Spiced Autumn Leaves

The leaves have been blown clean off the boughs in these strong, November winds; the debris left scattered at the foot of woods, in a patchwork of autumnal shapes. The log fires curl sweet smoke from chimney pots, breath catches on the cold air, and the woods are wet and bare. On these days, that are distinctly darker than last week, it's time to hunker down, close up the shutters, and indulge in some sweet, sweet baking.My sister came to stay the nights, and after a morning of breakfast, eked out for as long as possible, in an excellent tradition of coffee, tea, pyjamas and slippers- we finally got the rolling pin out. My sister is an excellent baker, with an eye for detail, and these spiced treats were a winning, warming addition to a perfect Sunday spent in her company- plus they taste exactly like those biscuits we used to nick off the Christmas tree.

Ingredients

This recipe is also perfect for making decorative biscuits to hang from the tree in December!

• 200g of plain flour *

• 1 thumb of fresh grated ginger

• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp Milk
• 100 g of muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 150 g unsalted butter

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a tray with grease proof paper. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Lightly dust a surface with flour, and gently roll out the dough to roughly half a cm thickness.Cut out the shapes with a cookie cutter, and place on the baking tray. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until golden-brown.Allow to cool on a rack, and enjoy!* I use gluten free plain flour