If you love ginger nuts, you’ll love these American-style spiced biscuits with chunks of stem ginger, dipped in dark chocolate
Prep:20 mins
Makes 24
350g plain flour1 tbsp ground ginger1 tsp bicarbonate of soda175g light muscovado sugar100g butter, chopped8 pieces of stem ginger, chopped (not too finely), plus thin slices, to decorate (optional)1 large egg4 tbsp golden syrup200g bar dark chocolate, chopped
STEP 1Mix the flour, ground ginger, bicarbonate of soda, 1/2 tsp salt and sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter to make crumbs. Stir in the chopped stem ginger.STEP 2Beat together the egg and syrup, pour into the dry ingredients and stir, then knead with your hands to make a dough. Cut the dough in half and shape each piece into a thick sausage about 6cm across, making sure that the ends are straight. Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 mins. You can now freeze all or part of the dough for 2 months.STEP 3Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Thickly slice each sausage into 12 and put the slices on the baking sheets, spacing them well apart and reshaping any, if necessary, to make rounds. Bake for 12 mins, then leave to cool for a few mins to harden before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.STEP 4Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure that the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl. Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate – you may need to spoon it over when you get to the final few. Decorate with a slice of ginger, if you like, and leave to set. Will keep for 1 week in an airtight container.
