Welcome, gingernut lover!
Here’s an oldie but a goodie, plucked straight out of my rather well used and scruffy, very much loved, vintage, 1970’s Woman’s Weekly Cookbook.
I prefer these very easy to make homemade gingernuts to the much harder store-bought variety. Baked to perfection, they are still crunchy enough to snap in half but are much softer inside, and yes, they are still crisp enough to dunk into a nice hot cup of tea!
I’ve also gone and added a piece of crystallised ginger to the top for an extra bit of gingery KAPOW!
Happiness is Homemade! 🙂
INGREDIENTS
2 cups / 300 g standard flour
1 cup / 220 g castor sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
125 gm butter (cold)
1 medium-sized egg (size 6 or 7)
1 teaspoon golden syrup
Optional – 60 g of crystallised ginger
Makes 20
Notes
- Using castor sugar rather than normal white sugar will give the biscuits a finer texture.
- The crystallised ginger I buy is in square pieces.
STEP BY STEP
First, cut the crystallised ginger into small pieces,
- I cut the ones I buy in half or thirds so that each piece is around ½ x ½ cm in size.
Place in a large bowl the flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon and baking soda.
Stir it all together really well.
Cut the butter up into very small cubes and add it to the dry ingredients.
- You can also grate it in using a cheese grater if you like.
Use the tips of your fingers or if you have one, a pastry cutter to blend the cold butter cubes into the dry ingredients.
- If you’ve grated the butter in, the ‘fingertip rubbing in method’ will be easier.
Do this until the mixture looks like very fine bread crumbs.
In a small bowl whisk the egg and the golden syrup together.
Make a rough well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the egg mixture into it.
Mix it together with a large spoon and then finish it off with your clean, dry hands.
It will be a rather firm dough.
Place an oven rack in the centre of the oven and turn it to 150°C fan/convection oven or 170°C conventional oven.
Weigh out the dough to 10 x 35 g pieces (just do half for now) and then roll the pieces in between your palms into balls.
- When rolling them, try not to squeeze them but aim to get them smooth.
Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper and then lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
Place the balls of dough on the paper and then…
…lightly press them down with a fork.
Press a piece of crystallised ginger into the centre of each one.
Pop them into the oven to bake for 20 minutes until they are just firm to touch and are golden brown on the bottom.
Whilst they are baking weigh out and roll the remaining dough.
Leave them on the tray for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack to thoroughly cool down.
Lightly re-spray the paper again and repeat. Place the remaining balls on. Press with a fork, press the remaining pieces of ginger into the top of each one and bake!
Gingery goodness!
Keepin’ em fresh – Store them in an airtight container, in the pantry, for up to 5 days.
Related Posts…
Chocolate Afghans
- Chocolate Afghans
Homemade Gingernuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups standard flour
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 125 gm butter cold
- 1 medium-sized egg size 6 or 7
- 1 teaspoon golden syrup
Optional
- 50 g crystallised ginger
Instructions
- Cut the crystallised ginger into small (approx ½ cm) pieces.
- Place in a large bowl the flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir it all together really well.
- Cut the butter up into very small cubes and add it to the dry ingredients.
- Use the tips of your fingers (or if you have one, a pastry cutteto blend the cold butter cubes into the dry ingredients until it looks like very fine bread crumbs.
- In a small bowl whisk the egg and the golden syrup together.
- Make a rough well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the egg mixture into it.
- Mix it together with a large spoon and then finish it off with your clean, dry hands until it’s a firm dough.
- Place an oven rack in the centre of the oven and turn it to 150°C fan/convection oven or 170°C conventional oven.
- Weigh out the dough to 10 x 35 g pieces (just doing half for noand then roll the pieces in between your palms into balls.
- Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper and then lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the balls of dough on the paper and then lightly press them down with a fork.
- Press a piece of crystallised ginger into the centre of each one.
- Bake them for 20 minutes until they are just firm to touch and are golden brown on the bottom.
- Whilst they are baking weigh out and roll the remaining dough.
- Leave them on the tray for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack to thoroughly cool down.
- Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
- Store them in an airtight container, in the pantry, for up to 5 days.
Leave a Reply