Brandy Snaps

Brandy Snaps

• 11 Jan 2010

Can you remember something from your childhood that you really loved to eat? When I was 9 our family went to New Zealand to attend a family wedding. I decided I was going to eat nothing but strawberries during my stay but I discovered New Zealand cheese and chocolate were pretty good as well, so I added them to my diet. I broadened my horizons even further to include whitebait fritters and following a stay in Queenstown, Brandy Snaps.

I came home determined to add Brandy Snaps to my baking repertoire. I must have made hundreds of batches and they always turned out as very tasty ginger cookies but looked nothing like the brandy snaps I'd had in Queenstown. Eventually I mastered the recipe and fashioned them into brandy snap baskets in which I placed my world famous strawberry ice cream - how 80's is that?

I have no idea why, but when I last flew to Brisbane, brandy snaps just popped into my head and I thought it was about time I revisited them. I pulled out an old recipe - not this one but it's very similar to the one I used.

I'm the first person to admit that these are fiddly beasts. Although I've shown them on baking paper that was purely so you could see the lacy texture achieved when baked. They are best baked directly onto a baking tray and I wouldn't place more than 3 on the tray as you need to work quickly to roll them before they set.

Once cooled fill the brandy snaps with cream and serve them straight away as they will soften. The contrast between the ginger in the brandy snaps and the cream is delicious and they probably taste almost as good as the ones I tasted in Queenstown.

I'll be back on Wednesday with a little announcement so until then,

Jillian