Plate 10 of 10

Smoko Ginger Biscuits

The biscuit in every camp tin. Butter and brown sugar creamed until light, golden syrup and an egg beaten in, then flour, ground ginger and bicarbonate folded through to a soft dough. Rolled into balls, flattened a little, and baked at 180 °C for ten to twelve minutes until the edges are firm and the centres still soft, so they cool crisp-edged and chewy.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 12 min
Serves: 24 biscuits
Difficulty: Easy

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

Golden crackle-topped ginger biscuits in a paper-lined tin and on a blue-rimmed enamel plate, with an enamel mug of tea behind.

A tin of ginger biscuits is standard equipment in a Falklands kitchen, for smoko and for whoever walks in from the wind. They are the plain British ginger biscuit made with golden syrup, crisp at the edge and chewy at the centre, and they keep for a week in the tin, which matters when the shop is a day’s drive away.

They are made in a bowl in fifteen minutes, and they are best with tea strong enough to stand a spoon in.

Ingredients

350 gAll-purpose flour
10 gGround ginger
5 gBicarbonate of soda
2 gFine salt
150 gButter, soft
150 gBrown sugar
100 gGolden syrup
1Egg

Golden syrup

The pale cane syrup of British baking, in the green tin on every Falklands shelf. It keeps the biscuits chewy and gives the cracked top. Honey works and browns a shade faster.

Soft centres

They come out of the oven looking underdone in the middle. That is right: they firm as they cool on the tray, and a biscuit baked until hard in the oven is a rock by teatime.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt is a pinch. Fat is butter. There is no acid. Heat is ground ginger, generous. Umami is browned butter and caramelised syrup.

Equipment

Large bowl and a hand mixer, or a stand mixer
Two baking trays, lined
Wire rack
Airtight tin

The tin is part of the recipe. Cooled biscuits go in the same day and stay crisp-edged for a week.

Method

Heat the oven2 min
Heat the oven to 180 °C and line the trays.
Heat the oven to 180 °C and line the trays.
Dry ingredients2 min
Whisk the flour, ginger, bicarbonate and salt together.
Whisk the flour, ginger, bicarbonate and salt together.
Cream5 min
Beat the butter and brown sugar 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the golden syrup, then the egg.
Beat the butter and brown sugar 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the golden syrup, then the egg.
Fold2 min
Fold in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms with no dry streaks.
Fold in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms with no dry streaks.
Shape6 min
Roll into 24 balls of about 30 g. Space them 5 cm apart on the trays and flatten each slightly with your fingers.
Roll into 24 balls of about 30 g. Space them 5 cm apart on the trays and flatten each slightly with your fingers.
Bake12 min
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, one tray at a time, until the edges are firm and golden and the tops have cracked, with the centres still soft.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, one tray at a time, until the edges are firm and golden and the tops have cracked, with the centres still soft.
Cool10 min
Cool 5 minutes on the tray, then move to the rack. They crisp as they cool.
Cool 5 minutes on the tray, then move to the rack. They crisp as they cool.
08
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: a golden, crazed top; edges set, centre still giving under a fingertip.
- Auditory: a snap at the edge once cool, a bend at the middle.
- Olfactory: ginger and caramel.
Look for a golden, crazed top with set edges and a centre that still gives under a fingertip. Once cool, expect a snap at the edge and a bend at the middle; smell ginger and caramel.

Storing it

A week in an airtight tin. The dough balls freeze for 3 months and bake from frozen with 2 minutes more.

Troubleshooting

Spread into one sheet.: Butter too soft, or the trays were warm. Chill the balls 15 minutes and use cool trays.
Hard as rocks.: Overbaked. Out while the centres are soft.
No crackle.: Not flattened, or too little bicarbonate. Press the balls lightly and measure the soda.

Substitutions

One-to-one swaps, with the technique change each one needs.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Golden syrup	Honey, or light corn syrup	Honey browns faster; check at 9 minutes
Ground ginger	Half ground ginger, half finely chopped crystallised ginger	Hotter and chewier
Brown sugar	White sugar with 1 tsp molasses	Slightly crisper

Scaling

Half

Twelve biscuits on one tray; use a small egg.

Double

Mix in one bowl, bake in four rounds; keep the shaped dough cool between trays.

What to serve it with

A mug of strong tea with milk
Coffee, for the Stanley office smoko
A slab of cheddar, the camp way

Questions

Crisp or chewy?

Both: crisp at the rim, chewy in the middle, which is what the short bake and the syrup give.

Can I make them gingerier?

Yes, up to 15 g of ground ginger, or add chopped crystallised ginger to the dough.

How long do they last?

A week in a good tin, which is exactly the point of them.