January Recipe: Granny’s Ginger Nuts

A recipe from guest contributor and Great British Bake Off competitor Will Hawkins (See this month’s feature item – Great British Bake Off: The Frenchay Connection)

One of the things I’ve learnt being on the Great British Bake Off is to write and develop recipes. I like creating new treats but also updating old favourites to give them a new lease of life. This is one of the latter – it’s my Granny’s trusty ginger nut recipe – updated for modern ingredients and ovens. My Granny was a great cook and baker, she always had a tin of homemade biscuits on the go and these ginger nuts were my favourite. I have the original recipe from her notebook written I think in the 1950’s. Like Granny I make these with Demerara sugar, it gives an extra crunch.

These take about 20 minutes plus 12 minutes cooking time and yield 22-24 biscuits.

Once cool biscuits keep well in a tin for up to a week.

You will need…

• 40g unsalted butter
• 20g syrup
• 150g plain flour
• 125g Demerara sugar
• 1½ tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 medium egg

You will also need one large, or two medium baking trays lined with silicone baking sheet(s) or baking parchment.

To make Granny’s ginger nuts…

1. Heat the oven to 180C fan /190C non-fan /Gas 5. Combine butter and syrup in a pan and heat until melted, but do not boil. Take off heat and cool slightly.
2. Combine flour, ginger, sugar, bicarb and salt in a medium bowl and stir well to combine.
3. Add butter mixture to flour mixture, add egg and stir until combined.
4. Using your hands gently form the dough into a ball. Using scales weigh out 16g pieces and roll into a ball. Place balls on the baking tray(s), spaced well apart and flatten slightly.
5. Bake for 12 minutes. They should be slightly brown around the edges; give them a minute or two more if they still appear too soft.
6. Remove from the oven, and if they have puffed up flatten them slightly with a pallet knife.
7. Move from tray to a cooling track with a pallet knife.

Make tea and have a biscuit (or two, or even three)!

I have many more baking and cooking recipes on my blog which I update weekly – will4food.com

Will Hawkins