Returning Gingerly
We now return you to regular* programming... A long time ago, there was a visit by the Other Penguin's Mum. So long ago, now, that she's since been and gone again. And there was baking. Much baking during, and probably even more since.
The baking included ginger biscuits. I'm not sure that I ever met a baked good with ginger in it that I didn't like, and the Other Penguin's Mum's enthusiasm for the look of ginger biscuits was a very welcome thing indeed - especially given it's a liking that potentially isn't a dominant gene. The Other Penguin is, at best, ambivalent about baked goods containing ginger. And while I try (a bit like a bear trying to use an ottoman as gym equipment, but trying all the same) to abstain from the vast majority of eating of baking (other than the bowl, which has a permanent exemption... what was that about the ottoman again..?), the prospect of ginger can be quite alluring...
These ginger biscuits came from the increasingly dependable Australian Women's Weekly Mix recipe book. Here's how they turned out...
And how they're made...
90g butter (or low fat pretending-to-be-butter substances)
½ cup (75g) packed brown sugar (dark brown's always good, I find)
1⅓ cup (115g) golden syrup
¾ cup teaspoon baking soda
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground gloves
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C for a fan forced oven, or lower still for a temperamental Smeg)
2. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper
3. Place butter, sugar and golden syrup into a medium saucepan and stir over a low heat until smooth and combined
4. Remove melted syrup mixture from the stove and allow to cool a little; stir in dry ingredients
5. Arrange rounded teaspoons of biscuit batter onto prepared trays, shaping into domed balls (don't flatten them too much as they do spread while baking). According to the recipe, it should make 32 biscuits - I think we ended up with more than that, without them being measly either
6. Bake for around 10 minutes and allow to cool on trays**
The cracked tops are actually part of their charm - love a recipe designed for us rustic bakers!
Mmmm... biscuit batter...
* And, occasionally, scheduled... Either way, less waffling and over-sharing, and more things to eat
** Cooling on trays is not recommended if the trifle-eating cat's parents are around, as the trifle-eating cat's dad has a homing device for warm baked goods that can readily be snaffled (although that's all part of the fun)...
