This weeks #shortandtweet challenge focussed on cookies and I chose to make the 'Sesame, date and ginger bscuits' from page 255 of Dan Leppard's book Short and Sweet. It was a no contest choice as this recipe included some of my favourite ingredients when it comes to sweet baking: warm spices, sweet dates, minerally black treacle and sesame seeds.
The cookies are easy to mix together and following an hour of cooling in the fridge the dough becomes firm enough to handle without getting your hands or utensils in a mess. The instructions advise you to shape the dough into walnut size pieces but I must have a mean perception of the size of a walnut as I was shaping up far more than the 15-18 cookies that the recipe estimates you will make. I quickly resized my portions of dough to get closer to the target number of cookies and then rolled them into the sesame seeds and pressed them onto the baking tray.
They baked up nicely in the time stated and as Dan instructs you should leave them on the tray to cool. I was impatient to try one but they really are very delicate and crumbly while hot so best to wait if you can find the patience.
The cooled cookies have a lovely light and delicate texture but pack a punch of flavour.
I had one with an espresso style coffee as recommended and the two go really well together. I have yet to try the after dinner option with a shot of grappa but it sounds good to me.
Your smart china is made for this sort of elegant indulgence.
ReplyDeleteWe had a tricky time judging when our mix was sufficiently baked so next time we might bake ours for a minute or so less (we baked them in a fan oven).
I've borrowed your photographs for the Short and Tweet compilation for this week's challenge: Short and Tweet: Cookies, oatcakes, sweet or savoury biscuits.