Ginger Cream Biscuits

For some time, I have had this recipe which I gleaned from the Waitrose magazine. I kept on forgetting to buy ground ginger, but eventually my memory kicked in and I decided now was the time to get baking. They made for a delightfully indulgent treat, although I wish there had been more of a gingery taste about them. The soft squidgey cookies with the crunch of the demerara sugar is lovely. But in my opinion, these biscuits need more zing.

INGREDIENTS

225g plain flour
175g demerara sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
1 egg
1 tbsp milk

Filling
75g unsalted butter, softened
75g soft cheese
140g icing sugar

METHOD

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, ginger, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt. Add the cold diced butter, using your fingertips to rub it in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and milk. Stir into the dry mixture and bring together into a dough. Cover and chill for fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180˚C/Gas mark 4, and line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

Once the cookie dough has chilled, take heaped-teaspoon-sized scoops of the dough and roll into balls, then place, evenly spaced, on the baking trays. Bake one tray at a time for twelve minutes, until golden. Leave to cool on the tray for one minute, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, make the filling using electric beaters to beat the butter until light and fluffy. Quickly mix in the soft cheese and then sift over the icing sugar, then mix until just combined. (Be careful not to overwhip or the mixture will become runny.) Chill the filling until the biscuits are completely cool, then use a palette knife or the back of a spoon to coat the underside of one biscuit with filling before sandwiching it with another. Repeat with the remaining biscuits.