Cornish Fairings

Name: Cornish Fairings
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 225 g plain flour; 110 g caster sugar.; 4 tbsp golden syrup; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 3 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp mixed spice; 2 tsp baking powder; 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda; ½ tsp salt; 110 g butter

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Cornish fairings are traditional ginger biscuits that have been around for years.

Flavoured with mixed spice, cinnamon and ginger, they have the characteristic 'snap' of a good British biscuit that is really hard to resist.

This is actually a really simple biscuit to make, with just a quick mix, no resting and no rolling.

Perfect with your favourite cuppa.

And you can safely dunk them too!

Enjoy.

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FAQs
❤️ Why you will love this recipe
🥘 Ingredients
🍽 Equipment
🔪 Instructions
⏲️ Baking Time
🥗 Other biscuits to try
🥙 Substitutions
📖 Variations
🍣 Storage
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

FAQs

What is a fairing?

From late medieval times gingerbread made with breadcrumbs were popular at fairs all around the country. Each region had its own variation, with different flavours that didn't always include ginger.

They were often given to children as treats or given by men to their sweethearts

Cornish fairings come from the maid hiring fair that was held in the week after Christmas in the town of Launceston in Cornwall. It was customary to take home ginger flavoured Cornish fairings.

Often the fairing would be accompanied by comfits, a type of a sweet, where almonds were encased in sugar and caraway seeds.

Fairings have evolved over time to become biscuits sweetened with honey, coloured with saffron, liquorice or sandalwood.

They were richly decorated with almonds, marzipan, icing or gold leaf.

Nowadays, they are characterised by their deep, golden brown and crackled appearance.

I have been known to dunk a biscuit, much to the disgust of my husband, and there are very few that are up to the task, but these crisp ginger nut biscuits are definitely dunkable.

The recipe has quite a few spice ingredients, but it's very easy to make. You don't need to chill the dough or roll it out. In fact, if you have small helping hands in the kitchen, it's perfect to make with the kids.

❤️ Why you will love this recipe

Easy to make.
Perfect as a gift.
Absolutely dunkable!
Store cupboard ingredients.
Makes 18 large biscuits.

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🥘 Ingredients

Flour - plain or all purpose flour
Sugar - caster sugar.
Syrup - golden syrup, which is made from refined cane sugar.
Cinnamon - ground cinnamon
Ginger - ground ginger.
Mixed Spice - this is typically a mix of cinnamon, coriander, caraway seeds, nutmeg and cloves. It's used in tropical curries as well as sweet dishes. It's used in Christmas and Easter baking too.
Baking powder
Bicarbonate of soda
Salt - cooking or kosher salt.
Butter - unsalted. If you only have salted then omit the salt.

The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.

🍽 Equipment

3 heavy oven trays
baking parchment or silicon mats
mixing bowl
wooden spoon
saucepan
metal spatula

🔪 Instructions

Put all of the dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a large mixing bowl.

Mix the spices and flour together thoroughly.

There's no need to sieve the flour.

Put the butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan over a medium heat.

Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture has melted.

💭 Top Tip

To measure syrup accurately it makes it easier to put an empty saucepan on the scales and add the syrup.
It helps to put the open tin in a jug of hot water for a few minutes to warm the syrup. This makes it thinner and makes it easier to pour or measure with a spoon.
If you need to use a spoon or measuring cup for a smaller amount then it's easier if you have a jug of hot water, (from a boiled kettle), nearby. Put the spoon in the water for 10 seconds then measure the syrup or treacle. It should slide off much easier. You can keep dipping into the water as you need to.

Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Divide the dough into 18 balls and place 6 on each baking sheet.

Place them about 10 cm or 3 inches apart to allow them to spread.

💭 Top Tip

Use a medium cookie scoop to make sure the biscuits are an even size.
Alternatively, divide the mixture into 3, then each portion in half, then into 3 balls.

Use the back of a fork or a glass to flatten the biscuits slightly.

⏲️ Baking Time

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F / 180 FAN / Gas 6 and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Leave them to cool for a few minutes, as the biscuits will still be soft and delicate.

Transfer the ginger biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely before eating.

The biscuits will be crisp and delicious!

🥗 Other biscuits to try

🥙 Substitutions

Caster sugar - use white granulated sugar.
Golden Syrup - I don't believe there is an exact substitute for golden syrup if you are not in the UK. I understand that the closest is molasses. However, there are many supermarket that stock it in their international section in the US.

📖 Variations

Try some of these additions to the biscuit dough.

Flaked almonds
Dried cranberries
Sultanas
Raisins
Glace cherries
Chocolate chips
Silver or gold balls

🍣 Storage

Refrigerator - store in an airtight container for 7 days
Freezer - pack in airtight containers and freeze four up to 3 months.

More baking recipes

📋 Recipe

Cornish Fairings

Amanda

These crisp golden ginger biscuits are easy to make and are perfect for dunking!

4.80 from 20 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Course tea time

Cuisine British

Servings

Calories 91 kcal

Equipment

3 heavy oven trays
baking parchment or silicon mats
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Saucepan
metal spatula

Ingredients

225 g plain flour
110 g caster sugar.
4 tablespoon golden syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
110 g butter

Instructions

Put the dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a large mixing bowl. Mix the spices and flour together thoroughly.
Put the butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture has melted.
Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Divide the dough into 18 balls and place 6 on each baking sheet. Place them about 10 cm or 3 inches apart to allow them to spread. Use the back of a fork or a glass to flatten the biscuits slightly.
Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F / 180 FAN / Gas 6 and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
Leave them to cool on the baking tray for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Facts

Cornish Fairings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 91 Calories from Fat 4

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.4g1%

Saturated Fat 0.2g1%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g

Cholesterol 1mg0%

Sodium 240mg10%

Potassium 29mg1%

Carbohydrates 20g7%

Fiber 0.5g2%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 11IU0%

Vitamin C 0.03mg0%

Calcium 38mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article

Keyword Cornish fairings, ginger biscuits, gingernuts

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Food Safety

Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
Wash hands after touching raw meat.
Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
Never leave cooking food unattended.
Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
Always have good ventilation when using gas.

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Cornish Fairings

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