Gingernut Biscuits- Traditional, Easy and Nut Free!

Simple Ingredients- no nuts!

Combine the ingredients

Press with fingers to flatten slightly

Cooling on rack

They smell amazing

Close enough to smell them?

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Ever since I was a child, I have loved Gingernut biscuits. They are nut free, I have no idea where the traditional name came from. I dip them in tea which is probably a disgusting habit but there you go. They are also surprisingly elegant in their own way and could be served with coffee after an informal meal. They do travel well as a welcome mid- walk snack.

This is an extremely easy recipe that children can help with. They are so quick to make that they can be rustled up in a hurry before you go out. They fill the house with an amazing scent. As they cool they develop a good crunch but they are also delicious warm.

My quantities make 18- 20 biscuits and involve an annoying “half a beaten egg”. However, doubling the quantities does give rather a lot of biscuits!

If you love ginger, you can add a couple of drained and finely chopped balls of stem ginger. This adds lovely texture and they feel more luxurious. However, for an everyday sort of snack I prefer them like this. Do use good quality ground ginger though. Oh and don’t make the mistake I once made- I was cooking quickly when tired and inadvertently added ground cumin instead of ginger from my spice cupboard. The result was interesting- and revolting!

Ingredients

175g self raising flour

pinch of salt

0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda

100g golden caster sugar

o.5 tbsp ground ginger

60g unsalted butter

40g golden syrup

1tsp finely grated orange zest

1 egg, lightly beaten- to only use half

Tins

Line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment

Oven

Pre-heat the oven to 160C (150C Fan)/ Gas Mark 3

Method

1. Weigh the butter and golden syrup into a small saucepan. Heat over a low heat until the butter has melted. Cool a little.

2. Weigh/ measure the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, sugar, ground ginger and orange zest into a mixing bowl.

3. Stir the butter/ syrup mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon/ spatula.

4. Add half the beaten egg and combine well to form a soft dough.

5. With your hands, make walnut sized round balls and place on the lined baking sheets. Leave plenty of space between them. you will need 2 baking sheets for this quantity of biscuits.

6. Flatten each ball a little with your fingers.

7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Leave to cool on the trays for a couple of minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.