Hey there!
For the last couple of weeks I have been doing reviews of “food” so I thought this week I would break the cycle a bit and share another recipe with you.
Now I’m not going to mention the “C” word just yet, in fact I hope not to at all.
No, I’m not trying to swear, it is in fact almost that time of the year for Christians and apparently everyone else in the universe too.
I’m pretty sure a large percentage of people are getting rather tired of all of this “C” rush period when it’s just shy of a month away.
Considering most of us have been advertised to since Halloween it can get rather draining!
So, just for today, just one post in the entire blogosphere will not contain the following:
Tinsel, Conifer Trees, Snowmen or snow of any kind, Snowflakes, Reindeer, Baubles, presents, buying something, Father Christmas, Santa, Stockings, Wreaths, Cards, Advent Calendars, Angels, Wrapping paper, wise men, Candy Canes, Holly, penguins or anything in red and white clothing.
Deep breath everyone…….
Right.
So, today I’m going to share a recipe for some rather tasty biscuits.
These are a bit of a classic here in England, the ginger nut!
Now, I’m not going to mention how “festive” spices are but…damn…I just did………….
Ahem, anyway, ginger nuts are slightly chewy thanks to their delicious brown sugar content and taste of….you guessed it, ginger!
For these, no real ginger is used unlike the gingerbread cake I shared with you a while ago, instead just ground ginger is used.
Because ground ginger is dry and fresh ginger is not, they can’t be interchanged without changing the recipe so go get yourself some ground ginger.
It’s easy to buy here, it will keep for a long while and there are plenty of dishes to use it in.
So, on to the recipe.
This one is devised by Paul Hollywood, a baker who has become quite popular in the last few years.
He has quite a few cookery books and if you can pick them up they’re certainly the kind of book you’d go back to again and again, the right kind of cookery book I’d say!
Phew, just dodged the rule where I wasn’t going to mention presents or buying something………..damn.
I’ve put off showing you my efforts at them because honestly, they don’t look like the classic ginger nuts at all though I followed the recipe exactly, I promise!
I’m not sure if they are supposed to or not!
You never can tell when most recipes use stock images of something completely different!
Still, they taste very nice so do create your own and let me know how useless I am because yours look exactly like the ones in the packets!
I think a little extra cooking time was in order for mine.
These ones didn’t have time to make it into a jar before they were snaffled up but do put them into an airtight container once they are completely cool to keep them nice and fresh!
Paul Hollywood’s Ginger Nuts
Makes 36-40
Ingredients
340g plain flour
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 level teaspoons ground ginger
100g unsalted butter
160g light brown sugar
4 tablespoons golden syrup
1 large egg
Method
Line baking trays with greaseproof paper and set aside.
In a large bowl measure in the flour, ginger and bicarb.
Add in the butter and rub into the dry ingredients until it looks like even breadcrumbs.
Stir the sugar, syrup and egg into the mix and use your hands to bring it together into a smooth dough.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 8mm thick.
Cut out biscuits with a 2″ round cutter and place each on a baking tray with room for rising.
Keep on cutting and rolling until all the dough is used.
Place the trays in the fridge and chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°c.
Cook for 10-15 minutes until golden brown then remove and cool on a cooling rack.
Delicious with a cup of tea!