Brandy (Ginger) Snaps

Back in April, I won a copy of Bon Appetit, Mr President from the kitchen of Hilton Little, chef to the President of South Africa from the lovely Colleen aka BrownieGirl. 🙂  It was posted home so I was unable to read it until we returned home from Mauritius.

With being away from home for two and a half years left more repair and replacement than we care to remember, so while we were getting things back to ‘normal’, my book had to wait patiently on my office desk.

Finally after being able to read through this lovely book I was unable to make a decision on what to make first – I decided I would close the book and open it randomly – hoping it would not land on a page for Sheeps Head and Trotter or Boild Brains – I simple cannot bring myself to cook something like this.  To my relief it opened up to the page for Brandy Snaps.  I am not sure that mine are neat or pretty enough but I did enjoy making them and will definitely do so again.

Brandy Snaps

taken from Bon Appetit, Mr President

Ingredients

50g (just over 80ml) cake flour
2.5ml (½ tsp) ground ginger
50g (¼ cup) soft brown sugar – I used normal brown sugar
60ml (¼ cup) golden syrup
50g butter
5ml (1 tsp) lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and spray a baking tray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. To make the dough, sift the flour and ground ginger into a mixing bowl.
3. Put the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the butter has melted.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour.  Blend well and mix in the lemon juice.
5. Spoon small teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the greased baking tray, placing no more than six brandy snaps on a tray and keeping them well apart as the mixture spreads during baking.  Place the tray in the centre of the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until light brown.
6. Roll each biscuit around the greased handle of a wooden spoon or pastry horn while still hot, and when crisp, slip the snaps off the handle or horn ready for the next batch.
7. Set side to cool.  Should the biscuits become too hard to roll, return them to the oven for a few minutes.

There was also a rum cream  – I skipped this.

Rum Cream – whipped fresh cream flavoured with run, or any essence of your choice.

Before serving, fill the rolls with the rum cream.

I am just not sure why they are called brandy snaps when there is no brandy in them – all the same they are well worth making.

Next up from the book… Buttermilk Rusks.