Nana's Golf biscuits

It's been ages since my last blog post so I thought it was high time I posted another baking tribute to my wonderful Nana.  This time it's her recipe for Golf biscuits.  Now, I'm not exactly sure why they're called Golf biscuits.  Perhaps the original inventor snacked on them while they played golf.  Or perhaps it's because they're about the same size as the holes on a golf course.  Who knows!  What I do know is that these are delightful little bikkies & are super easy & quick to make.  They contain ginger, walnuts & golden syrup - very tasty indeed. Great for school lunchboxes or as a cake tin filler.  Best enjoyed with a good cuppa.

On to the recipe!  It makes around 19 cookies. 

Ingredients

4 ounces of soft butter (114 grams)

2 tablespoons golden syrup

3 ounces of white sugar (85 grams)

5 ounces of plain flour (142 grams)

1/2 cup of walnut pieces (I only had walnut halves which I placed into a sealed plastic bag & bashed with a rolling pin to break them into smaller bits)

1 teaspoon ginger (powdered)

1 teaspoon baking powder

What to do

1. Prepare a couple of baking trays by spraying them with cooking oil & then covering with baking paper (the cooking oil helps stick the paper to the tray).
2. Pre-heat your oven to 180C static or 160C fan bake.
3. Make sure the butter is soft.  A quick way to soften the butter is to cut it into equal size pieces, place it in a microwave proof bowl & zap in the microwave for 20 seconds, stir & then zap for a further 10 seconds at a time after that.  Make sure you stir the butter in between each zap to monitor how quickly the butter is softening.  You don't want to melt the butter so just be careful & keep an eye on it.  Short bursts in the microwave are the safest way to avoid the butter melting.
4. Place softened butter, golden syrup & sugar into a metal or plastic bowl & beat with a hand held electric mixer until creamy & well combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients & mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until everything is combined.  
6. Scoop out generous heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture & roll gently with your hands into balls. Place on the baking tray making sure you allow enough room for the cookies to spread once cooked.  I would advise leaving a gap of around 1.5 inches. 
7. Flatten the cookies with a floured fork (place a little flour in a cup, dip your fork in & shake it around to cover it in flour.  Gently press the cookie with the fork to flatten it. Flour the fork again for each cookie). 
8. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes until they are a nice golden brown.  Check on the cookies when they have been in the oven for 10 minutes as I found that they turn from a nice golden colour to a dark golden very quickly.  Just make sure you monitor them to ensure they don't overcook & don't be afraid to vary the cooking time depending on your oven.  

And that's it!  Simples!  Enjoy :)