Showing posts with label Teatime Treats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teatime Treats. Show all posts
I wanted to share something special with you today for Mother's Day 2022. This is my second one back in Canada. I will be getting together later today with my sister, brother in law and father for a special supper together.
I really wanted to make us all a special treat. And I thought I would bake something British. Nobody does baked treats better than the British and nothing is more moreish than these delectable Ginger Crunchies.
You better get your pinny on because if you like ginger, you are going to fall in love with these crisp shortbread based ginger biscuit/cookie/squares!
They are crisp and buttery, very short textured. They are also topped with a lush ginger glaze and some sweet chunks of preserved ginger. Don't worry if you haven't got any preserved ginger, you can substitute candied ginger for it, or leave it off altogether.
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
I love the Women's Institute cookery books. Formed in 1915 the Women's Institute had two clear aims; to revitalize the rural community and to encourage women to become more involved in the production of food during the first World War.
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
It has long been considered the leading authority on hoe cooking and is the largest voluntary women's organization in the UK. There is even a WI cookery school in Oxfordshire called Denman College.
Oh how I would have loved to attend one of their cookery courses while I was still living in the UK. Never mind . . . we all have access to their lovely books, so that is a pretty close second!!
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
These crisp moreish biscuits/cookies/bars are one of my favorite Teatime Treats. And no small wonder, with their crisp, crumbly ginger flavored cookie base and sweet ginger glaze topping, they always go down well.
I adore the flavor of ginger and this is a bar that highlights it really well!
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GINGER CRUNCHIES
Simple ingredients that most of us already have in our kitchens.
For the base:
- 1/2 cup (110g) of butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup plus 1 TBS (60g) finely granulated sugar
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
For the glaze:
- 4 TBS icing sugar
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3 tsp golden syrup (can use light corn syrup)
- chopped stem ginger to garnish (optional)
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
You can leave your butter out on the counter for an hour or so before you go to make these and it will be at the perfect temperature. If you don't have fine granulated sugar, you can blitz it for a few seconds in a food processor to make it finer.
In the UK this is called Castor sugar. I find here in Canada the regular granulated sugar I buy is quite fine enough.
The ground ginger called for is simple dry powdered ginger, available in the spice sections of all good grocery shops.
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
The glaze is a simple one. Butter melted together with the icing sugar, some golden syrup and more powdered ginger.
Its okay if you don't have golden syrup. You can use light corn syrup in its place. It is worth it to get golden syrup if you can however. It is available via Amazon and British import stores everywhere. It has a lovely caramel-like flavor, with a bit of a lemon undertone.
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
HOW TO MAKE GINGER CRUNCHIES
Nothing could be easier. These are very simple to make. You will need an 8-inch square baking tin. I would not bake them in any tin that is larger as the base would be too thin and they might burn.
Preheat the oven to 360*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line an 8 inch square tin with aluminum foil. (This will make it easier to lift out the finished biscuits/cookies).
Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy.
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
Sift together the flour, baking powder and ground ginger. Stir this into the creamed mixture, mixing everything well together.
Press into the prepared tin and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. (They should be pale golden brown.)
For the glaze combine the butter, icing sugar, ground ginger and syrup in a small saucepan. Stir over a gentle heat until well mixed together.
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
Pour over the biscuit (cookie) layer while both are still warm. Cut into squares immediately and let cool completely. Decorate each square with some of the stem ginger, if using.
Leave until completely cold to lift out. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
I guarantee if you are a ginger lover like I am, you are going to fall in love with these. You may find it impossible to eat only one. Two is a certainty!
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
Some other British teatime treats on here that you might enjoy are:
TRADITIONAL BATTENBURG CAKE - Also known as a church window cake, this lovely bar cake sports both a pink and yellow batter, cut and put together with jam and butter cream in a way so as to resemble a church window. Wrapped in marzipan it is a delicious cake to enjoy with a nice hot drink.
POLKA DOT PETTICOAT TAILS - triangular shortbread biscuits, crisp and buttery, dotted with little dimples of your favorite kinds of jam. Very scrumptious!
FAT RASCALS - A delicious cross between a scone/pastry/biscuit, studded with sweet currants and coated in fine sugar. These are fabulously tasty indeed!
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
In the spirit of transparency, mine came out a little bit on the dark side today. I didn't hear the oven timer go off, but they were still incredibly delicious. Do not expect that yours (given the perfect timing) will be quite as dark as these. You should aim for a nice light golden brown.
These are quite, quite delicious and I guarantee they are set to become a family teatime favorite!
Yield: 16
Ginger Crunchies
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
These lightly spiced crunchy biscuits (squares/cookies) are very moreish and go quite well with a nice hot cuppa! They are also very easily made!
Ingredients
For the base:
- 1/2 cup (110g) of butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup plus 1 TBS (60g) finely granulated sugar
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
For the glaze:
- 4 TBS icing sugar
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3 tsp golden syrup (can use light corn syrup)
- chopped stem ginger to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line an 8 inch square tin with aluminum foil. (This will make it easier to lift out the finished biscuits/cookies).
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and ground ginger. Stir this into the creamed mixture, mixing everything well together.
- Press into the prepared tin and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. (They should be pale golden brown.)
- For the glaze combine the butter, icing sugar, ground ginger and syrup in a small saucepan. Stir over a gentle heat until well mixed together.
- Pour over the biscuit (cookie) layer while both are still warm. Cut into squares immediately and let cool completely. Decorate each square with some of the stem ginger if using.
- Leave until completely cold to lift out. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
One favorite thing that I became very fond of in the UK was Bakewell Tarts. They are a real British favorite teatime treat, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
You can get individual tarts such as I have baked here, slices, and full sized tarts.
The Bakewell Tart is a popular treat in the UK, name after the Derbyshire town of Bakewell. It consists of a pastry case filled with a layer of jam, frangipane, and then topped with flaked almonds and/or a glacé icing and glacé cherry.
Bakewell Tart (s) are actually a variation on the original Bakewell Pudding, which was created in the town of Bakewell, which is in Derbyshire in the U.K.
It is said that Mrs. Greaves, who was the landlady of the White Horse Inn, left instructions to her cook to make a jam tart.
Instead of stirring the almond paste and eggs into the pastry as instructed, the cook spread the mixture on top of the tart. When cooked, it set like an egg custard. The resulting pudding proved to be very popular with visitors to the inn.
In later years, the egg custard was replaced with an Italian frangipane filling, composed of ground almonds, eggs, butter and sugar. The tart was often topped with flaked almonds and a glace cherry.
You will most often in the UK see the tarts in the shops topped with a glaze of almond flavored icing and a cherry.
These tarts which I am sharing with you today are a variation on all of that. They have a sweet jam filling and are topped with an almond frangipane, flaked almonds, an almond drizzle glaze and a glace cherry. And they are delicious!
Not only that, but they are very quick and easy to make, especially if you use frozen tart shells, which I did today.
You can of course make your pastry from scratch, but if you are in a hurry and want a treat fast the frozen tart shells are the way to go!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY BAKEWELL TARTS
Nothing outrageously out of the ordinary. Simple ingredients done really well.
- 12 frozen tart shells, thawed
- 4 TBS strawberry jam
- 3/4 cup (170g) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
- 1 cup + 3 TBS (100g) ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 large free range egg
- 4 TBS flaked almonds to sprinkle
To finish (optional)
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- few drops almond extract and a bit of water
- 6 glace cherries, washed, dried and halved
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
I used the Tenderflake brand of tart shells that I had in the freezer. I have used them before and they are excellent.
You will see that it also calls for sweetened condensed milk. Do not confuse this with evaporated milk. They are not the same thing at all.
One (evaporated) is simply milk which has been heat treated to have a lot of the water removed. The other (sweetened condensed) has been treated to have water removed but has also been cooked with sugar to make a sweet thick product that is excellent in desserts.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
I get my ground almonds from Costco. What you want is ground almonds that have not been ground with the skins.
I also get my flaked almonds from Costco. Again, they have no skins on them.
I opted to add the optional glaze and of course the glace cherry on top. Don't worry if you can't get glace cherries, you could use maraschino cherries that have been rinsed and dried really well if you want, or you can leave them off entirely.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
HOW TO MAKE EASY BAKEWELL TARTS
I like to prebake my tart shells for five minutes to set them. There are no soggy bottoms here!!! My sister and I will sometimes pick up tarts at the local Foodland shop and I have to tell you we are ALWAYS disappointed.
The bottoms are always soggy. It never fails. it is such a simple thing to just pre-bake your shells for five minutes. It really does prevent this from happening.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
Preheat the oven to 350*C/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with some foil for ease of cleaning in case of any spill-overs.
Whisk the condensed milk, almonds, egg and almond essence together until smooth. Place the thawed tart shells on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for five minutes. Remove.
Spoon 1 tsp of jam in the bottom of each tart shell. Divide the almond mixture between the tarts, covering the jam in the bottom of each shell. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to18 minutes until just starting to brown.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
Remove and allow to cool. Whisk the icing sugar together with some almond extract and just enough water to make a thick drizzle icing.
Flick this icing over top of of the tarts and place a cherry half on top of each. Leave until set to serve.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
If you are a fan of Bakewell goods like I am then you may also be interested in my other Bakewell recipes on here. Every one of them delicious!
Bakewell Slices - very similar except they are baked in a tray bake tin and cut into fingers to serve. Fabulously tasty!
Bakewell Tart Muffins - almond flavored muffins with a lush jam filling, an icing glaze and a cherry on top! Delicious!
Bakewell Whoopie Pies - two almond flavored cake like cookies, sandwiched together with jam and then sweetly glazed and topped with flaked almonds. Simply wonderful!!!
I have to say I was never overly fond of the ones in the shops. Not enough filling and far too sweet. These delicious tarts are a perfect balance of sweetness and are very generously filled.
Quick and easy to make as well. They are a real favorite with me!
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
The recipe does make 12 tarts. I am sharing them with my sister. My dad is coming to pick them up before he goes there for supper tonight. I am only keeping a few for myself.
These are fabulously tasty. I think you best prepare yourself to discover a new addiction! If you are a fan of jam tarts and of almonds, then you are going to be a real fan of these!! Enjoy!!
Easy Bakewell Tarts
Yield: 12
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 23 MinTotal time: 33 Min
An easy version of one of Great Britain's favorite Teatime treats! You can make your own pastry if you wish, but good ready made frozen tart shells work quite well and make baking these a breeze!
Ingredients
- 12 frozen tart shells, thawed
- 4 TBS strawberry jam
- 3/4 cup (170g) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
- 1 cup + 3 TBS (100g) ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 large free range egg
- 4 TBS flaked almonds to sprinkle
To finish (optional)
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- few drops almond extract and a bit of water
- 6 glace cherries, washed, dried and halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*C/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with some foil for ease of cleaning in case of any spill-overs.
- Whisk the condensed milk, almonds, egg and almond essence together until smooth.
- Place the thawed tart shells on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for five minutes. Remove.
- Spoon 1 tsp of jam in the bottom of each tart shell. Divide the almond mixture between the tarts, covering the jam in the bottom of each shell. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to18 minutes until just starting to brown.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- Whisk the icing sugar together with some almond extract and just enough water to make a thick drizzle icing. Flick this over top of of the tarts and place a cherry half on top of each.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
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My mother was not a person who spoiled her children with goodies. Occasionally she might bake us something special, but for the most part things such as baked goods, cakes, pies, cookies, etc. were kept for special occasions.
Mom went to work full time when I was 10 and so her time was limited in the kitchen. She was also not one to enjoy other people messing about in her kitchen. She was very particular about how things were kept and done, but then when you think about it, aren't we all to a degree!
Mom also had this great fear about her children being overweight. She had been overweight as a child and didn't want this for us. I wish now I had spoken to her more about it because I would like to know what it was that caused her to be so overly concerned for us.
Anyways, as a result the sweet stuff and goodies in our lives were always carefully controlled. On special occasions such as Christmas however, goodies were in abundance!
And boy oh boy did we ever enjoy them. There was always a bowl of hard candy on the coffee table and some pastel fondants. Candy canes, and mixed nuts and she would bake us a few goodies.
We could always count on War Cake, Aunt Orabelle's Date Squares, some Shortbread Cookies and these Feather Squares.
We loved all of our treats, but I think, for myself anyways, these Feather Squares were my absolute favorite of all the treats! And no small wonder.
We are a family of jam lovers. If something has jam in it, we are in love with it. The bars are wonderfully filled with raspberry jam. Love. Love. Love.
Mom always made these lush bars, with their buttery cake base, jam filling and meringue topping on Christmas Eve. I always felt she was saving the best for last.
Truth be told however, these are not keepers. They are not a bar you can make well ahead of time to enjoy. You basically need to bake these and consume them within a day or two if you are going to enjoy them at their optimum!
If you are a plain cake lover and a lover of jam, then this is the bar for you! They are light and delicate with just a hint of sweet jam in the centres.
That billowy meringue topping with the toasted coconut gracing it, is probably where they got the name of "Feather Squares." The coconut ends up looking for all the world like goose down or feathers. Very pretty.
You needn't reserve these just for the holidays, they would be excellent served any time and I can see them gracing a tea table very nicely!
They were a Christmas tradition in my home because that is the only time mom made them. And so, out of tradition and love for her, and now, in her memory . . . it is also the only time we make them as well.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FEATHER SQUARES
Nothing overly complicated. I bet you have all of the ingredients in the kitchen cupboard and refrigerator now, with the exception of maybe the jam or the coconut, or both!
- 4 TBS butter
- 3 large free range eggs
- 1 cup white sugar (200g)
- 2 TBS whole milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
- 1 cup flour (140g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (4 heaped dessertspoons) raspberry jam
- 1 cup (75g) flaked sweetened coconut
SOME HANDY TIPS
Basically I try to make sure all of my ingredients are at room temperature when I am baking, unless otherwise specified. This just makes for better results.
If you run a fork through the jam it will loosen it enough for ease of spreading.
Sift the dry ingredients together so that any leavening gets evenly distributed through the flour.
Grease your pan really well, especially on the sides, and then dust with flour, shaking out any excess. Jam is known to stick.
For ease of removal from the pan, you can line the baking tin with a baking parchment sling that overhangs on at least two sides. That way you can just lift the squares out. This also makes for ease in cutting.
When cutting these squares, dip your knife in hot water in between cuts. This helps to prevent the meringue topping from sticking to the knife and then tearing as you cut.
HOW TO MAKE MOMS FEATHER SQUARES.
You will begin by making the cake base. Beat the butter and sugar together until well creamed, light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Beating them in one at a time helps to prevent your cake batter from splitting.
Stir in the vanilla and then stir in the flour mixture, alternating additions with the milk. Three dry, two wet. Don't over mix, but do make sure everything is amalgamated and smooth.
Spoon the cake batter into the prepared baking tin (8-inches square) and smooth the top over. Bake for about 20 minutes in the center of the oven until golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean.
While the cake base is baking, make the meringue. If your egg whites are at room temperature you will get more volume from them.
Beat them with an electric hand mixer until they become foamy and frothy. Only then do you begin to add the sugar, adding it a bit at a time. This help to make sure the sugar melts into the egg whites and prevents your meringue from being granular.
Beat until you have a nice glossy mixture with stiff peaks that stand up when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
Spread the jam over the cake base while it is hot. The jam will melt and spread much easier. Top with the meringue, spreading it evenly over top. This is best done by making several dollops over the surface and then joining the dollops together.
Finally sprinkle on the coconut and return the pan to the oven until the meringue and coconut are toasty and golden brown. Remove and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares with a wet knife.
And that's it, Mom's Feather Squares. A traditional family treat and something which we all look forward to every year. A last minute, Christmas Eve indulgence.
You don't need to use raspberry jam. You can use whichever jam you prefer, even lemon curd if that's your wish. The raspberry jam does look especially festive however!
Happy Holidays!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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