Brandy Snaps Baskets with Strawberries and Cream
These brandy snaps baskets are made from a buttery ginger and golden syrup dough. As the dough bakes, it spreads into a thin round cookie that bubbles and creates a lacy pattern. When the cookie is still warm it can be shaped into a basket and filled with fruit, cream or ice cream.
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Brandy snaps
Traditionally, brandy snaps are shaped into a tube, by wrapping the cookie around the long handle of a wooden spoon.
This recipe uses a muffin pan to form basket shapes instead which are perfect for individual desserts. The little baskets can be filled with fresh fruit and cream, or ice cream.
Despite the name, there is no brandy in the brandy snap. The word brandy comes from ‘brand-schnap‘ where brand refers to fire, or ‘burn’.
The cookie batter for brandy snaps is rich and buttery. I have used Westgold salted butter which is creamy and rich with fantastic flavor. It’s made with milk from grass-fed cows, farmed on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island and uses a traditional churning process.
Ingredients
This easy dessert is made from simple ingredients. Find the ingredient amounts listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.
Brandy snaps
- Westgold salted butter – or use unsalted butter and add an extra pinch of salt to the recipe.
- Golden syrup – This helps to bring a deeper flavor to the brandy snap.
- Soft brown sugar – Brings notes of molasses.
- Salt – to balance the sweet
- All-purpose flour – An all-purpose plain flour brings a bit of structure
- Ground ginger – Just a little for the base flavor.
- Lemon juice – A little acid helps the texture of the cookie
Chantilly cream filling
- Heavy cream/whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla paste or extract
- Strawberries and fresh mint
Method
Pre heat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and salt.
Let this melt over low heat, stirring until the brown sugar has dissolved.
Avoid letting the liquid butter mixture boil or it can crystalize.
Once the brown sugar has dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for around 2 minutes.
Stir through the flour and ground ginger.
Mix it together with a wooden spoon until combined and glossy.
Drop around 2 teaspoons of batter per brandy snap onto the prepared baking tray.
Start with just one or two, so you can see how fast your oven bakes them. Space them far apart too as they will spread.
Bake the brandy snaps in the preheated oven until amber-brown and lacy. They can bake for anywhere between 5-8 minutes. The cookies should spread out and become bubbly and deep golden brown, but you don’t want the edges burning or becoming too dark or they will be bitter.
If the edges are browning too fast, turn the oven temperature down a bit.
Let the cookies cool for around 1 minute before shaping.
As you continue with the cookies, the brandy snap batter will stiffen up as it sits. This is normal.
Shaping brandy snaps
Brandy snaps aren’t difficult to shape, but you do have to be ready. Once the cookies come from the oven they are very hot and floppy. They’ll need to cool for about a minute before they can be handled. Don’t bake too many at once or they will cool too much before you can shape them all.
Have an upside-down muffin pan ready to go, or use upside-down jars or small bowls.
Once they’re not too hot to touch (but still pliable), use an offset spatula to gently lift up the cookie. Place a hot cookie over one of the upside-down cups, pressing it down gently and around the cup. Hold it in place until it firms up a bit, then remove it.
Let them cool further on a wire rack while you bake the rest. If you leave them on the tray too long and they harden too much to shape, place the tray back in the oven for 30 or so seconds to warm the cookies back up.
Chantilly cream
Chantilly cream is really just the fancy term for sweetened whipped cream. It makes the perfect filling for the brandy snaps baskets.
The fresh cream is only very lightly sweetened because the cookies are already very sweet so it’s nice to have a bit of a contrast.
In a bowl add the cream, vanilla, and sugar. Whip the cream with an electric whisk until soft peaks form, taking care not to over-whip it.
Assembling
Brandy-snap baskets should only be filled right before serving. Dollop or use a piping bag to pipe the cream into the baskets, then top with chopped strawberries and shredded mint.
Dust with a little extra powdered sugar.
Making ahead
The unfilled brandy snap baskets can be made at least a week ahead of time. Store them in a dry, airtight container at room temperature.
Variations
Brandy snaps can be filled with all sorts! You could try:
- Vanilla cream patisserie
- Ice cream
- Chocolate cream patisserie
- Lemon curd and cream
- Mascarpone, whipped ricotta or creme fraiche
Adding zesty fresh fruit to whatever filling is used helps to balance the sweetness.
Brandy Snaps Baskets
Crispy, buttery brandy snaps baskets filled with chantilly cream and fresh fruit.
Ingredients
- 75g (1/3 cup) Westgold salted butter
- 75g (3 1/2 Tbsp) golden syrup
- 75g (6 Tbsp) soft brown sugar
- 75g (1/2 cup* + 1 1/2 Tbsp) all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Chantilly cream
- 360g (1 1/2 cups) heavy cream
- 1/2 Tablespoon powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- Fresh strawberries, diced
- Fresh mint leaves, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line baking trays with non-stick parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and salt.
- Let this melt over medium-low heat, stirring until the brown sugar has dissolved, but avoid letting the mixture boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for a minute.
- Add in the flour and ground ginger. Mix it together with a wooden spoon until combined and glossy.
- Drop around 2 teaspoons of batter per brandy snap onto the prepared baking tray.
- Start with just one or two, so you can see how fast your oven bakes them. Space them far apart too as they will spread.
- Bake until amber-brown and lacy, anywhere between 5-8 minutes, depending on your oven. The cookies should spread out and become bubbly and deep amber-brown, but you don't want the edges burning or becoming too dark or they will be bitter. Some ovens cook much faster than others. Watch them closely and turn down the oven temperature if you need to.
- Let the cookies cool for around 1 minute before shaping.
Shaping
- Have a greased upside-down muffin pan ready to go, or use upside-down jars or small bowls.
- Once they're not too hot to touch (but still pliable), use an offset spatula to gently lift up the cookie.
- Place a hot cookie over one of the upside-down cups, pressing it down gently and around the cup. Hold it in place until it firms up a bit, then remove it. If you leave them on the tray too long and they harden too much to shape, place the tray back in the oven for 30 or so seconds to warm the cookies back up.
- Let them cool further on a wire rack while you bake the rest.
Filling
- In a bowl add the cream, vanilla, and sugar. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, taking care not to over-whip it.
- Brandy-snap baskets should only be filled right before serving.
- Dollop or use a piping bag to pipe the cream into the baskets, then top with chopped strawberries and shredded mint.
- Dust with a little extra powdered sugar.
Notes
*The cup measurements given are US sized, with a scoop and sweep method. Note that these are smaller than metric. For best results, use grams.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 154Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 49mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
