Brandy Snap Baskets
Ingredients
55g/2oz butter
55g/2oz demerara sugar
55g/2oz golden syrup
50g/1¾oz plain flour
½ level tsp ground ginger
½ tsp lemon juice
Method
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Pre-heat the oven to 175°C (fan). Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Prepare small non-stick pots or oranges for shaping the baskets.
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Gently heat the butter, sugar and syrup in a small, heavy-based pan. Heat gently until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved (~10 mins). Don’t let the mixture boil as it may crystallise.
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Leave the mixture to cool slightly, about 2-3 minutes, then sieve in the flour and ginger. Pour in the lemon juice and stir well to mix thoroughly. Drop four teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking tray to make neat circles, about 10cm/4in apart.
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Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture is well spread out, looks lacey and is a dark golden colour. Remove the tray from the oven and leave for a minute or so to firm up slightly, then lift from the baking parchment using a fish slice and drape over a small pot or orange. The mixture needs to be just firm enough to remove, but pliable enough to shape.
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If any of the circles on the sheet harden too much to work with, put them back in the oven for a few seconds to soften again. Repeat until all the mixture has been used. (If the mixture in the pan becomes too firm, roll a teaspoonful of it into a small smooth ball, sit it on the baking tray and flatten slightly with your fingers.)