Sandwich ginger biscuits with a creamy, zesty filling to make these gluten-free teatime treats that are aromatic with wintry spices – cloves, nutmeg and cardamom
Prep:30 mins
Makes 12-15
100g unsalted butter, melted50g golden caster sugar100g light brown soft sugar25g black treacle1 large egg½ tsp vanilla extract¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda175g gluten-free flour blend (I used Doves Farm)1 tbsp ground ginger½ tsp ground black pepper¼ tsp ground nutmeg¼ tsp ground cloves¼ tsp ground cardamom (the seeds from 3 pods, crushed – see tip)75g demerara sugar, to coat
STEP 1To make the cookies, put the butter, sugars, treacle, egg and vanilla in a large bowl and mix together with an electric whisk until smooth and combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients except the demerara. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until a very sticky dough is formed. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 4 hrs.STEP 2Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line two baking trays with baking parchment. Roll the cookie dough into balls, about a tablespoon in size, then roll in the demerara sugar. Place on the lined trays, leaving about 2.5cm space between cookies.STEP 3Bake for about 14 mins or until just lightly browned around the edges, swapping the trays over halfway through cooking. Allow to cool on the trays for 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.STEP 4To make the filling, beat together the mascarpone and lemon curd in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip. Pipe a layer of the cream onto the base of half the cookies and sandwich together with the other half. Will keep for 3-4 days in a sealed container in the fridge – the texture will turn soft and cakey (this is no bad thing).
