Auntie Jean’s Ginger Snaps

One of the first things I watched and helped to make were these biscuits. My great great aunt made them, almost every day of her life! She baked every day from getting up till going to sleep and supplied everybody in the family with cakes, scones, sandwiches, pies, puddings and everything else you could imagine. Miner’s wives teas for hundreds would all come out of tiny kitchen, no recipes ever written down, just a mixing bowl and spoon and some scales but most of the time she just knew how much to put in the bowl and they, of course, always were fantastic. These biscuits are one of my first memories of her, that and endless cups of tea with her and her two sisters, all widowers, with whom I spent many days being looked after before I was old enough to go to school! Back to the biscuits which don’t keep long (they loose their crunch after two days) but they are so good you can’t keep them. And you have to like ginger a lot 1 lb of plain flour sifted large pinch of salt 2 tsp ground ginger or less if desired 8oz caster sugar 6oz butter softened 8oz warm golden syrup or black treacle (my alteration if you like the liquorice taste of treacle) 2 eggs 2tsps baking powder Makes 20-30 depending on size Melt the butter and syrup or treacle, add sugar and salt followed by the eggs then beat in the flour and baking powder. A splash of milk might be required to make a thick batter of dropping consistency. Then, place desert spoons of the batter on greased baking trays, well apart, making then into rough circles with the back of the spoon. Bake at 180oC for 12 – 15 minutes till golden brown allow cooling and crisping up, ready to be devoured with hot strong tea and good conversation.