English Cuskynoles

 Written by McDonald, T.  |  Date 16th of December 2022

Jingle bells, jingle bells… Yes, I am in the mood for Christmas and if you are too, this might be just the thing you were looking for!  It is sweet and fun, which is what people want at Christmas.  These little treats are the precursor to the mince pie.  You can serve them to your friends at your Christmas party and impress them with the history of the English Cuskynoles.

Notes

• If the mixture for the dough is a bit dry when making it, spry a little extra water onto it.
• I have used mixed spice in place of mace when I couldn't get any. 
  

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Makes 8 

Time, 40 minutes

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Ingredients 

Dough

• White bread flour x 140 g
  
• Caster sugar x 20 g
  
• Flax egg x 2 (2 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 6 tbsp of water)
• Water x 2 tbsp
  
• Salt x pinch

Filling 

• Apple x 1/4
  
• Pear x 1/2
  
• Dates x 3
  
• Sultanas x 30 g
  
• Dried figs x 2
  
• Almonds x 30 g
• Ground cinnamon x 1/4 tsp
• Ground mace x 1/4 tsp
  

 

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Method 

Step 1 – make the dough

1. Tip the bread flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the salt and sugar.
3. Add the flax egg and mix until a shaggy dough starts to for.  Now use your hands to bring the dough together.  
4. Add the water and keep mixing with a wooden spoon.
   
5. On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 3 minutes.
6. Let the dough rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Shaggy dough.

Dough ready to roll out.

Step 2 – make the filling

1. Add the almonds and sultanas to a food processor. 
2. Cut up the apple, pear, figs, and dates.  Add these to the food processor.
3. Pulse until you get a very coarse paste. 
4. Tip into a bowl and add the cinnamon and mace.  Combine with a tablespoon until evenly mixed.

Filling should be course after pulsing.

 

Step 3 – make the cuskynoles

1. Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape, about 30 cm x 25 cm. 
2. Cut the dough into 8 smaller rectangles and brush with water or oil. 
3. Add a teaspoon of the filling to each of the rectangles and fold the dough over. 
4. Put them back in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. 
5. Place them in some boiling water for about 90 seconds and then in a preheated oven at 190C for about 10 minutes. 
   

Roll out into a 30 cm x 25 cm rectangle.

Cut into 8 smaller rectangles.

Boil for about 90 seconds.

Let them dry for a minute before baking in the oven.

 

Results

These turned out better than I expected.  Sweet and tasty. 

 

I hope that you liked this blog and if you do try this recipe, please let me know how you got on and what it turned out like. You can leave a comment in the comments below.