Ingredients
1¾ cups self-raising flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup dark brown sugar
100g unsalted butter, softened
½ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup lilly pilly jam (see recipe, right) or store-bought plum jam
500ml boiling water
12 cinnamon myrtle leaves (see Cook’s tips, above)
1 cup golden syrup
Yoghurt and fresh strawberries, to serve
Cook's tips
• Instead of cinnamon myrtle leaves, you can
use a cinnamon stick.
• Lilly pillies are found growing in hedges all around the country.
• To make a gluten-free version, just use your favourite brand of gluten-free flour instead of self-raising flour, along with a small pinch of xanthan gum (found in the health food aisle of the supermarket).
Method
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Put flour, cinnamon and ½ of the sugar in a large bowl, mixing well to combine. Add ½ of the butter and rub with fingertips to form crumbs. Add milk and vanilla, mixing to form a dough.
-
Roll dough between hands to make 20 small balls. Using fingertip, poke a hole in each ball and fill with jam. Pinch surrounding dough to seal. Set aside.
-
Pour water into a large saucepan and add remaining sugar, remaining butter, cinnamon myrtle leaves and golden syrup. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then reduce heat to low. Add dumplings and cook, turning several times, for 20 minutes. Spoon dumplings and syrup into serving bowls and serve topped with yoghurt and strawberries.
Make your own Lilly pilly jam
Put 2 cups lilly pillies, 1 chopped Granny Smith apple and 1 cup water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Boil for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve. Put strained liquid with equal weight of sugar back into pan and boil until thickened. Transfer to sterilised jars and seal while hot.
