Makes 20 brandy snaps
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Oven temperature: 160°C
Baking time: 8 – 9 minutes

• 100g butter
• 100g castor sugar
• 60ml golden syrup
• 5ml brandy
• 100g cake flour
• 5ml ground ginger

1 Preheat the oven. Line two baking sheets with baking paper and set aside. Place the butter, castor sugar, golden syrup and brandy in a saucepan and heat over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, but don’t let it boil.
2 Stir in the flour and ginger and mix until smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside until the dough is cool enough to handle.
3 Press a little dough out into a round on the prepared baking sheet. Use just a little at a time, because the dough spreads during baking – and position the rounds far apart so that they do not flow into one another. Do not press the dough out too thickly either, because it will spread out much more and also take longer to bake. Bake for about 8 to 9 minutes or until golden brown.
REMEMBER to keep your eye on the oven at all times, as the rounds could easily burn.
4 Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
5 Use a spatula to lift the rounds and, working fast, wrap each one around the handle of a wooden spoon, or something similar. Set aside until cooled and set.

Words and image: Home magazine