My ginger and chilli biscuits are wonderfully spicy ginger biscuits with a good kick of fiery ginger and hot chilli. These biscuits take inspiration from Fortnum & Mason's Lucifer's Biscuits which are hands down my favourite biscuit.
As anyone who knows me can attest, ginger and chilli are two of my favourite flavourings for sweet or savoury. They are perfection in these fiery ginger and chilli biscuits!
While I love these biscuits, the cost of Fortnum & Mason's ginger and chilli biscuits, and the fact that I'd have to have them sent to me, meant I needed to come up with a more cost effective option.
I started with a basic biscuit recipe and began adapting it to create my own ginger and chilli biscuits. Here's the result, a simple ginger and chilli biscuit, with a nice chew of stem ginger and a good kick of chilli.
Why you'll love this recipe
- If you love spice these fiery ginger and chilli biscuits are the biscuit for you, blending ginger with hot chilli and the perfect amount of sweetness.
- A simple recipe ideal for those of you who are new to baking.
- This recipe makes 30 ginger cookies so make the dough and split in half. Bake half and save freeze the second half of the dough for baking up fresh another day.
Recipe ingredients
- Ginger: I use a combination of stem ginger and ground ginger to flavour these biscuits and give them an intense ginger flavour.
- Sugar: the biscuits are sweetened with light muscovado sugar as it has a more intense molasses flavour that white caster sugar. Soft brown sugar would be a good alternative.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in this biscuit recipe, use soft butter as it's easier to incorporate into the sugar.
- Flour: I use self raising flour in this recipe.
- Bicarbonate of soda: baking soda helps the cookies to rise in the oven.
- Chilli: the flavour of chilli is something I love, so I use hot chilli powder in these cookies. If you prefer less heat, use regular or mild chilli powder. You can also reduce the amount of chilli powder if you don't want them too spicy.
How to make Ginger & Chilli Biscuits
- Prepare the stem ginger by grating it very finely.
- Cream together the sugar and the butter until really well combined and light in colour.
TOP TIP: If you don't have a fine grater, use a regular grater, then chop the grated ginger with a kitchen knife.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Then place the dough in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, but ideally overnight.
- When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and roll into balls the size of a cherry tomato. Place the balls onto a lined baking tray, taking care to space them out as the biscuits will flatten in the oven when baked.
- From this mixture you should get between 26-30 biscuits. Bake in batches rather than overcrowding the baking sheet.
- Place in an oven at 200C/180CFan/390F for 12-14 minutes until the biscuits are golden in colour.
- Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet onto a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the biscuits from the sheet onto the wire rack to harden.
- Store the biscuits in an airtight container and enjoy them for several days.
TOP TIP: If you want your cookies to look a uniform size, or if some have really spread in the oven, I have a simple trick to fixing this. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven they will still be soft and pliable. Get a circular cookie cutter and place smooth side down over the cookie, taking care not to touch the sides of the cookie. Now working in a circular motion, move the cutter and gently reshape the cookies.
Recipe variations
- Ground spices - These ginger and chilli biscuits really do pack a punch, there is a hit of both ginger and chilli. However, if the chilli is too much you can simply reduce the amount you add to the dough. If chilli isn't really your thing you can leave it out altogether. You will still be left with a lovely ginger biscuit.
- Stem ginger - I use stem ginger, which comes out of a jar and is covered in syrup. Although you don't add any of the actual syrup to the dough, the grated stem ginger is covered in it, and this helps bind the dough together. If you can't find stem ginger then crystallised ginger would be a good alternative, but it is dry. So, I suggest adding a teaspoon of golden syrup if using crystallised ginger.
- Butter - I use unsalted butter in this recipe, but you can substitute with salted butter if that's all you have. I would not be tempted to use margarine, as you need the solidity of butter to help bind the dough together.
Useful hints & tips
- Take the butter out of the fridge one hour before you plan to start baking and allow it to soften. This will make it a lot easier to cream the butter and sugar together.
- Always chill the dough before baking! Chilling the dough means that the biscuits won't spread too much once they are in the oven.
- Don't be tempted to press down of flatten the cookies, leave them rolled in balls and they will spread in the oven when being baked.
- Leave plenty space between each ball of cookie dough to allow the cookies space to spread in the oven.
- Line the baking tray with a silicone baking sheet or baking parchment as this will stop the cookies sticking to the tray.
- Cool the cookies for 10 minutes before placing on the wire cooling rack. This will allow the soft cookies to set a little and stop them from breaking up when you lift them off the tray.
- This dough freezes really well. You can either freeze the whole ball of dough, or roll the dough into cookie sized balls before placing into the freezer.
- Allergy advice: egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.
FAQs
The purpose of chilling the dough is to firm it up. If it goes into the oven cold the balls of dough will melt down into the shape of a cookie. If the dough is too warm when you roll it out, the biscuits will spread out too much during the baking process.
Once cooked and cooled, place the biscuits in an airtight container. They are best enjoyed the day they are baked, or day after, they can keep for 4-5 days but will start to soften.
I tend not to freeze the baked biscuits as they soften too much during the defrosting process. Instead what I like to do is freeze the cookie dough. Make a batch of dough, bake one half and wrap the remaining dough in clingfilm, then place into a Ziploc bag. store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake the cookies, defrost the dough in the fridge before rolling into balls and cooking as directed.
Alternatively roll the dough into cookie sized balls then freeze, then you can cook direct from frozen. Just allow a few extra minutes in the oven to ensure they are properly cooked.
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Additional recipe suggestions
If you like these simple biscuits then try some of our other simple bakes:
- Sticky Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- Chocolate & Hazelnut Cookies
- Lemon Butter Biscuits
- Orange Butter Biscuits
- Spiced Christmas Cookies
- Best Mincemeat Cookies
- Custard Creams
These cookies are also delicious served with my Mulled Apple Juice.
If you enjoyed this bake have a look at my Ultimate Guide to Baking, full of great recipe suggestions, and recipe hints and tips.
Ginger & Chilli Biscuits
Equipment
- chopping board
- grater
- Sharp kitchen knife
- large mixing bowl
- Electric Whisk
- Kitchen scales
- measuring spoons
- 2 Baking sheets
- Baking parchment or silicone liner
Ingredients
- 100 g stem ginger (roughly 5 balls, very finely grated)
- 75 g light muscavado sugar
- 125 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 180 g self raising flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
Instructions
- Prepare the stem ginger by grating it very finely. If you don't have a fine grater, use a regular grater, then chop the grated ginger with a kitchen knife.
- Cream together the sugar and the butter until really well combined and light in colour.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well until everything is thoroughly combined. Then place the dough in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, but ideally overnight.
- When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and roll into balls the size of a cherry tomato. Place the balls onto a lined baking tray, taking care to space them out as the biscuits will flatten in the oven when baked.
- From this mixture you should get between 26-30 biscuits. Bake in batches rather than overcrowding the baking sheet.
- Place in an oven at 200C/180CFan/390F for 12-14 minutes until the biscuits are golden in colour.
- Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet onto a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the biscuits from the sheet onto the wire rack to harden.
- Store the biscuits in an airtight container and enjoy them for several days.
Notes
- You can alter the amount of chilli and ginger that you add to these biscuits. If you want to leave out the chilli altogether you will still have a delicious ginger biscuit.
- I use stem ginger, which comes out of a jar and is covered in syrup. Although you don't add any of the actual syrup to the dough, the grated stem ginger is covered in it, and this helps bind the dough together. If you can't find stem ginger then crystallised ginger would be a good alternative, but it is dry. So, I suggest adding a teaspoon of golden syrup if using crystallised ginger.
- Always chill the biscuit dough as this will stop the biscuits from spreading when baked in the hot oven.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
Jennie zoio says
They were even better this morning. Really I am astonished at how similar they are to Lucifer biscuits - what an accomplishment. Well done you.
Lesley says
Thank you very much Jennie, I'm really glad you enjoyed them. I had to try and find a more cost effective solution to enjoy my favourite biscuits and I think these are pretty close.
Jennie Zoio says
This is a very good substitute for the Fortnums biscuits. Mine didn’t spread as much as I expected so I pressed them down when I took them out and my husband thought they were fantastic
Lesley says
Thank you Jenni, I'm really glad you enjoyed them. The shape can vary depending on how hot or cold the dough is. If they don't spread I do exactly that, and give them a squash when they come out the oven.
M. says
I came across this recipe after checking out the F&M biscuits. Yours really look promising! I'm planning to follow your recipe soon as F&M isn't available in my country.
Lesley says
Thank you, I'm glad you found them. I love these biscuits and had to come up with a way to bake my own as can't get my hands on them locally.
Chloe says
Lucifer's cookies is such a great name but I've never tried them - did try these tho and they're really good. Grating the stem ginger was a game changer for the texture too, loved that.
Lesley says
Thank you Chloe, Lucifer's cookies really is the best name for any biscuit. Like you I love the stem ginger in these cookies (and pretty much any other ginger bake).
Cat says
For some reason I wouldn't have thought to put ginger and chilli together in a biscuit but I'm very happy you did because they were absolutely fantastic! A flavour sensation!
Lesley says
Thank you Cat, it really is a great combination if you love fiery spice.
Hazel says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I love spices and these biscuits really hit the spot.
Lesley says
Thank you Hazel, these biscuits really do give a proper kick of spice.
Leah says
Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so excited to try this after having some Lucifer’s biscuits that a friend got me from the UK!
I was wondering if I can use any sugar instead of muscovado?
Also I couldn’t find stem ginger, is it possible to substitute it with just a raw ginger?
Lesley says
Hi Leah, they are easily one of my favourite biscuits so I had to try and replicate. I would suggest a soft brown sugar if you can, as it has a better molasses flavour, but any sugar will work. If you can't find a jar of stem ginger you could use crystallised ginger, which has a sweetness to it. Or very finely grated fresh ginger perhaps just adding a teaspoon or two of golden syrup to mimic the stickiness of stem ginger.
Trish Templeton says
I’m so pleased I found this recipe. It will save me a fortune - Lucifer biscuits are now £12.95 a tin. Such an easy recipe follow and the biscuits are as good as (my husband says even better) those from F&M. Am doing another batch right now.
Lesley says
Thank you Trish, I'm really glad you've enjoyed these cookies, they're my favourite. I love Lucifer biscuits, but the price, plus the postage this far North meant I had to come up with a more economical solution and try to create my own. Happy Baking.
Kathryn says
What consistency should the mixture look like when its all mixed in please? I'm not used to making biscuits! I used the last of my home made stem ginger (which weighed 75g including the very solid crystalised sugar syrup) so I chucked the whole lot in, and vegan margarine instead of butter. The mixture seems quite dry/crumbly, is that right? I'm going to leave it in the fridge overnight and see what it's like in the morning! Thank you.
Lesley says
Hi Kathryn, the recipe uses butter which helps when rolling the dough into balls. Margarine of any variety does change the consistency quite considerably so that might be one problem. The stem ginger I use is soft with stem ginger syrup which makes it wet so when added to the dough it adds moisture. As you’re stem ginger is quite dry and not the full 100g quantity that is likely to be the problem and result in a dry dough. Stem ginger is naturally sticky so along with the butter helps form the dough into balls. If you look into the recipe post you can see a photo of the raw dough balls on a baking sheet just before they’re popped into the oven. As you can see the dough is neither too dry or wet, it’s just a moist dough. I suggest using slightly damp hands when you come to roll the dough, hopefully that will help.
Kathryn says
Thank you!
Kathryn says
Thank you! I added 30g of tahini to sub the missing portion of stem ginger and they've come out great!
Lesley says
I'm glad that the biscuits worked out for you, tahini is a great addition when you need to add a some moisture. Lesley
Monika Dabrowski says
These look super yummy, I love cookies/biscuits with a bit of heat! #CookBlogShare
Lesley says
Thank you Monika, I agree I love a hit of chilli.
jacqui bellefontaine says
Gosh they do look good. Do you deliver? Thanks for sharing on #CookBlogShare
Lesley says
Jacqui if you lived close I'd happily deliver some.
TurksWhoEat says
What a unique combination, they sound great!
Lesley says
Thank you TurksWhoEat, one of my favourite biscuit recipes.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Wow! These look so good, and I can only imagine how good they taste. I love ginger biscuits, bit have never though of incorporating chilli to the mix, I bet it brings a lovely change. #CookBlogShare
Angela x
Lesley says
Thank you Angela, I love these biscuits they're probably my favourite. I love ginger and chilli in pretty much anything!
jenny paulin says
ooooh thats an interesting biscuit flavour, I love ginger biscuits and adding some chilli is very interesting. They look gorgeous and I am sure I would love them x
Lesley says
Thank you Jenny if you like both flavours you should enjoy these - make them as spicy as you want. Really quick bake too.
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
These look great! I so love the sound of the ginger chilli combination! Had chocolate ginger before and chocolate chilli before but just ginger and chilli - oh so explosive! Look forward to trying them! x
Michelle says
Hi Jo, they definitely pack a punch, but easy to adjust how much heat you like. Great combination with the warming heat of the ginger and the spice of the chilli! Love to see if you make them. Cheers, Michelle x
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
They look absolutely perfectly baked and sound yummy!
Michelle says
Thanks for that Kat, they are so quick and easy but so very more..ish and easy to devour quickly! Cheers, Michelle x
Meals and Makes says
Ohh, these sound delicious and look amazing. I love ginger biscuits, I bet the chilli adds another great layer of flavour. #CookBlogShare
Michelle says
The chilli definitely makes a great addition. We love chilli here at Lost in Food and always find somewhere to add it!:-) Thanks for the comments! Cheers, Michelle x
Mandy says
Ooh these look perfect! I love the idea of ginger and chilli together in a biscuit - must give these a go.
Michelle says
Thanks Mandy, they are really quick to make as well and keep in the fridge to be made the next day to bake up. Cheers, Michelle x
Rebecca Smith says
This recipe excites me, I love ginger, I love chilli and I also love chilli in desserts and chocolate, so these biscuits seem to be made just for me! I'll have to tweak to make them Gluten Free but that's no biggie...plus these are vegan too so no nasty eggs to have to replace! Perfect! Thank you for sharing #CookBlogShare
Lesley says
Thank you Rebecca, they are so easy to make and as they're a biscuit they don't have the same rise, I think they should be quite easy to convert to gluten free. Hope you enjoy.
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
I hate reaching the bottom of the cookie jar. I'm sure that will not take me long, given the delicious (and fiery) combination of ingredients here! Ginger is one of my favorite flavors, and I'm sure that the addition of chili powder brings out that flavor even more. I can't wait to try these!
Lesley says
Michelle, they are so easy to make but to be honest I eat them far too quickly! I love ginger biscuits!
John A. Buckley says
You are my hero! A friend just returned from London and gave me a tin of Lucifer's biscuits. AFter eating the first several, I'm already panicking about running out. Thanks so much for posting your recipe! Would you help me with one part? Your recipe calls for 1 tsp "hot chilli powder". In my stores, chili powder means something else (and includes garlic and cumin!) Will I be ok using cayenne?
Thanks so much!
Michelle says
Hi John, thanks for the comment and glad we could help!:-) Yes I do understand as being originally from Canada myself that the chilli powders are different. Ours in the Uk is purely chillies ground down into a powder with nothing else added. You could try the cayenne but I'm unsure if it would give the flavour you'd be looking for, but could certainly try it. Failing that, if you have a spice grinder or blender you could get some dried chillies and make your own chilli powder? Hope this helps! Cheers, Michelle
John says
My hero! A friend just brought me back a tin of Lucifer's Biscuits and, after the first several, I'm already panicking about running out. I'm so grateful to have found you and your recipe. One question: Is your "hot chilli powder" the same as cayenne pepper? The chili powder sold in our stores contains, among other things, garlic and cumin! Will cayenne pepper work for me?
Thanks so much for the help!
John
Eva says
How much is 100 grams stem ginger - I tried to look up - and it said 2 cups - I think not.
Thanks, and let me know.
Michelle says
Hi Eva, thanks for the comment.
The stem ginger we used was as per the attached link. The jar is about 350g so its roughly just under 1/3 of this jar. Its a stem ginger in a syrup so its not fresh root ginger that you might be referring to. If you can't find the stem ginger in syrup, then I have also made them just using 1-2 tsp of ground ginger, they aren't as soft and chewy, but rather a crispier biscuit. Hope this helps, Cheers, Michelle
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Opies-Stem-Ginger-Syrup-280g/dp/B003UG8IMI
Sylvia Lewis says
Thank you for this recipe. You saved my new tea time addiction! I ate the last ginger cookie from my gift tin of Fortnum & Mason 'Explorers' Biscuit Selection. Friends from Twickenham visited over recent holidays and gifted us. While all of the selections were delicious, I really fell for the 'Lucifer' -ginger chili biscuit. I tried my hand at making it. Alas, my biscuits were not IT!! Your recipe looks like the 'real deal.' I need help translating to US measurement. How hot is a 180CFan oven? With love and gratitude from New York City.
Michelle says
Thank you for your lovely comments, we love these biscuits and they're really easy to make! A 180CFan is the same heat as as 200C, 400F according to the internet, however, as one of us is from Canada, we would even be tempted to start at an oven of 350F in the US or Gasmark 6. Our tip is to make sure you drain as much of the stem ginger syrup as you can, you don't want the dough too wet. We hope you enjoy. We have also made them without the stem ginger (as ran out!) and used extra ground ginger, not quite as lovely but still a great taste. And we would love to hear and see photos after you make them! Cheers, Lesley & Michelle x