The reason behind creating my blog was to share my gluten free life, whether that be through finds in supermarkets and local shops, recipes of my own or sharing others from gluten free bloggers, and also trying to help any fellow Coeliac’s in Cornwall, or gluten free visitors by reviewing places that I go to. Living in Cornwall is very close to the heart of my blog and therefore when I can, I love fusing Cornwall and Cornish food and history with my gluten free diet.
Today I decided to make gluten free ‘Cornish Fairings’, a biscuit with roots and associations based in and around Cornwall. I’m not sure how available these biscuits are elsewhere in the UK or across the world but I thought if they’re not I would introduce them to you, and give you a taste of Cornwall, and share a recipe so you can create your own, wherever you are!
Cornish Fairings are made using mostly traditional ingredients you would use to make biscuits, however they have a few extras that give the biscuits its unique flavouring. Not only do the biscuits have ginger as an ingredient which gives them a spicy taste, the recipe also includes cinnamon and mixed spice to give them an extra kick! The sweetness comes from the addition of golden syrup which makes them a lovely treat and perfect with a cuppa.
The term is thought to have come from the fact that these biscuits were originally sold at fairs around the country, but with Cornwall’s being different with their staple of ginger. These biscuits are perfect for anyone who loves ginger biscuits, or for someone who wants a biscuit with enough flavour to spice up their day.
Recipe makes approximately 16 biscuits and is adapted from a non gluten free recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall found here.
Ingredients:
-100g butter
-1tsp cinnamon
-1tsp ground ginger
-1/4tsp mixed spice
-2tbp golden syrup
-175g gluten free self raising flour (I used Dove’s)
-100g caster sugar
-1/4 bicarbonate of soda
-A pinch of salt
Method:
-Heat the oven to 190c and line two baking trays with baking paper.
-Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan on low heat. Keep stirring to make sure it has all combined together. Once melted and combined, take off the heat and put to one side.
-Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, mixed spices and salt into a large bowl.
-Slowly pour in the butter mixture into the dry ingredients, using a wooden spoon to combine it all together until it forms a dough.
-Roll the dough into small balls, around the size of a walnut and place on the trays. Make sure to leave enough room between the biscuits that they don’t connect together.
-Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are a golden brown colour. The biscuits should crack and spread as they are in the oven.
-Leave to cool briefly on the trays and then transfer them to a wire rack so that they can cool completely.
