The Flexible Baker by Jo Pratt is a super adaptable cookbook with 75 delicious recipes that have options for gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free or vegan versions.
Of these delicious adaptive biscuits, Jo says: "There's something about these cookies that's deeply satisfying to eat. The dates create the stickiness in them and if you can, do try to use the Medjool dates – they taste like toffee."
Ingredients
| 2¼ cups | pitted dates, finely chopped |
| 75g | stem ginger, finely chopped |
| 175g | butter |
| ¾ cup | soft light brown sugar |
| 1 Tbsp | maple or golden syrup |
| ½ tsp | vanilla bean paste |
| 2¼ cups | plain (all-purpose) flour |
| ½ tsp | baking powder |
| ½ tsp | grated nutmeg |
| ½ tsp | flaked sea salt |
Directions
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.
- Put the dates, ginger, butter, sugar, syrup and vanilla in a saucepan. Place the pan over a low heat, stirring until the butter has melted, sugar dissolved and dates starting to soften.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt into a large bowl. Add the date mixture and stir well until you have a wet dough.
- Using an ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop balls of the dough and put on the lined baking trays, slightly spaced apart to allow room for spreading. Flatten the tops of each one by pressing lightly with the back of a fork.
- Bake in the oven for 12–14 minutes until lightly golden. Leave to cool on the trays, and as they cool, they will firm up. Once cooled completely, store in an airtight container.
Flexible
- Vegan: simply swap the butter for either coconut oil or a plant-based butter alternative.
- Gluten-free: use a gluten-free flour and the addition of ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Make sure the baking powder you use is also gluten-free.
- Flavour swap: the finished cookies are delicious drizzled with melted dark or white chocolate.
Edited extract from The Flexible Baker by Jo Pratt. Published by Quarto UK. RRP $39.99
