Fig, Fennel and Orange Cookies

Name: Rukmini Iyer Fig, Fennel and Orange Cookies Recipe | Easy Biscuit
Yield: Makes 12–15 cookies
Ingredients: 325g plain flour; 1½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp sea salt flakes, crumbled; 200g chopped dried figs; 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed; 1 unwaxed clementine, zest and juice; 170g soft light brown sugar; 130ml olive oil; 55ml water

by Rukmini Iyer from The Sweet Roasting Tin

These simple vegan cookies are flavoured with clementine, dried figs and crushed fennel seeds for a simple, but elevated biscuit, perfect for snacking.

Vegetarian Vegan Dairy-Free Baking Freezer Friendly

Makes 12–15 cookies

Easy

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Introduction from Rukmini Iyer

These are rather grown-up cookies – with a flavour reminiscent of fig rolls (which I have a particular fondness for). The fennel makes a nice, unusual contrast amid the sweetness, and works so well with the orange. Almost – but not quite – one of your five-a-day

Ingredients

325g plain flour

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp sea salt flakes, crumbled

200g chopped dried figs

1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed

1 unwaxed clementine, zest and juice

170g soft light brown sugar

130ml olive oil

55ml water

Essential kit

You will need: a lined baking sheet and a wire rack.

Method

Prep time: 15 minutes + 1–2 hours chilling. Cook time: 12 minutes.

Stir the flour, baking powder, sea salt, chopped figs and fennel seeds together in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk the clementine zest and juice, sugar, olive oil and water until smooth and completely incorporated – this will take a little time with a hand whisk, less with an electric whisk.

Stir the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients until they come together into a sticky dough, then transfer the mix to the fridge to chill for 1–2 hours.

Once the dough has chilled, use an ice cream scoop to measure out 12–15 cookies on to a lined baking sheet, then use your hands to quickly pat them into neat, flat discs, leaving some space around the edges as they will expand. (You can refrigerate them again for 30 minutes at this point, but I’m usually greedy and just get on with the baking.)

Preheat the oven to 155°C fan/175°C/gas 3; when at temperature, transfer your chilled or room temperature cookies to the oven and bake for 12 minutes. They will look and feel very soft, but don’t worry, this is what you want.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool a little more before eating.

Once completely cool, you can store these in an airtight container for 3–4 days, or freeze and defrost as needed.

FOR DIABETICS: Replace the soft light brown sugar with 170ml date syrup.

FOR GLUTEN-FREE: Replace the plain flour with gluten-free plain flour.

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