This week I have been making gingernut biscuits – I had to make six batches of biscuits before I was happy with my recipe. My daughter and her family have been taste testing all week. It’s a good job they all love gingernuts!

Gingernuts are an old fashioned favourite and nowadays not as popular as chocolate covered biscuits. They are however one of my favourite biscuits, and as the ones available in the supermarket are all made with palm oil I decided to have a go at making my own homemade gingernut biscuits.

The recipes I found used the same basic ingredients – flour, sugar, butter, ground ginger, bicarbonate of soda – but the method of making varies considerably. Some melted the butter with the sugar, some rubbed the butter into the flour and some creamed the butter with the sugar.

I got the best results using the creaming method and based my final recipe on one I found in an old cookery book called ‘Farmhouse Fare’, which is a collection of readers’ recipes collected by the magazine ‘Farmers Weekly‘, first published in 1935. My edition is an enlarged version published in 1966 and is a treasure trove of traditional and regional recipes.

Homemade Gingernut Biscuits

Course: SnackCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

20

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 4 ounces / 110 grams butter (softened)

• 10 ounces / 280 grams self-raising flour

• 6 ounces / 165 grams soft dark brown sugar

• 3 ounces / 85 grams golden syrup

• 1 medium egg

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Directions

• Cream the butter with the sugar and golden syrup until light and fluffy.
• Beat the egg into the creamed mixture.
• Sieve the flour with the spices and bicarbonate of soda.
• Gradually work the flour into the creamed mixture until you have a soft dough. I found it easier to do this using my hands.
• Flatten the balls lightly with the palm of your hand.
• You will have about 20 biscuits so will need a second baking tray, or you could bake them in two batches.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven 350° F / 180° C / 160° C Fan / Gas Mark 4 for 20-25 minutes.
• The biscuits will spread and will have the distinctive crackled appearance of traditional gingernuts.
• If you have any leftovers they can be stored in an airtight tin.

How to Serve and Eat Homemade Gingernut Biscuits

I like my gingernuts best with a strong cup of Indian tea, preferably Assam, that I can dunk them in. Try them with coffee, hot chocolate, or your favourite hot drink too.

I hope you have managed to try at least one of my recent biscuit recipes. Next week I will be making the boiled fruit cake we serve in the tea rooms.

Until then “Happy Baking”.