In this week’s TOO MANY COOKS, Julian Cole passes on a recipe for crunchy ginger biscuits

THIS recipe comes from the bespattered old pages of the National Trust Book Of Tea-Time Recipes, as previously plundered here more than once.

These are biscuits for lovers of the hard crunch. The stated cooking was 40-45 minutes. I went for 40 minutes and wished I had gone for 35 instead, but the results were still pleasing. I followed the book with the amount of ginger; lovers of the fiery stuff might wish to add more.

Grantham Gingers

Ingredients:
4oz (100b) softened butter or margarine (I used unsalted butter)
12oz (350g) golden caster sugar
One egg, beaten
9oz (250g) self-raising flour, sifted
One or more teaspoons ground ginger

Method:
Preheat the oven to 300F or 150C (140 or lower for a fan oven: know your oven, as ever). Cover two baking sheets with baking parchment. Use an electric whisk to blend the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Sift in the flour and ginger and mix to a dough. Break off pieces of walnut-sized dough, roll into balls and place on the baking sheet, with room to spread. Bake for 35 minutes until brown and hollow. Leave on the tray for a minute or two, then remove to a wire tray to cool.