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.
Ingredients
- 50 g butter
- 50 g demerara sugar
- 50 g honey or golden syrup
- 1 teaspoon brandy
- 50 g flour
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
How to prepare the brandy snap mixture
- 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 the 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 170oC, 325oF, 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 but 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.
Notes
Tips
- 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.
- Don't be tempted to make the brandy snaps any larger as the mixture may be too thick and not develop a lacy appearance.
- 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.
- When rolling the brandy snaps ensure that all parts are rolled tight against the spoon handle. This should enable them to be rolled neatly.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 57kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 0.4gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 20mgPotassium: 8mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 78IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.2mg
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