Preheat your oven to 190°C (374°F), ensuring it is fully heated before baking your biscuits. This ensures even baking and gives your gingersnaps that perfect crunch. Line a baking tray with parchment paper to prevent the biscuits from sticking during baking.
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients: 3/4 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon of ginger powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Sifting ensures that the dry ingredients are evenly distributed and free of lumps, which helps create a smooth and uniform dough.
Add 7 tablespoons of brown sugar to the sifted dry ingredients. Whisk the mixture until the sugar is well incorporated. The brown sugar adds moisture and a slight caramel-like flavor to the cookies, making them rich and flavorful.
Rub the 7 tablespoons of softened butter into the dry mixture using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. This step helps distribute the fat evenly throughout the dough, resulting in a tender and crumbly biscuit texture.
Add 4 tablespoons of golden syrup or honey to the mixture, and stir until the ingredients come together to form a dough. The golden syrup or honey acts as both a sweetener and a binder, helping to hold the dough together and providing a slight caramelized flavor. If the dough feels too dry, you can add a tiny bit more golden syrup or honey.
Divide the dough into small portions and roll each portion into a ball. Use your hands to form the dough into even-sized balls, about 1 inch in diameter. These will spread slightly during baking, so leaving space between each dough ball is essential for uniform baking.
Roll each dough ball in 1 tablespoon of white sugar to coat. This step adds a sweet, crunchy exterior to each gingersnap and helps them develop a slightly glossy finish as they bake.
Slightly flatten each dough ball with the back of a spoon. This helps the biscuits spread evenly during baking, ensuring they have a uniform texture and cook through evenly.
Place the shaped dough balls on the prepared baking tray, leaving some space between each one to allow for spreading. This ensures the biscuits don’t stick together while baking and have enough room to crisp up.
Bake the gingersnap biscuits in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and slightly firm to the touch. The baking time may vary slightly depending on your oven, so keep an eye on them as they bake. The biscuits will firm up more as they cool, so be sure not to overbake them.
Once baked, remove the biscuits from the oven and let them cool on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes. This cooling time helps them firm up and makes it easier to transfer them without breaking. After 5 minutes, transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack to cool completely and allow their crunch to set.
