Brandy snaps
Brandy snaps make a great Christmas dessert alongside Christmas pudding or pavlova. They balance out the heaviness of a traditional Christmas dinner, with their lightness and flakiness. At our house the table is always buzzing when brandy snaps are unveiled. I like to allow guests to fill their own brandy snaps with cream, I find it lightens the room and conversation as everyone gets involved in the process, comparing their brandy snap/cream creations. It is also great for kids as everyone is having fun and using their hands (I only use lemon juice over brandy, if I’m cooking for the family).
Although they take a little time to make, mainly due to the coordinating and rolling of the brandy snaps, they are relatively straight forward. If you don’t wish to roll them and to save time, you could always serve them in circles placed on top of fruit and ice-cream or broken and sprinkled on top of your pavlova. These sweet treats are sure to be an instant hit!
- 1/3 cup castor sugar
- 90g butter
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 1/2 cup plain flour (sifted)
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp finely grated lemon rind
- 1 tsp brandy or lemon juice
- 1. Combine sugar, butter and golden syrup in a saucepan and cook over low heat until butter has completely melted. Remove from heat and cool.
- 2. Stir in flour, sugar, ginger, lemon rind and brandy or lemon juice.
- 3. Line 2 -3 trays with grease proof paper (3 round pizza trays are optimal) and pre-heat oven to 180 C.
- 4. Place three separate teaspoons of mixture on each tray (in a triangle formation), allowing plenty or room between each mixture and the sides in order for the mixture to spread.
- 5. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes (until they have spread and look golden).
- 6. Remove from oven and let firm a little, approx 20 secs. Gently roll around the end of a wooden spoon (or similar). You want to roll the circle under itself, so the patterned (prettier) side is shown. You will need to roll quickly so the last circle on tray doesn't get too firm and crack.
- 7. Fill with whipped cream (either whipped in piping bags or from a bottle) and serve.
- + Half way through your first tray place second tray on second shelf, then rotate the three trays every time you remove a tray from the oven.
- + Only place 3 teaspoons of mixture on each tray. Don't be tempted to try more. Three ensures they do not bleed into each other and gives you enough time to roll each one without one getting too cold.
- + If your trays are getting too greasy, wipe down in between applying mixture with paper towel.
- + When rolling circles, be gentle and consistent. If a wall folds in on itself, put the end of your wooden spoon back in and try to manipulate it back into shape. I promise the rolling gets easier as you go along.
