brandy snaps with clementine cream

Brandy snaps with clementine cream, perfection on a plate! Deliciously crisp and crunchy brandy snaps, spiced with ground ginger and filled with a fresh clementine cream.

Brandy snaps with clementine cream are my favourite go to at this time of year. I love traditional brandy snaps, it was something my Mum always had in the house at Christmas. Homemade brandy snaps taste better than anything you can buy in the shops and are made using a few ingredients you likely have in your kitchen cupboards.

Now to be honest I don’t even need them filled, nor do I care if they are broken! I just love crunching my way through this sweet and spicy treat. Which always makes Michelle laugh as I don't have a particularly sweet tooth - and these are sweet!

Brandy snaps have the reputation of being tricky to cook, but they are quite straightforward once you get the hang of it. The key is not to be afraid of sugar work, work quickly before the sugar starts to set, but otherwise these are a really simple bake to pull off. 

To make traditional brandy snaps you start by melting the ingredients together, spoon onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Once baked remove from the oven and use a palette knife and mould to the desired shape.

Why you'll love this recipe:

• Make the brandy snaps ahead and fill them with clementine cream just before your guests arrive.
• Feed a crowding a crowd, no problem. This recipe makes 30 cylinder shaped brandy snaps, or 15 brandy baskets.
• Quick to cook and uses a few ingredients we all have in our store cupboards.

What are brandy snaps?

Brandy snaps are a traditional English biscuit, flavoured with golden syrup, demerara sugar and ground ginger. The thin snaps have a lace like appearance and are perfect when filled, in this case with a clementine cream.

How to make brandy snaps?

• Start by preheating the oven to 160CFan/180C. Prepare a baking tray lined with baking parchment or a silicone mat. 
• In a small saucepan melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup and stir until the sugar has melted. 
• In a bowl measure out the flour and ginger. Once the butter mixture has melted, add the dry ingredients, lemon zest and juice.  Mix well. 

• Leave plenty of space between each brandy snap as you see they will spread as they bake in the oven!
• Using a teaspoon, drop the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. A teaspoon will spread enough for a cylinder or curved shape.
• If you want bigger discs, say for brandy baskets, then add 2 teaspoons to each biscuit. 

• Bake for 10 minutes but watch closely. You want them to become lace like, but not too dark, just golden. 
• Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes.
• Next shape into cylinders by using the handle of a wooden spoon that has been rubbed with sunflower oil.
• Allow the brandy snaps to cool completely before filling. 

How to shape brandy snaps?

The trick to shaping brandy snaps is to first decide what shape you actually want. Once you know that then you can determine what best to use to help you shape these ginger biscuits.

Leave the biscuits to sit for 2-3 minutes after coming out of the oven as you want them to have set a little, but still be pliable.

Use a palatte knife to lift the brandy snaps off the tray. Take care to work quickly but carefully as you are dealing with hot sugar and butter!

You can buy special moulds however, we tend to shape our brandy snaps using utensils we have lying around our kitchens. Just ensure that whatever you use, that you grease it well with sunflower oil before you start, otherwise the biscuits will stick.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Cylinders (see main image above) wrap the biscuits around the end of a well oiled wooden spoon.
• Brandy baskets grease the base of a small baking tin or ramekin and place the biscuits over the base. If you don't want a flat bottom to the brandy baskets then I suggest using an orange.
• Curves (see process image below) place the biscuits gently over the end of an oiled rolling pin.

Do brandy snaps contain alcohol?

No, despite what the name might suggest, brandy snaps contain no alcohol. It is though that the brandy comes from the term "branded" as the mixture is burnt/branded.

Recipe substitutions and variations:

• Butter - you can use either unsalted or salted butter.
• Demerara sugar - adds a depth of molasses flavour to the finished snap.
• Golden syrup - tastes wonderful in these traditional brandy snaps.
• Ground ginger - adds real flavour to the snap biscuits.
• Lemon - the lemon zest and a little juice is added to the snap mixture to give flavour.

Brandy snap filling ideas?

When it comes to brandy snap filling ideas you can get really creative. Our brandy snaps filling is a clementine cream, however you can fill these sweet ginger snaps with any filling you choose.

What I would mentioned is that there is no need to sweeten the cream as the brandy snaps are plenty sweet enough! Here are some brandy snap filling ideas to get you started:

• Whipped cream stem ginger and some of the syrup from the jar
• Ice cream or whipped cream with fresh berries of your choice
• Mascarpone whipped and loosened with a splash of Brandy or Amaretto liqueur
• Vanilla creme patissiere or custard with poached rhubarb

Why do brandy snaps go soft?

Brandy snaps are best eaten on the day that you make them. Do not leave them uncovered or they will go soft when exposed to the air. Instead allow them to cool then store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

How long do brandy snaps keep?

Placed the cooled snaps into an airtight container, do not fill them first. As soon as you fill a brandy snap it will start to soften. Place them into the container, placing a sheet of grease proof paper or kitchen towel between each layer to stop the snaps from sticking together. Store in a cool place for 2-3 days.

Can you freeze brandy snaps?

Once cooked you can freeze brandy snaps for up to a month. However, be really careful how you package them to stop them from breaking apart as these are fragile biscuits.

Useful hints and tips:

1. Work quickly and efficiently as once the brandy snaps are out of the oven and have cooled for 2-3 minutes, you need to work quickly to form them into the required shape.
2. Cook the brandy snaps in batches as this allows you time between each bake to get the snaps properly shaped.
3. Work with a clean work space as you need to have somewhere to prepare the brandy snaps; somewhere to shape them and somewhere to store them while they cool.
4. Make extra to freeze as this recipe makes 30 brandy snaps or 15 brandy baskets, so enjoy some now and freeze some for later.
5. Allergy advice: egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions:

If you like this recipe then try some of our other petit four recipes, perfect with that after dinner coffee:

• Easy Chocolate Truffles
• Florentines
• Lemon Madeleines