My mum loved a Ginger Nut – they always remind me of her. I never thought much of them when I was younger and actually, I wouldn’t buy a packet of them now. But, a homemade ginger nut: it’s a different story! Proper fiery with gingery heat. They are particularly nice with a wedge of blue cheese and slice of pear stacked on top.
I’ve used two forms of ginger in the Ginger Nuts here, to really pack a punch – grated fresh ginger for heat and ground ginger for deep, belly warmth. They bake until golden and crispy, and are perfect for snacking on, too.
GINGER NUTS WITH STILTON, PEAR & CANDIED PECANS – A CANAPE
What a lovely canape!
Ingredients
- 40 g pecans
- 30 g caster sugar
- 10 g salted butter
- 2 sprigs thyme leaves picked
- 1 pear thinly sliced
- 200 g wedge of stilton sliced as thickly as you like
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
GINGER NUTS
- 100 g salted butter
- 75 g light brown soft sugar
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 100 g golden syrup
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 1.5 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 small egg yolk
Instructions
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First, make the ginger nuts. Combine the butter, soft light brown sugar, fresh ginger and golden syrup in a medium saucepan. Stir gently over a low-medium heat, until melted and combined. Next, sift the flour, ground ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl. Pour in the butter mixture, add the egg yolk, and stir until just combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, to let the dough harden.
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Preheat the oven to 170°c (fan-assisted) and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
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Weigh out 15g of the mixture and roll into balls. Place them onto the prepared baking trays, leaving a gap between each one. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy at the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack, whilst we continue with the recipe.
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Next, we’ll make the candied pecans. Combine the pecans, caster sugar, butter, thyme and a pinch of salt in a small frying pan. Place over a low-medium heat and stir frequently for 4-5 minutes, or until the sugar turns from grainy to silky smooth and is coating the nuts. Quickly pour them out onto a lined baking tray and use two forks to separate each one, so they don’t stick together. Keep your fingers away from them here. It’s molten sugar! Set them aside for 10 minutes, to let them harden.
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Once both the biscuits and nuts have cooled, you can build your canapes. Arrange the ginger biscuits on a serving board and top each one with a thin slice of pear, followed by slice of stilton and a candied pecan. Finish with a grind of black pepper, and a little extra thyme, if you like.
Recipe Notes
The ginger nut recipe is edited from a recipe by Liberty Mendez – thank you!
These sweet and savoury canapes pair perfectly with my non-alcoholic hot apple toddy, or for more recipe inspiration, check out my Instagram.
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