Today was a day of surprises. My 'newborn' son was weighed. He's 6 weeks old and weighs over 14lbs. That was a surprise. My toddler allowed me to visit the supermarket without him, using chocolate buttons as a bribe. (Annie you are supermum, thank you.) That was a surprise. My ice cream maker arrived with a broken stirrer. That was an unpleasant surprise.
When I looked in my late grandmothers much loved recipe book I did not expect a surprise. But there it was, a handwritten recipe for Cornish ginger fairing biscuits. I used to make these with her and devour them watching Wind in the Willows videos. Then another surprise! Little did I remember that the dough (pre cooking) is similar to Play Doh though rather more syrupy and hence even more tactile. Charlie and I both relished squidging the dough into balls and watching them transform into biscuits in the oven. We enjoyed them on the sofa with milk and tea respectively, though it has to be noted that Charlie eats his in the corner of the room when Mr B is home. I don't think he trusts him entirely when it comes to biscuits.
Ingredients:
- 4oz butter
- 6oz self raising flour
- 3 oz castor sugar
- 1 level tbsp golden syrup
- 1 level tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
These are so easy to make (and eat) I might go and knock up another batch tomorrow morning!
For adults:
First preheat the oven to Gas 5/190C/375F and line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof paper. (My grandmother says not to bother but there's nothing more distressing than a stuck biscuit in my opinion. I don't like to risk it.) Then melt the butter and syrup in a saucepan. Once melted add the ginger, flour, sugar and bicarb - give it a good mix with a wooden spoon. Next check it's not too hot to handle. Here comes the fun bit...
For toddlers:
Form the warm Play Doh type mixture into balls about the size of large walnuts. You possibly aren't familiar with large walnuts so to translate - balls a bit bigger than a 4 hole piece of Duplo. They will feel syrupy and pleasing to touch. Put them onto the lined baking trays and make sure there's plenty of space for them to grow in the oven. You don't want to make one large tray of biscuit. Actually, that doesn't sound so bad...
For adults:
Put the baking trays in the oven for 12 - 15 mins until the Play Doh balls look biscuity. If you like your biscuits with a bit of 'chew' (more cookie like) take them out when only the sides are brown. If you like them crunchy then let the whole biscuit get a suntan. Let them cool on the baking tray for a few mins then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
This recipe made about 15 I think, though depends on how big your balls are.
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