My husband and I are on holiday in Cornwall, so what could I have made for us to take but Cornish Fairings? These biscuits, Cornish Fairings, are a traditional ginger biscuit from Cornwall. The name “Fairing” comes from biscuits or edible treats that were sold at fairs all around the country. In time, it was associated with ginger biscuits. Not surprisingly, they were made famous during Queen Victoria’s reign, when an entrepreneur started selling them by mail order, in 1886. The company, Furniss Cornish Fairings, is still in business and makes Cornish Fairings to this day. How amazing is that?
picture from our holiday. this is taken in the camping site we are staying with the caravan.
I liked them a lot, the texture is nice, they are very easy to make, and they look amazing. I love their cracked look. I’m going to make them again. Also, I’m going to make variations, using other spices instead of ginger. I discovered them when I saw this post by Rebecca. The traditional recipe asked for cinnamon, but I run out of it, so they are as original as I could make them.
Ingredients for 22 Cornish Fairings:
– 200g plain white flour
– 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
– 100g butter at room temperature
– 100g sugar
– 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
– 2 spoons of golden syrup
– 1 tbsp milk
In a large bowl, put the flour, baking powder, ginger, the bicarbonate of soda, the sugar and mix. Toss in the butter cut in cubes. Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, dissolve the golden syrup with the milk. Pour it over the flour mix and incorporate with a spoon. Tip on the worktop and start kneading until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Heat the oven to 180C or 160C for fan ovens. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. The biscuits will spread out, so they need extra space.
Take 20g of dough and roll it in our hands. Flatten them a bit and put them on the baking tray. Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes. Take the baking tray out of the oven and leave to cool before transferring them on a cooling rack.
Have you ever had Cornish Fairings?
These look easy to adapt for a vegan recipe- thanks so much for sharing!
Exactly the kind of cookie I love, I might even try this soon as I am in the middle of a cookie frenzy at the moment. 🙂
I love Fairings! Such a nice simple recipe to follow as well. Will give this a try with my daughter.
What an amazing fact about that company that started so long ago! Thank you so much for the mention. Great that you made some fairings. xxx