Golden syrup might be my new favorite ingredient. I don't know why we Americans, well, we Yankees, don't use this product, as it is apparently very popular in the South. In case you aren't familiar with golden syrup, it is produced by boiling cane sugar; a second boiling of the sugarcane would produce what we Americans call molasses. It has a very clean sweet flavor with a touch of saltiness, compared with corn syrup, which has a very cloying, almost choking sweetness; I had read that corn syrup is an acceptable substitute, but I found that it made cookies really chewy - toffee-like, in fact. Golden syrup was rather difficult to find; although I found internet sources for it, I did finally find some at the Fresh Market. I used it to make my caramel sauce for the molasses SHF, and it really produces a lovely caramel.
It also produces a lovely ginger cookie. Like most Donna Hay recipes I have tried, these came together really quickly and baked up great; the best part of putting them together was sprinkling the baking soda on top of the hot golden syrup and watching it fizz; like a grade-school science experiment. These are unusual for a ginger cookie in that they have no other spices, like a traditional gingersnap, and the golden syrup provides a subtle and complex sweetness, while allowing the pop of the crystallized ginger to come through. These would be great with some really simple but good vanilla ice cream. A nicely surprising cookie.
These came from Donna Hay's Flavours, which is a great and practical cookbook, like her other cookbooks, and I strongly recommend it. But the recipe is included in the extended version anyway.
Donna Hay's Gingersnaps
2 oz butter
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cup AP flour
1 TBSP finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar.
Preheat your oven to 315 degrees and line 3 baking sheets with parchment. Combine the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until the butter melts. Add the baking soda and watch it fizz! Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ginger, and brown sugar; add the butter/golden syrup mixture and stir to combine. Drop from a TBSP scoop onto the lined sheets and bake for about 8-12 minutes until firm, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even browning. Remove onto wire racks to cool.
