In The Darcys’ First Christmas, Georgiana bemoaned the lack of ginger nuts at the Christmas party planned by her Aunt Matlock. Take a closer peek at the cookies she found so appealing!

These classic cookies are crunchy and dry and great for dunking in coffee, tea, hot chocolate or milk. The traditional recipes are a little daunting, but there’s a modern recipe I just may be trying for an upcoming Christmas party!

Recipes for Ginger Nuts

John Perkins~ Every woman her own housekeeper

Gingerbread Cakes or Nuts. Take three pounds and a half of flour, three ounces of race ginger beaten and sifted, three ounces of carraway- seeds bruised, and three quarters of a pound of sugar; mix them well together, make a hole in the middle, melt three quarters of a pound of butter in a saucepan, put to it three pounds and a half of treacle; let it be just warm, put it into, your flour, with four eggs, beat it well for half an hour with a wooden spoon, let be put into it half a pound of lemon and orange peel; butter the cake pan, put it in, and bake it in a soaking oven two hours and a half.—You may a may let it stand to cool, then make it into nuts, and bake them on tins.

Frederick Nutt, The complete confectioner

No. 35. Fine Ginger Cakes.TAKE four pounds of flour, and put on your dresser,then take a copper saucepan, and break six eggs, and mix them well with a spoon ; put one pint of cream in them, and beat them well, put the saucepan over the fire, and stir it till it is just warm ; put two pounds of butter into the cream and eggs ; and one pound of powdered sugar, and stir it over a very slow fire, just to melt all the butter; put in four ounces of pounded ginger, and when all the butter is melted, pour it all into the middle of the flour, mix it as well as you can, and when you have made it a fine paste, roll it out with flour under it, on your dresser, cut them to the size of the top of a breakfast cup, and a quarter of an inch thick :put three papers under them, before you put them in the oven, which must be very hot.

N. B. These are very good for the stomach in cold weather.

Modern: Hard Ginger Nut Biscuits

2 tablespoons golden syrup
8 ounces self-rising flour
4 ounces white sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 ounces margarine
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Grease or line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Warm golden syrup over low heat, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
Combine flour, sugar, and ginger and rub in the in margarine.
Mix in baking soda.
Stir flour mixture into the golden syrup until dough is well combined.
Roll walnut-sized pieces of dough into balls.
Space cookies evenly on prepared baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven until they are slightly cracked on the surface, 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Have you ever made or eaten these cookies? Would you like to? Tell me in the comments.

To see Period Cookbook References, click here

To read more about Regency era Food and Drink, click here