Brandy Snaps

Yields: 16-20

image & recipe @gabo.ninemsn.com.au

Ingredients

For the snaps

• 50g butter
• 60g brown sugar
• 60ml (¼ cup) golden syrup
• 50g (⅓ cup) plain flour mixed with 1 teaspoon ground ginger

For the filling

• 1 vanilla pod
• 160ml (⅔ cup) thickened cream, whipped until firm
• 1 teaspoon brandy (optional)

Utensils

• baking tray, lined with baking paper

Preparation Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170—180°C. Place the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a small, heavy-based pan, and heat over a low heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved (be careful not to boil the mixture as it may crystallise).
2. Cool the mixture slightly, then add the flour and ginger mixture. Mix until well combined.
3. On a prepared baking tray, drop 4 large teaspoonfuls of mixture to make neat circles. Leave ample room to spread.
4. Bake for around 8 minutes or until they are bubbling, lacy looking and dark golden in colour (they should spread to around 10—12cm in diameter).
5. Remove from the oven and slide the baking paper onto a wire rack. Allow the snaps to cool until firm enough to move yet still pliable enough to shape. (A wide spatula and palette knife are helpful.)
6. Roll the snaps around a lightly oiled wooden spoon handle to form a cylinder shape, then slip them off the handle and cool on a wire rack.
7. You will need to work quickly at this point so your snaps are shaped prior to them cooling and setting. (If the snaps cool too quickly on the tray prior to shaping, you can place them back in the warm oven to soften again.) Repeat with the remaining mixture.
8. To make the filling, split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the cream (and brandy, if using). Place the cream in a piping bag. When the snaps are totally cold, fill them with the vanilla bean cream to serve. Note: once filled, serve immediately as they will soften quickly.

Tip

If you want to shape a basket, lay the biscuit over an inverted Chinese tea cup or similar and allow it to droop downwards. To make a cone, twist the biscuit to come together at one end only.