I love ginger. I even married one – though he swears he’s warm Nordic blonde. Haha. He’s confused today by all the ginger recipe names; gingerbread (for men and houses), ginger cakes and loaves, ginger snaps, and now gingernut biscuits.
A ‘superfood’ proven to be worthy of that term, ginger is one of the healthiest spices on the planet. Part of the Zingiberaceae family related to turmeric and cardamom, it's main bioactive compound is gingerol. Full of anti-oxidants that help limit damage to your body’s DNA, it may also help fight high blood pressure, as well as heart and lung diseases.
Try this quick and easy recipe for delicious gingernut biscuits or get a little more adventurous with some apple and pecan muffins.
Ingredients:
340g plain flour
160g light brown sugar
100g unsalted butter
4 tbsp golden syrup
3 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 egg
Method:
Preheat oven to 180⁰C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar together, add the egg and beat in. Then add all the other ingredients mixing until a smooth dough-forms. Roll dough out onto a floured work surface until dough is appx 5mms thick. Cut out biscuits using a cookie cutter. I tend to use a 3cm round cutter for mini biscuits.
Place biscuits on the prepared tray leaving space in between each as they will spread slightly.
Place in oven and bake for appx 8 mins. Once ready, place on a wire rack to cool and firm up.
Apple & Pecan Muffins 
Ingredients:
250g rice flour
150mls runny honey
150gms rapeseed oil
100gms coconut sugar
50mls tepid water
150g chopped pecans/walnuts
2 apples (peeled, cored and diced/grated)
2 eggs
2tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp gf baking powder
1 tsp vanilla paste
½ tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
Method:
Preheat oven to 180⁰C / 160⁰C (fan)
Prepare a muffin tray lining it with 12 tulip muffin cases.
Peel, core and dice/grate the apple. Chop the walnuts. In a bowl prepare the dry ingredients by mixing the rice flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Whisk the eggs and then add the honey, oil, water, and vanilla paste, continuing to whisk until all is incorporated. Add the dry ingredients mix to the wet and fold it in using a large spoon/spatula, (don’t over mix). Then fold in the apple and 50g of the nuts.
Pour the mixture evenly into the muffin cases, sprinkle the remaining nuts over the top and bake for appx 25 mins. The muffins are ready when a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Gaby Van Clarke
Gaby’s too busy compiling her first book, so she has left this intro to me. Some things retain an aura long past their sell by date. On a 1978 work visit to Vienna I missed a visit to the Hotel Sacher and a chance to savour their famous chocolate cake, the Sacher Torte. It’s more
