Playing With Recipes : Date and Oat Slice.

I’ve been playing with this recipe for years. The original recipe is from the very old ‘Book of Home Baking’ by Margaret Fulton. I don’t actually remember where or when I got this book from but it does have an old faded Big W price sticker on it. It’s a book I’ve used many many times.

In particular this recipe which is fantastic in itself but I can’t help myself and add something different to it nearly every time.

Let me know if you do…..

In a small saucepan put 300g chopped dates, 2 Tbls water, 1Tbls lemon juice and 1Tbls honey. Simmer gently over a medium heat until the dates are soft. Take off the heat and leave aside while you prepare the crumbly oat layers.

In a medium bowl mix together  225g wholemeal flour with 200g rolled oats and then rub in 220g butter. Stir in 60g brown sugar and I like to add about 50g flax seed and a few pepita and sunflower seeds.

Press 1/2 this mixture into a shallow square or rectangular baking dish which you’ve lined with baking paper.  Cover with the date mixture. Here is where i play with the recipe. I’ve added a layer of thinly sliced apple or pear, some sultanas, currants, pecans, slivered almonds, whatever I had at hand. Today I’ve sprinkled a handful of dried cranberries and some chopped  walnuts.

Cover the filling with the remaining crumble and press down well.

Bake at 190c for 35 – 40 minutes until brown.

Cut into slices while still warm then cool completely in the tin before removing and serving and eating.

This slice is still delicious even 1 week later, just keep it in an air tight container.

If you leave out the nuts it makes a great lunchbox snack.

Enjoy…

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Scones….

My my parents-in-law love these scones. And what’s not to love???? They’re full of dates, ginger and honey….yum. Made these ones fresh this morning and they are on their way to my in-laws place as I write this. Chop 1/2 cup dates and 1/4 cup of glacé ginger into small pieces. Put them in a bowl with 2 cups of sifted self raising flour, 1 teaspoon ground ginger (less if you don’t like too much ginger), and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Mix well. In a small saucepan, gently heat  1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 cup milk (I use soy), and 1/4 cup cream till just hot enough to melt the honey. Add to the flour and lightly mix with a flat bladed knife until it all comes together to a soft dough. Tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and squash it down to about 2 cm thick. Cut out rounds and place them on a greased baking tray. Bring leftover dough back together and continue cutting out rounds until the dough is finished.  Heat 1 tablespoon milk with 1 teaspoon honey and brush this over the top of your scones. Bake in a preheated oven, 210 degrees, for 15 minutes or until they are a lovely golden brown. Let them cool down for a few minutes before you try and shove them all in your mouth at once. Enjoy……