No 24 - Spiced Date Triangles

Given that we were at No 14 when I let someone talk me into this blog, it has taken me a while to catch up with myself.  This is it - when this goes on-line I will be up-to-date and can concentrate in getting some photos together to illustrate some of the entries.  I never realized that this blogging business would require me to be so organized about baking.  Writing the recipes down has been the worst bit; I can't make all this up as I go along.  I have had to work out a measurement for some of the guesstimates I regularly use!

Here is a proper recipe and another one for those little biscuit things that go well beside a cup of 'sterk' coffee.

Spiced Date Triangles

2/3 cup (110 g) chopped pitted dates
1/4 cup (60ml) golden syrup
1 TB water
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1.75 cups (260 g) plain flour
1 cup (125 g) ground almonds
1/2 cup (100 g)firmly packed brown sugar
125 g butter, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg whie lightly beaten
1 Tb cinnamon sugar
3/4 cup (60 g) flaked almonds

Combine dates, syrup, water and spice in a pot and simmer for 2 mins; cool.

Combine sifted flour, ground almonds and sugar, and rub in the butter.  Add the egg and the cooled date mixture, stir well, knead gently and using a piece of foil to wrap it in, shape the dough into a long triangle (big Toblerone comes to mind).

Refrigerate it for 1 hour and then slice about 5mm thick, place them on greased oven trays, brush with egg white and sprinkle with almond flakes.

Bake about 12 mins in a moderate oven (that's 170 to 180 deg C)

Makes about 55.