In my opinion, ginger kisses are one of the most iconic biscuits and have always been a firm favourite of mine. I remember absolutely inhaling these by the packet whenever I got the chance. I could never ever, and still can’t, stop at one.
This recipe has been tweaked over and over, searching for that unmistakable ginger kiss pillowy texture. I’m embarrassed to admit how much of a headache these caused me; who would have thought that recreating this humble biscuit would be such a schlep! Big thanks to my mum who was my chief taster.
That being said, I’m happy to report . . . I think we’ve nailed it!
GINGER KISSES RECIPE
Makes 25 biscuits
Ginger biscuits
250g plain flour
170g self-raising flour
20g ground ginger
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp flaky salt
150g butter, softened
240g raw caster sugar, plus extra to sprinkle
80g golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla paste
4 eggs
Golden syrup buttercream
100g butter, softened
200g cream cheese, softened
85g golden syrup
10g ground ginger
1 tsp flaky salt
400g icing sugar
- Grease and line three oven trays.
- For the ginger biscuits, in a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, golden syrup and vanilla for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one by one, scraping down the side of the bowl after each addition.
- With the mixer on a low speed, add the dry ingredients in three batches and mix until fully incorporated; the mixture should be rather dense. Transfer to a piping bag and cut a 2cm opening.
- Pipe the biscuits onto the prepared trays so they are about 4cm in diameter, being mindful to space them at least 3cm apart. You want to end up with about 50, which I know sounds like a lot but trust me, you can never have too many.
- Place the trays in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up.
- Preheat the oven to 180C fan-bake.
- Sprinkle the chilled biscuits lightly with some extra raw sugar and bake for 10–12 minutes until golden brown. They should have puffed up like cute little pillows.
- Using a palette knife or spatula, transfer the biscuits immediately to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While they are cooling, get onto the golden syrup buttercream.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, golden syrup, ginger and salt until completely smooth and creamy. Add the icing sugar, one-third of a cup at a time and beat until silky and thick. Transfer to a piping bag and cut a 2cm opening.
- When you are ready to fill the biscuits, pipe a generous dollop on the bottom of half the biscuits before sandwiching them together with their frosting-free mate. The filled cookies are best eaten within 2 days.
Recipe extracted from ‘Butter, Butter’ by Petra Galler (Allen & Unwin, $49.99), out now.
