Gingernut sandwich cookies
Dainty gingernut biscuits are given the gold star treatment, sandwiched with white chocolate ganache and topped with gold almonds.
Equipment and preparation: you will need a pestle and mortar, a sugar thermometer, 2 x silicone mini-macaroon trays and a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.
Ingredients
For the ganache
- 6 cardamom pods
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus more to taste
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú white chocolate
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú cream cheese
For the gingernuts
- 125²µ/4½´Ç³ú plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 65g/2¼oz slightly salted butter
- 65g/2¼oz golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 thumb-sized piece stem ginger, grated very finely
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú golden syrup, warmed
For the decoration
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú toasted flaked almonds
- 1 sheet gold leaf
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú white chocolate
- 15 toasted hazelnuts, skins removed
Method
For the ganache, crush the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar. Tip them into a small saucepan with the cream and grated nutmeg and bring to a simmer. Once hot, remove from the heat and set aside to infuse.
For the gingernuts, place all the dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse together briefly.
Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, lemon zest and stem ginger and pulse once more.
Pour the warmed syrup into the food processor and process until the mixture forms a ball of dough. Cover in cling film and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to oven 180C/170C Fan/Gas 4.
Remove the gingernut dough from the freezer and make 24–30 macadamia nut-sized balls of dough (about 5g/⅛oz).
Place each ball of dough on the mini-macaroon trays and flatten slightly.
Bake in the oven for about 5–7 minutes, or until golden-brown and a crackly surface has appeared.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking trays.
For the almonds, dry fry the flaked almonds in a pan over a medium heat until browned. Remove from the heat.
Take out 24–30 of the flaked almonds and cover them in gold leaf with a small, dry paintbrush. Set aside.
Crush the remaining flaked almonds in the pestle and mortar and set aside.
To finish the ganache, carefully reheat the cream until just below boiling, remove from the heat and stir through the white chocolate until melted.
Strain the cream into a bowl to remove the cardamom pods. Taste and add more nutmeg if necessary. Cover and leave to cool.
When cool, carefully stir through the cream cheese to make a smooth, thick ganache consistency.
To assemble, transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle and pipe it onto the top of half of the gingernuts.
Sandwich together with the remaining gingernuts and roll in the reserved chopped nuts.
Melt the white chocolate and use it to attach a gold almond to each side of each gingernut sandwich. Serve the biscuits upright on their sides, with a hazelnut on top.
