For the first time in my life the other day, I bought pre-made whipped cream in a pressurized can. It’s not like the real thing, but it sure tastes good. I’d never necessarily use it in a recipe for something special, rather, it’s great for just eating by the spoonful. Or for inside cylindrical cookies, like this version of the brandy snap.
In all honesty, the only reason I made these is to fill them with pressurized whipped cream, so let’s get that out in the open. The cookies themselves are pretty good, but it’s really hard to get them into the cylindrical shape. If you let them cool too much, they get brittle and don’t bend. If they’re too hot, they’re too soft to roll (and burn your fingers). If I made them again, I’d just leave them flat and put frosting or whipped cream on top.
What you’ll need:
- 2 oz. superfine sugar
- 2 oz. butter
- 2T syrup (used half light corn syrup and half maple syrup)
- 2 oz. all-purpose flour
- 1t ground, dried ginger
- Grated lemon zest from a half-lemon
- 1t brandy
What to do:
Start your oven heating to 350 degrees and grease or line a baking sheet with baking parchment paper.
In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the butter, sugar and syrup. Gently stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has completely dissolved. Low and slow is the key to making this work. It the temperature is too high, it will overcook. Remove from heat after ensuring the sugar has dissolved.
Next, gradually add the flour and ginger into the saucepan while stirring, then add the lemon zest and brandy. Mix well until smooth.
To cook, drop small spoonfuls into the baking sheet. These really spread out (about 3 inches across) so allow plenty of room between them. Bake for 7 or so minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they’re a golden brown. If you try to slip a spatula under a cookie and it easily deforms, it’s not done. At this point, you could leave them flat and just let them cool.
But, if you want to roll them, take the pan out of the oven and let the cookies cool just enough for you to handle them without burning your fingers. They should still be pliable to roll, but not for more than a few seconds more. A good way to roll them is around the cylindrical handle of some cooking utensil you have, like a spoon or spatula.
Once rolled, let them set and cool. If you’re filling them with whipped cream, add it just before serving the cookies.
*Not sure why they need brandy. You can’t taste it.
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