This week, Roy noticed that the biscuit jar was empty. Roy occasionally enjoys snacking on a sweet treat, and his Grandfather loved to have a biscuit with his cup of tea, so when the biscuit tin is empty, it is definitely time for a refill of delicious homemade treats. He flipped through his various cookbooks, looking for the perfect recipe when he came across a recipe for date filled biscuits. Roy loves dried fruit, and he knew his Grandad loved fruit pillows, so he thought he would give it a go. The results were spectacular, so he thought he would share the recipe. So this week, Roy Creates Spectacularly Tasty Date Filled Biscuits.
You Will Need:
- 500 grams of pitted dates
- 1 cup of white or castor sugar
- ½ a cup of cold water
- 250 grams of softened butter or margarine
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 2 and ½ cups of rolled oats
- 2 and ½ cups of plain flour
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- ½ a teaspoon of vanilla essence
- ½ a cup of warm water
Method:
- In a saucepan, mix together the dates, white sugar, cinnamon and ½ a cup of cold water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook the dates until they are soft and sludgy, then allow them to cool enough to handle.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and line biscuit trays with baking paper
- Cream together the butter and brown sugar
- Add the flour, oats, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda and mix thoroughly
- Add the vanilla essence to the warm water and then add the warm water to the dough, a little at a time. Mix until you have a good dough consistency
- Turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface and knead. You may find you need to add a little more flour to the dough, as Roy’s was a bit sticky. It will depend on your flour though!
- Divide the dough in half and put one half aside
- Roll out half the dough (Roy thinks it would be a good idea to do this on a piece of baking paper). Trim the edges and attach them in uneven parts to make a rectangle of dough. Put this aside.
- Roll out the other half of the dough, trying to match the size and shape of the half you rolled out before
- Spread the date mix over the dough. You will need to use your fingers to spread the dates out, so make sure the dates are cool enough to handle!
- Carefully cover the date mix with the second rolled piece of dough (you might need a friend to help you). Roy did this by carrying the dough on the baking paper and then flipping it over.
- Press the dough down to spread the dates the rest of the way and create a good seal.
- Cut the dough into fingers and transfer them to the biscuit trays. Roy found he could cook 12 per sheet (and his fingers were quite large)
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden and cooked through
- Cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container
- Enjoy!