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FUDGY FIG ROLL FAVOURS

Created by baker, artist and photographer Ellen Hollingshurst of @a_bakingmess, these fudgy fig rolls are rich, gently spiced and rooted in nostalgia. A perfect addition to your Christmas gifting.

Gifting at Christmas is so hard. Endless scrolling online for gifts of varying sentiment for those near and dear to us (or for the office secret Santa). Struggling to budget in every last person, whilst keeping everything tactful, and not tactless, is a pendulum endlessly swinging out of balance.

It is in these trying times, a good biscuit solves the day. Marry the gift of something homemade, with something classic and lasting - like a Falcon Enamelware Small Side plate, or Small Sauce Dish - and as the gift giver, you can sit back with a smug grin plastered on your face knowing that you’ve smashed the gift giving this year.

Alternatively, these can soothe the most stressful of Christmas shoppers when dunked in a cuppa, and are the perfect snack to scroll through Falcon Enamelware’s website, searching for the perfect present.

No time for baking? Take the stress out of Christmas shopping with our gift vouchers available to purchase online. So you can sit back, relax, and let them choose their perfect gift this year.

FUDGY FIG ROLLS

Nostalgically fudgy, the fig roll’s simple filling creates the most comforting of flavours, whilst a twist of Chinese 5 spice and wholemeal flour adds a warming, nutty note to the soft cookie case. If you don’t have these hanging about, simply substitute with cinnamon and plain flour. Either way, these are better than the shop bought, and utterly gnawish once you start eating them.

INGREDIENTS

 

Biscuit Dough:

  • 50g unsalted butter, softened
  • 40g light brown sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 175g wholemeal flour, sifted
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
  • Figgy Filling:
  • 200g soft dried figs, chopped
  • 20g light brown sugar

Add the dough butter and sugar to a bowl, and beat with a spoon until pale, smooth and creamy - roughly 5 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla extract now, and mix to combine. If it curdles, add a bit of the flour and keep mixing.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, Chinese 5 Spice and salt, then add in batches to the wet ingredients to make a soft dough.

Tip out onto a sheet of baking parchment, sandwich, and roll into a 0.5cm thick rectangle. Wrap up and put into the fridge while you make the filling.

Add the figs and sugar to a small saucepan with enough water to cover the base of the pan (roughly a tea cup full). Simmer over a medium heat so that the figs break down, the water evaporates, and the mixture becomes thick (5-10 minutes).

Add this to a blender, and process until smooth.

Take the biscuit dough out of the fridge, and once cooled, spoon the fig mixture in a log shape lengthways onto the dough. Use the baking parchment to help you roll the dough up like a sausage roll, and before sealing, wet the overhang with some water, then tightly seal.

Slice the log up into 15-18 biscuits, depending on how generous you are feeling, then transfer to a lines baking tray.

Place back in the fridge as you preheat the oven to 190°C bake or 170°C fan.

Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.

YOU MIGHT FIND USEFUL

White with Blue Rim Small Side Plate
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