sieve the icing sugar into a small bowl. Finely grate the lemon into the bowl. Add the juice litle by little until you have a smooth icing that dribbles off the spoon. Place the cooled cake onto a plate. Either drizzle onto the cake with a spoon or place in a small piping bag.

*Dan suggests you can also use swedes or turnips. You can also use 100% wholemeal flour instead of a mixture.

(10-12 slices)

Ginger and Apple Macarons

After posting about my many trials and tribulations with macarons (see here for the full story) I decided to join Mactweets. I'd had my eye on the group for ages but hadn't felt confident enough to join. I've been putting off making them ever since the theme was released - I've been really busy (hence not many posts) so it's been easy to persuade myself.

The Mac Attack #17  theme is 'Sugar & Spice and Everything... Fruity'.  Having seen these ginger macarons at Cherry Tea Cakes, I decided I wanted to make ginger shells. At first I wanted to fill them with a blood orange curd. I tried adapting a lemon curd recipe and reducing the sugar but the delicate flavour was lost and it didn't really work. 

Instead I decided to try some of my ginger and apple jam. Together with the spiced shells it created quite fiery macarons but you still get a hint of the fruity apple from the jam. 

I was pretty pleased with my batter as it went into the oven but I was worried about the tins mum has warping -  they're a lot thinner than mine. I watched through the oven door as nearly every shell rose lopsidedly. Thankfully a few were okay (though the feet are a bit weird on all of them). When paired up even the really lopsided ones sort of worked: 

I used this Italian meringue recipe from Not So Humble Pie, scaled down to 80g egg whites. I then removed one tsp of the icing sugar/almond mixture and added 1 tsp of ground ginger. Not sure if that was what I should of done but I was worried about upsetting the dry/wet balance. 

I sandwiched them together with some of my ginger and apple jam - recipe here. 

Ginger, Orange and Chocolate Biscotti

I got back from my little change of scene late on Friday night after a series of annoying delays. Time seems to have curiously expanded since then - I can't believe my journey was only two days ago and that yesterday I was eating these after carefully transporting a few in my luggage. 

It was a wonderful trip - lots of lovely food, old movies and relaxing with my mum and dogs (and lots of work on my essay, unfortunately). These were one of the things we baked from a book I gave my mum for Christmas and have been lusting after ever since - Green & Black's Ultimate.   

The recipe is quite different to the Dark Chocolate and Almond Biscotti I made a few months ago and behaved very differently too. This one doesn't have any butter added. I made a few changes which are reflected below - mainly swapping in zest/juice and orange blossom water for orange essence and not adding things to the chocolate. I halved the recipe too which is reflected below, though I would definitely recommend doubling for the full batch! I found my loaf wasn't fully cooked inside at the recommended time so I've increased it - as mine were already cut I increased the second time instead. 

I really enjoyed these - they're chewier than other biscotti I've tried but I liked that. The flavours are delicious and the dark chocolate contrasts beautifully (though I loved them plain too). I adore the stem ginger with orange blossom water - such a beautiful pair, both in taste and smell. 

Ginger, Orange and Chocolate Biscotti

(adapted from Green & Black's Ultimate: Chocolate Recipes)

75g whole blanched almonds (done yourself or bought)

125g plain flour (00 if possible)

1/2 tsp baking powder

45g caster sugar

30g soft brown sugar (or all caster)

25g stem ginger in syrup, chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp orange blossom water

1 tbsp orange juice (+ 1 tsp if needed)

zest of 1/2 an orange

75g dark chocolate 

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a tray with baking parchement. Sift flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl and mix. Stir in almonds, ginger, egg, zest, blossom water and orange juice until thick dough (I had to beat it to make it come together). Sprinkle a surface with icing sugar and roll into a log in the sugar (or two if doubled). Place onto the tray and squish slightly. Place in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool for five minutes then slice with a sharp knife into 1cm bits (I used serrated) - you can cut at an angle the traditional way or straight.  Place back onto the baking tray and bake for 3-5 minutes.  Take out and leave to cool on a wire rack. 

To coat with chocolate, melt in a bowl over a bain marie or in the microwave until smooth. Spoon and smooth the chocolate over half of each biscotti. Place onto greaseproof and leave until it has set. 

(Makes about 15)

Lemon, Date and Ginger Cake

Yesterday I decided at about 11am that I needed to come back to Switzerland for a re-charge and to clear my head. I arrived at 10pm CH time. It was a bit of a whirlwind day but I do feel better for being out of Oxford. It can get very claustrophobic and skew your perceptions. Little things can seem life-or-death important. Luckily I didn't have much contact time and managed to rearrange what I did have so I could come. I've got to write the first draft of a dissertation-type essay in the next week, so I've got a lot to do while I'm here. Still, it's lovely to see my mum and the dogs.

I made this cake about a week ago. It's a great cake to have about if you're busy and in need of good energy boosts - it's not too unhealthy and is filling. I really love the flavours too. 

After I made it, mum tried the recipe too. She didn't have any dark muscovado and the result was very different from mine. Before I left yesterday I had the last slice of mine and then mum gave me a slice when I got here so I had a clear taste test. There's a big difference so make sure you get the proper dark sugar - it's too sweet and loses a lot of flavour without. I don't know how the brown sugar that Joy shows you how to make here would compare but it'd be worth a try. Also, don't refrigerate the cake.

Lemon, Date and Ginger Cake

(barely adapted from BBC Good Food, here)

200g stoned dates

200g butter

300g dark muscovado sugar

2 eggs

50g grated fresh ginger

zest of 1 lemon

200g self raising flour

250g apple in pea-sized pieces (I used 2 small cox)

couple of chunks of candied ginger, cut up

juice 1/2 lemon

icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 150C. Butter and line a 20 or 24 cm cake tin and place it onto a baking sheet. Put the dates into a small bowl and cover with boiling water while you prepare the rest. Grate the ginger, zest the lemon and peel, core and chop the apple. Put the butter and sugar in a medium-large saucepan and heat until melted and smooth. Turn the heat off and leave to cool for a minute. Drain the dates and chop them - I did most finely then a few slightly bigger chunks. Add the ginger, zest and eggs to the butter mix in the saucepan and beat until combined. Stir in the dates, then the flour, then the apple. Pour into the tin and put it (with the baking sheet) into the oven. Bake for 60 to 75 mins - it should be risen and a skewer should pull out moist crumbs from the centre, not goo.  Leave to cool in the tin. 

To decorate, I just made up a simple drizzling icing with some lemon juice and an appropriate amount of icing sugar. Good Food used melted white chocolate, which would also be nice. I then topped it with small chunks and slices of candied ginger. 

Keeps well wrapped up in cling film for a week on the counter (mine was clingfilmed to a cake stand and still was delicious 7 days on). Apparently you can freeze it without toppings for up to two months, well wrapped. 

(Serves 12-14)

Wholemeal Gingerbread Biscuits

Last night I made the third batch of these biscuits in ten days. What can I say - they're pretty addictive (and good for presents). I've tried various recipes over the years but this is my favourite - it doesn't even need chilling. I added wholemeal flour to these not for the health factor but because I think it makes for a better biscuit. I also greatly increased the amount and variety of spices - especially if you're going to ice them, the flavour needs to be strong. 

I've never made or iced with royal icing before but I decided to try for the second batch. The blogosphere is full of gorgeous, artistic decorated cookies so I was slightly nervous about my first attempt. I made a paper piping bag and used it without a tip as we didn't have anything else. Massively messy, especially as I didn't think to put an elastic band around the top. 

I have a lot to learn but I really enjoyed playing with royal icing and tried again today for the third batch (the photos are of the second batch). I have to admit I kind of prefer them without the icing to eat. Still, it's fun to decorate them and normal people like icing more than I do. 

Wholemeal Gingerbread Biscuits

Edit: I've removed the recipe as I've had some problems with it since. This is my new one. 

Royal Icing

(Adapted from the joyofbaking.com recipe here and Sweetopia here)

1 egg whites

1 tsp lemon juice

165g icing sugar

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low for ten minutes. It should be thick and creamy. Using a knife, test the consistency - draw it across the surface and if the line disappears in 5-10 seconds it is okay. Water down slowly until you reach this consistency. Scrape some into a prepared piping bag and secure with an elastic band. Cover the remaining icing with a damp tea towel. Pipe your design onto the cookies and leave to dry. 

(Makes differing amount of biscuits depending on size - from 25 to 50 I guess)

Ginger and Apple Jam

A few days ago I was in urgent need of 160 grams of 'ginger preserve'. A cake recipe demanded it and I really wanted to make that cake. I searched all the supermarkets at home to no avail. I started a long trawl through websites to find a good recipe but couldn't decide on one I liked and my lack of experience with jam stopped me going out on my own. In the end I was standing in Migros and just decided to get on with it and make some. I grabbed some fresh ginger, a bag of cooking apples and a packet of jam sugar. 

This is based loosely on one recipe I found but is mainly an experiment and a mish-mash of various ideas I came across. I didn't have a clue how much ginger I wanted to add, so I just guessed. Luckily it didn't come out incredibly fiery - it seemed like an awful lot of fresh ginger. 

I'm so pleased I decided to make this jam - it came out really well. It's very clean and fresh and not too sweet yet still warming from the ginger kick.  It's got a fairly soft set and a lovely texture. You get the subtle apple flavour at first, followed by the ginger warmth at the back of your mouth. Mum has declared it to be her new favourite jam flavour. 

Ginger and Apple Jam

(Adapted from a recipe by Gini Walsh of Swallow Hill Farm)

150g fresh ginger, peeled

6 medium cooking apples (or sour apples)

Juice of half a lemon

500ml water

1 kg jam sugar (I got mine from Migros - add pectin or similar if you can't get it)

Cut the peeled ginger up into chunks and put into a food processor and pulse until it's pretty finely chopped (bit like cous cous). Pour the water and lemon juice into a big saucepan and add the ginger, swirling it around. Start peeling and coring the apples and chopping them into small chunks, adding them into the pot as you go. When you've finished, turn the heat on under the pan and cook the mixture on medium-high until the apple chunks are soft. Get a potato masher and mash the mixture until smooth (you could blend it instead). Stir in the sugar and heat until dissolved. My jam sugar then requires you to boil the mixture on a very high heat for four minutes then leave it to cool. Follow any instructions you're given with any other gelling agent or keep heating on high for 20-30 minutes until the mixture reaches the right consistency. To check consistency, put a saucer in the freezer to chill, then take it out and put a teaspoon of jam onto it. Put it back and it should form a skin within five minutes or so. Follow your favourite method of sterilizing jars (I put mine in the oven) then jar the jam. 

(Makes about 4 jars)