Saturday 15 October 2011

Brandy Snaps

One of my major weaknesses as a baker is baking times. As my Mum will happily tell you, I burn things. A fair bit. Mainly cookies. I like to blame it on my oven, but I’m not too sure what the reason really is. Generally I start by putting whatever it is in the oven for 5-10 minutes less than suggested, but then I just spend the last ten minutes putting the timer on for two minutes more, then two minutes more, then two minutes more etc etc. So I knew when I attempted brandy snaps it would be a good challenge for me because they rely so much on perfect timing. And yes, I did burn the first mini batch – but who’d want to break a tradition?DSCF8813Before last weekend, I’d seen but never eaten a brandy snap, let alone made them, so it was definitely a learning experience all round! I was inspired to make them after seeing them on the Great British Bake Off and then thoroughly explained on a follow up programme, the Masterclass. The idea of crisp, caramelly biscuit filled with softly whipped cream definitely appealed so it wasn’t long before I started baking.DSCF8817I was nervous about making them but once you’ve started the process is fairly simple and repetitive so you can get a little system on the go. My mixture went very strange and not at all like what it was meant to be like – you’re meant to drop it off a teaspooon in to the baking tray whereas mine was pretty solid and had to be rolled into balls. However, I don’t think this affected the final product and was probably down to inaccurate liquid measuring because I think digital scales are really important in this recipe and I don’t have any – yet! Overall, despite the mishaps, I was pleased with how these turned out for my first time. I flavoured my whipped cream with Cointreau which worked really well with the crisp biscuit. Definitely a bit of a fancy biscuit – perhaps for a treat with coffee after a dinner party – but the taste is well worth it! You can watch the masterclass and get the recipe here – enjoy :)DSCF8819

11 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

They look ever so tempting and beautiful! a great English treat. Gotta love them.

Cheers,

Rosa

La Table De Nana said...

They are masterpieces:) Wow..Bravo!

the cream is piped to perfection too..

Someone should just spoil you and give you a scale:)

You must have quite a collection of things:)

I burn things too..or underdone:)

Victory Rolls & Mixing Bowls said...

I feel your pain I can't work without digital scales it's such a pain I need to know the exact amount! Love these :)

The Caked Crusader said...

They look great - I love the piped cream. I was always put off brandy snaps because I thought they contained brandy - it was only this year's GBBO that told me otherwise!

Liberty London Girl said...

Brand Snaps are almost impossible on first attempt, so this is super impressive! They are so tricky not to burn, so your take it slowly at the last few minutes method makes complete sense. LLGxx

Jo said...

These look perfect, Mary Berry would be proud! I also have a tendency to burn biscuits. I think someone should glue me to the oven for their baking time because I always wander off and forget about them!

Savannah said...

They look perfect! :D Yummy

Anonymous said...

Okay...you are my new favorite food blogger! These look absolutely amazing! I love to cook and bake, so I will be visiting your blog frequently!

Faith said...

These are beautiful and so elegant! I had never heard of a brandy snap before but I'm certainly intrigued now!

Kezia said...

I'm really impressed, they turned out perfect. I wonder why they are called brandy snaps if they don't contain brandy?

Anonymous said...

These are so beautiful! I LOVE brandy snaps - so British!! well done!!
Mary x