Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for mixed fruit garibaldis

What you might not know about food writers is that we write our Christmas recipes as the sun sets on summer, long before the first rustle of tinsel is heard. As such, I’ve had an insight into what your store cupboard might look like post-Christmas and, if it’s anything like mine, you’ll currently have an assortment of dates, currants and other dried delights left over. Enter the legendary garibaldi biscuit: at 160 years old, not only is it still one of the finest biscuits to have been created, thanks to the delightful contrast of chewy raisins and crisp, brittle pastry, but it’s also a wonderful hoover-upper of your dried fruit odds and ends.

Leftover Christmas mixed fruit garibaldis

Don’t worry about using this exact combination of dried fruit; use the same amount of whatever you have to hand.

Prep 15 min
Rest 1 hr+
Cook 50 min
Makes 20

For the biscuit dough
220g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
¼ tsp fine sea salt
50g caster sugar
75g vegan butter, cubed
5 tbsp oat milk, plus 1 tbsp extra for the glaze

For the filling
300g mixed dried fruit (I used 100g currants, 50g cranberries, 50g dates, 50g figs and 50g apricots), all finely chopped
2 tbsp demerara sugar, plus 2 tsp extra for the glaze
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground allspice

In a food processor, blitz the flour, salt and sugar to mix. Add the butter and pulse until it is spread throughout the mix, but still in discernible pieces. Add the oat milk and pulse again, so the dough starts to come together. At this point, tip it out on to a floured work surface and push it together with your hands. Form into a rough block, wrap in baking paper and put in the fridge for at least an hour, to relax.

Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 and line a baking sheet (I have a reusable mat). Take the dough from the fridge and, using a couple of sheets of baking paper, or on a well-floured surface with a rolling pin, roll it out into a 40cm x 30cm rectangle with one of the short edges facing you. This pastry is short, and therefore crumbly, so go gently with the rolling pin, and push the edges together if need be.

Next, mix the dried fruit, demerara, golden syrup, lemon juice and allspice in a bowl, then tip out on to the half of the rolled-out dough that’s nearest to you. Use a knife or palette knife to help lift the remaining dough up and over the fruit mix towards you, so you’re left with a rectangle of filled biscuit dough. Roll this gently to return it to a roughly 35cm x 20cm rectangle, then cut it into 20 8cm x 4cm biscuits.

Lift the uncooked biscuits on to the lined tray, brush the tops with a little oat milk, then sprinkle over a little more demerara.

Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown, then remove and leave to cool before eating.