Grandma's Ginger Nut Biscuits

Ginger Nut Biscuits or Cookies

My son, Conall, is becoming the baker in the family - much aided and abetted by Bethany. Yesterday, he decided to find, print and make these biscuits (or cookies). He chuckled at the fact that I talked about the mixture "evaporating" in the presence of small children and said now that my children are bigger, that that won't happen anymore. I guess it's just the biscuits themselves that will evaporate :-). 

This was a recipe my grandmother, Jess, used often and it was a great favourite with her grandchildren. I am now making them for my children and they love them. A batch of them placed in clear glass jars make a perfect present for a teacher, and freshly-baked biscuits are sure to disappear from any children's party fast, and it will be the parents doing the chomping, I guarantee. 

It is interesting it is called a "ginger nut" biscuit, since it contains no nuts, however, its moniker is derived from the fact that it should be as hard as a nut. They can be dunked in tea, or you could bake them for a shorter time, thereby making them chewier (as loved by my husband and children).

There are a few ingredients which are important to the final result. Lyle's Golden Syrup is a thickish cane syrup not a maple syrup or molasses. Do not substitute soft dark brown sugars or castor sugar for the ordinary or granulated white sugar, trust me, this experimentalist tried and the mixture just ends up incredibly sticky and it runs everywhere.

Finally, while the traditional quantities are 2 Tbs ginger powder and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon powder, my twist is to up the quantity of ginger and substitute mixed spice (a mixture of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) for the cinnamon, which makes for a spicier, more "German" biscuit, which I prefer, and have hence given below. However, traditionalists would be advised to stick to the original quantities.

Ginger Nut Biscuit Recipe


780 grams cake flour (6 cups)
3 Tablespoons ginger powder
2 Tablespoons mixed spice powder* (or cinnamon)
380 grams ordinary white or granulated sugar (2 cups)
225 grams butter – melted (½ pound)
450 grams syrup (Lyle's Golden Syrup)– melted (1 pound)
2 Tablespoons smooth apricot jam
120 ml cold milk (½ cup)
2 Tablespoons bicarbonate of soda (1 ounce)

Pre-heat oven to 160 ºC, 325 ºF, Gas mark 3


*The traditional quantities are 2 Tablespoons of ginger and 1 of cinnamon, my twist (given above) is to use 3 tablespoons of ginger powder and up to 2 tablespoons of mixed spice (which itself is comprised of a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves). It makes for a more spicy, “German” ginger biscuit, but is jolly nice.

Mix all dry ingredients, except bicarbonate of soda.

Melt the syrup and butter together on a low heat. Add apricot jam – you probably will need to beat mixture with an egg beater or whisk.

Add melted butter, syrup and apricot jam mixture to the dry ingredients. It’s best to let the mixture cool before adding it to the dry ingredients. Mix well – wooden spoon or children's hands work equally well, adding the bicarbonate, which you have dissolved in the milk.

The mixture is incredibly sticky. Hence, you must leave it to cool before working with it. I have even found leaving the mixture in the fridge overnight is not a bad solution, it certainly makes the dough a lot easier to work with. If kids are involved, you’ll probably find the mixture simply evaporates before you get to work with it. A cool mixture is easier on the hands too.

Roll into balls and place on greased baking tray or one lined with baking parchment. It will spread a lot as it cooks (not so much if it’s been in the fridge overnight) so make sure balls are far enough apart. Don’t bother bashing them down with a fork, the bicarb makes them spread so fast you’re just wasting your time. Lightly dusting your hands with flour from time to time also helps with making the biscuits.

Bake in pre-heated oven for between 8 – 10 minutes or until it starts to smell divine. The bottom of the biscuits tend to catch (i.e., burn) so I try to bake them on the very top tray (if your bottom element is the one that heats, for those with fancy ovens and fans, this message is not intended for you). The best way of gauging when the biscuit is ready is by smell. Do bear in mind that shorter baking times mean the biscuit/cookie is soft and chewy, longer baking makes it crispy. If you want the biscuits very crispy, then I’d bake for longer at a lower temperature. It hardens a lot once it is out the oven, so flip out onto your cooling rack when it is still very soft and don’t gauge the final product by its texture when it is first out the oven.

Ginger Nut Cookies in a Jar