Brandy Snaps for Shannon

For my birthday, my dear husband was kind enough to add to my seemingly endless supply of cookbooks by purchasing Laura Calder's latest collection of French cooking called French Taste.  If you haven't heard of Laura, tune into Food Network Canada or google some recipes.  She is one of my top ten "go to" chefs when I want to learn something new, and one of my first choices when cooking French.  This Canadian-born Renaissance women is smart, witty and exudes joie de vivre! In the coffee section was a great recipe for Brandy Snaps, and I recently experimented, testing the easy-to-make-with-endless possibilities treat.  I can't really call it a cookie, because the substance is just not worth it; they are best described as sweet, light and lacy delicacies, perfect with coffee or tea.

There are many possibilities when making Brandy Snaps.  You can simply let them harden as a thin, flat circular cookie as pictured above, or place them around the handle of a wooden spoon to make a cylinder shape

A fancy garnish for dinner parties:

You can choose to melt a favorite chocolate and dip one side for added taste and visual appeal.  Served with a glass of bubbly or coffee, it is a winner.  Better still, make your favorite cream (lemon, coffee, vanilla) and stuff the cylinder full - now you are REALLY impressive!

But the variations do not stop here!  A Brandy Snap can be used to create a vehicle to serve other food.  Place it in a muffin tin to set, and voila!

You can use these to serve ice cream or mousse!  Let them set in the opposite direction in a muffin tin and serve the same mousse with a different look:

More ideas?

Two other ways to create different shapes: a rolling pin for an arch or a wine stopper to make a cone - the limits are set only by your creativity!

Regardless of a basic snap or totally indulgent delicacy, here is the recipe to get you started, courtesy of Laura Calder.

Brandy Snaps

Ingredients

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar


2 tbsp (30 mL) golden corn syrup

1/4 cup (50 mL) unsalted butter

2 tsp (10 mL) brandy

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly butter a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Melt the sugar, syrup and butter together in a saucepan. When mixture starts to bubble, remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the brandy and flour.


Making only 6 cookies at a time, place 1 tsp (5 mL) of the batter for each cookie, spaced well apart, on the baking sheet. Bake until flat and golden, 5 to 7 min.

Let cool on the baking sheet for a few seconds, just until the cookies are firm enough to move but are still pliable. Remove with a spatula and drape over a rolling pin, or simply leave flat on a rack. Repeat with second batch. Cool cookies completely. If making ahead, store in an airtight container with layers separated by parchment.

Enjoy, Shannon!