Brandy snaps

Brandy snaps are sweet biscuits with a lace like texture and are rolled while still warm to form golden tubes.

They are simple to make and can be enjoyed either on their own, filled with whipped cream or with the ends dipped in chocolate.

In this recipe I have used honey in place of golden syrup which reduces the amount of refined sugar. I also like the flavour of honey particularly if a good quality honey is used but you could use golden syrup instead. If you like honey you may also like to try crunchy oat biscuits or sesame seed biscuits.

Take a look at some other recipes for English baking ideas.

This brandy snap recipe will make around 16 biscuits.

Ingredients

• 50g butter - use either salted or unsalted butter depending on your preference and what you have in your fridge.

• 50g demerara sugar - this will add to the toffee-like flavour of the brandy snaps.

• 50g honey or golden syrup - if you are using honey choose a good quality honey for maximum flavour.

• 1 teaspoon brandy - the brandy can easily be omitted if you wish to make an alcohol free version.

• 50g plain flour - also known as all purpose flour.

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger - ginger adds a light warm and spicy flavour to the brandy snaps.

• ½ teaspoon lemon juice - lemon juice adds a

How to make brandy snaps

Place the butter, demerara sugar and honey (or golden syrup) in a medium sized saucepan.

Heat gently, stirring regularly, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. You can check the sugar has dissolved by coating the back of a spoon with the liquid, if any sugar crystals are still visible continue to heat gently until dissolved.

Add 1 teaspoon brandy and half a teaspoon lemon juice, stir and leave to cool for a couple of minutes. If you wish to make your brandy snaps without brandy simply leave it out. They will still taste delicious.

Sift 50g flour into the pan with the other ingredients, add half a teaspoon ground ginger and mix well.

Place one teaspoon of the mixture on a lined baking sheet and further teaspoonfuls of mixture on the tray leaving plenty of space between them as they will spread significantly in the oven. The quantity you can cook in one batch will very depending on the size of oven and size of the baking sheet but I suggest not cooking any more than four at a time as they may set before you have time to roll them.

How to bake

Bake in the centre of the oven at 170^oC, 325^oF, gas mark 3 until the mixture has spread and has a lace like appearance. The exact time will vary depending on the amount of brandy snap mixture and the exact temperature of the oven, and may vary from one batch to another, but is likely to take around 5 to 10 minutes. Check regularly as they can easily become overcooked.

How to roll brandy snaps

Leave the biscuits to cool slightly on the baking sheet after taking out of the oven. After 2 or 3 minutes check the edge of one of the discs by trying to lift the edge with a spatula. If the mixture holds together when moved it is ready to form into rolls. If the mixture is not cohesive enough to hold together leave a little longer before checking again.

When the brandy snap circles are ready to roll, carefully roll the first disc around the handle of a wooden spoon. Roll so that the top side of the lattice forms the outer face of the roll as this side is likely to have the most lace like appearance. Leave on the spoon until your brandy snap feels firm enough to be removed and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the other brandy snaps.

To store

Your homemade brandy snaps can be stored in an airtight container for several days. They are likely to become soft if they are left out for any length of time particularly in a humid environment.

Tips

1. Don't cook too many at one time. If you try to cook too many the last one may be too hard to roll by the time you have rolled the others. I suggest cooking no more than about four at a time.
2. Don't be tempted to make the brandy snaps any larger as the mixture may be too thick and not develop a lacy appearance.
3. Roll the brandy snaps with the upper side to form the outer face of the roll as this is more likely to have the most lace like appearance. The underside of the disc may have less texture where it has been baked on the baking tray.
4. When rolling the brandy snaps ensure that all parts are rolled tight against the spoon handle. This should enable them to be rolled neatly.
5. After rolling the first brandy snap, if the others start to become too brittle to roll return the tray to the oven for a very short time, just sufficient to slightly soften the mixture again so that they can be rolled. Even 10 or 20 seconds may be long enough.

Other popular British bakes