Date Syrup my new Love………………..

Date syrup has been made and used for thousands of years in the middle east, although its relatively new to our western societies. It’s an all natural sweetener that is sweet with a fruity date like tone. Ingenious.

The culinary possibilities are endless. Sweet or savoury. I imagine large shoulders of lamb, slow roasted with a date syrup glaze, I envision cocktails of gin, raspberry and mint, that are sweetened by the syrup, desserts that are rich and sticky and I see biscuits……

When I saw the beautiful rich brown, honey like substance in the jar i knew I was going to make some ANZAC style biscuits.

Date and dark chocolate ANZAC style Biscuits with Dark chocolate and date syrup Ganache

1 1/4 cup gf plain flour

1 cup caster sugar

1 1/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 shredded coconut

125gm butter melted

3 dessert spoon date syrup

2 dessert spoon boiling water

1 tsp bi carb soda

100g dark chocolate chopped finely

20g chopped pistachio for decoration

Preheat oven to 180C, line biscuit trays with silicone paper.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Combine water, bi carb soda and date syrup together and add to the butter.

Add butter mix and dark chocolate to the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Roll dessert spoon full of mix into rounds, press top of round into chopped pistachio, and place on baking tray nut side up. placing should be 3cm apart to allow for spreading.

Bake for 10-15mins. Allow to cool on trays.

Dark chocolate and date syrup ganache

100g dark chocolate

150g thickened cream

3 dessert spoon date syrup

Put all ingredients into a microwave proof bowl.

Heat in microwave for 2minute on 50%. leave for 1 minute then stir until all incorporated.

Leave to cool.

Use to heaped teaspoon worth of ganache to sandwich together 2 of the date biscuits above.

notes: Date syrup is available from middle eastern grocers or online.If you are finding it really hard to source you can make your own, there are some great resources on the web, although i haven’t tried them out so can’t guarantee results. You could always replace the date syrup with honey or maple syrup or good old golden syrup. The biscuits are delicious on there own, but the addition of the ganache makes them super indulgent. Store the biscuits in an air tight container they will keep for 1 week. If your in a hot environment I would recommend either storing the complete biscuits in the refrigerator or ganaching as required. Oh and This recipe has oats in it which for some Gf people is fine, for others it’s not so much… In that case I would replace the oats with quinoa flakes…..