Brandy Snaps With Cinnamon Cream

Brandy Snaps With Cinnamon Cream

From A Nigel Slater Recipe: "The success of a brandy snap is all in the timing. The first is usually a failure and ends up as the cook's perk. Once out of the oven, leave them on the hot baking tray for five minutes or so before attempting to lift them off. Sliding a palette knife under them is the best way to remove them, then carefully lay the bendy biscuit over a rolling pin to make it curl. Makes 12-15 large biscuits."

Ingredients:

2 tbsp caster sugar
2 heaped tbsp golden syrup
60g butter
4 generously heaping tbsp plain flour
1 level tsp ground ginger
1 tsp brandy
2 heaped tbsp flaked or shredded almonds

for the filling:

100ml double cream
200g mascarpone
2 tbsp caster or icing sugar
vanilla extract
cinnamon

Method:

Set the oven at 150C/gas mark 2. Very lightly butter a baking sheet. In a small pan melt the sugar, golden syrup and butter. As soon as it starts to bubble, remove from the heat and stir in the flour, ground ginger and brandy and scatter in the shredded almonds.

Using a teaspoon, place six blobs of the mixture, each about the size of a large walnut half, on the buttered baking sheet. There is no need to flatten them, they will spread naturally in the oven.

Bake the biscuits, in two batches, for about 10-12 minutes until they are a rich golden brown. Leave the biscuits on the baking sheet for 5 minutes until they are cool enough to roll. Holding the baking sheet with an oven glove and using a palette knife in the other hand, loosen each biscuit from the tray one at a time - they should still be hot. If the biscuit tears then leave to set a little longer.

Lift the snaps one at a time using palette knife and fingers. Wrap each one round a rolling pin with your hands, gently pressing the biscuit to fit the rolling pin. Work quickly, as the biscuits won't roll once they have completely cooled. Remove each snap once it has set and leave on a cooling rack.

To make the cinnamon filling, whip the cream till thick, but stop while it is still soft enough to fall slowly from the spoon. Stir in the mascarpone and sugar. Add a couple of drops of vanilla extract and a knife-point of cinnamon. Pile the filling into the snaps with a teaspoon.

Alice35