Fig & Gingerbread Biscuits

As the weather heats up and Christmas draws ever closer, my desire to cook seems to rise with the mercury. So it was, when my Mum told me about some fig and ginger biscuits she was enjoying, I was inspired to create my own version.

Last year around this time Fiona, from The Grape and The Grain, and I found a seriously amazing recipe with a twist on gingerbread. It's quickly became s favourite! I made this for 2 friends and my hubby last year to find it had dissapeared only moments later. The delicious bite sized pieces do make this quite easy, though!

While not the prettiest biscuit, their spicy lovliness and the slight crunch of the fig seeds are really quite enticing, if I can say so myself! My recipe is really quite similar to the original with a couple of extra ingredients.

Ingredients - 1 cup chopped dried figs - 1/2 cup chopped crystalised ginger - 1/4 cup golden syrup - 40g brown sugar - 20g butter - 100g plain flour - 1tbsp self-raising flour - 1/4 tbsp bicarbonate of soda - 1tbsp dried ground ginger - 1/4tbsp cinnamon and 1/4tbsp allspice OR 1/2tbsp mixed spice - 1 egg yolk

Makes about 15-20.

Method 1. Preheat oven to 160°C, and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

2. Combine the golden syrup, brown sugar, butter and figs in a saucepan over low heat; stir until the butter is melted, sugar disolved and figs coated. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little while you complete the next step.

3. Sift flours, bicarb and spices into a bowl

4. Stir the egg yolk through the syrup/fig mixture and add to flour, along with candied ginger. Stir the ingredients until combined, use your hands to form a dough if needed.

5. Roll tablespoon(ish) sized balls of the dough, and place about 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking tray.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven, and allow to cool on trays

7. Enjoy!