Name: Lauren Eldridge’s brunkager (spiced Danish gingerbread biscuits)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 250 gm (1⅔ cups) plain flour; 2 tsp ground cardamon; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp ground cloves; ½ tsp ground ginger; 25 gm blanched almonds, finely chopped; ½ tsp finely grated orange zest; 125 gm butter, cubed; 125 gm golden syrup; 60 gm dark brown sugar; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Lauren Eldridge’s brunkager (spiced Danish gingerbread biscuits)

Make a double batch of these biscuits. They'll disappear in a snap.

Makes 50

Prep

15M

Cook

20M

Total

35M

“A traditional Danish spiced gingerbread, these thin biscuits are usually served at the end of the Christmas meal with coffee,” says Lauren Eldridge, pastry chef at the Berowra Waters Inn and the former executive pastry chef at Stokehouse Group. “This recipe makes 50, but trust me when I say they will disappear before you know it.”

Ingredients

250 gm (1⅔ cups) plain flour

2 tsp ground cardamon

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground ginger

25 gm blanched almonds, finely chopped

½ tsp finely grated orange zest

125 gm butter, cubed

125 gm golden syrup

60 gm dark brown sugar

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

1.Sift flour and spices into a large bowl, and stir in almonds and zest.

2.Stir butter, golden syrup and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Whisk in bicarbonate and remove from heat. Stir the syrup mixture into the dry ingredients until combined. Cover and set aside to cool, then chill until firm enough to roll and stay in a round shape (30 minutes). Form into a 4cm-diameter log, wrap, and holding ends of wrap, roll along bench to form a smooth cylinder. Freeze until firm (1 hour). Dough will keep frozen for 1 month.

3.Preheat oven to 180°C and line two oven trays with baking paper. Unwrap dough and slice into rounds about 4mm wide (if dough is too firm, leave to soften slightly before cutting). Place rounds on trays, leaving about 3cm between each round. Bake in batches until light golden (5-6 minutes; biscuits should be slightly soft when cool, cook for 1-2 minutes longer if you prefer them crisp).