Spiced Squash Biscuit

Spiced Squash Biscuit

An almost gingerbread iced festive treat

Full disclosure, this is one of those recipes I used to pump up my boys’ vegetable quota when they were little, not quite as effective as the six veg pasta sauce but these biscuits certainly went down a treat. Aside from eating, these were great to get them involved in the kitchen, and most importantly spending cherished time together. 
This recipe has a lower sugar content than most, giving a soft gingerbread texture rather than the crisp snap of a traditional biscuit, which was another leftover from the days of cooking with young children… watching the sugar intake. 
Pumpkin is a lovely choice for this recipe, but the crown prince is perfect. Dense but not fibrous, sweet but not overpowering and minimal water content. Saying that almost any squash will do as long as it can become a puree and most of the moisture is driven out first. 

Makes 24 depending on size
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes

Ingredients:
60g unsalted butter
120g soft brown sugar
70g black treacle
1 beaten egg
100g squash puree
285g flour
A small pinch of salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp shaved nutmeg

1. To make the squash puree, peel trim and cut around 150g of squash into large chunks. Roast in the hot oven under foil for 20 minutes, or until soft, then remove the foil and roast for a further 5 minutes to dry it out. Puree or mash with a fork.
2. In the meantime, melt the butter, sugar and treacle together in a pan over a low heat, then leave to stand for a minute before stirring in the beaten egg.
3. Once the squash has cooled slightly beat this into the pan with the other ingredients.
4. Beat in all the remaining dry ingredients to form a dough, shape it into a round, cover in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Preheat an oven to 190°C

5. Roll out to half a centimetre thick and cut out in any shape you like, then bake on a lined tray in the preheated oven for 6 minutes. The biscuits should be firm but not dark.
6. Don’t waste any dough, keep squidging the offcuts back together, roll it out then cut it out again and again. Make sure to use minimal flour to roll out. 

Ice with a basic sugar icing, which is powdered sugar mixed with enough water to make a toothpaste consistency. Approximately 150g icing sugar with a tablespoon of cold water. This can be coloured as your creativity sees fit. To write with it add a little more sugar for a thicker consistency. To flood add more water. Happy holidays. 

Robin Popham
Chef at ‘Create Terroir’ and Sandy Lane Farm veg box customer