Cornish Fairings

I had friends coming round for a coffee today.  Cornish Fairings were the perfect accompaniment; crispy around the edge and chewy in the middle.  I suspect they are supposed to be crispy throughout but I prefer my biscuits a bit chewy.

First I rubbed together 100g butter, 200g self raising flour and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda.

Then I stirred in 100g caster sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon,1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp mixed spice.  Then I mixed in 4 tbsp golden syrup (which I warmed first in the microwave so it was easier to measure) and brought the mixture together into a soft dough.

I then took small spoonfuls of the dough and rolled them into balls about the size of a cherry.  I placed them well spread out on a lined baking sheet to allow for spreading.

During the baking process, after about 10 minutes, I took the trays out of the oven and tapped them on the work surface.  This caused the puffed up biscuits to ‘fall’ and gives the classic crackled surface.  They then went back into the oven for about another 5 minutes.  They could have stayed in longer for a darker, crisper bake but I like them like this!