How To Make Ginger Dunkers - A British Teatime treat!

 

 

Ginger Dunkers are buttery, lightly spiced cookies made with warm ginger, brown sugar, and butter, baked until crisp and perfect for dipping. They have a simple, old‑fashioned flavor that’s comforting and not too sweet, with a texture that holds up beautifully when dunked into tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. 

This easy recipe uses basic pantry ingredients and comes together quickly, making it a great choice for everyday baking or a cozy afternoon treat. If you enjoy ginger cookies that are crisp, spicy, and ideal for dunking, these Ginger Dunkers should tick all of your boxes!

  

What is a dunker you ask?  Its quite simply a biscuit/cookie that you want to dunk into your tea or your coffee. (In our case herbal tea. Today it was Taylors of Harrogate Apple Spice.) Its a biscuit that is crisp and buttery . . . and filled with flavor.  Flavor that is perhaps even enhanced by dunking it into a hot liquid!

I love a good ginger biscuit/cookie. One that is crisp and spicy, like a gingersnap.  These Ginger Dunkers tick all the boxes. They are crisp. They filled with warm ginger flavor . . .  both from the lavish use of ground ginger in the batter (along with mixed spice) and finely chopped preserved stem ginger.

For those of you not familiar with preserved stem ginger, it is round nuggets (about the size of a whole walnut) of young fresh gingerroot, which has been peeled, shaped into balls and then cooked and preserved in a sugar syrup.  It comes in bottles like you would find jam in bottles. I have included a link to my recipe where you can make your own.

If you are not wanting to take the time to do that, then you can also use candied ginger in it's place.

Golden syrup keeps these crisp and adds another depth of delicious flavor. Again, there is a link to make your own, but you can use light corn syrup in it's place. It is not quite the same flavor but will do the same job of crisping these up.

In any case, these biscuits (a British term for cookies) are truly delicious.   The smell alone when they are baking is amazing, truly amazing. I hope that you will be tempted to bake them and that you enjoy them as much as us when you do.

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE

GINGER DUNKERS

• 90g golden syrup (1/4 cup + 1 TBS)
• 65g salted butter (1/4 cup + 1/2 TBS)
• 90g soft dark brown sugar (7 TBS)
• 1 large nugget of stem ginger in syrup, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 TBS milk
• 200g plain flour (1 1/2 cups minus 2 TBS)
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 1/2 tsp mixed spice (See recipe notes to make your own.)

Golden syrup can be purchased on Amazon. I also have an excellent recipe here on how to make your own. It s used a lot in British Baking and you will have no problem using it all up.

You can use soft light brown sugar, but the dark brown sugar will give you a lot more flavor.

Stem ginger is a type of ginger which has been preserved in a sugar syrup. You can buy it on Amazon, or you can make your own from a recipe which I have here.  Again, no worries about using it up as there are plenty of British recipes on here that do just that.  If you cannot get it and don't want to be bothered to make your own, you can use chopped candied ginger in the same amount.

Make sure your spices are fresh and in date for the best flavor!

 

HOW TO MAKE GINGER DUNKERS

Every time I bake them I ask myself why I don't bake them more often.  The answer is simple . . .  because they are sooooooo delicious, I find myself unable to leave them alone. 

1. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 6. Line several large baking trays with baking paper. Set aside. (I buy the baking parchment you can get at Costco. You can also butter the trays if you wish and do not have the paper.)
2. Place the syrup, butter, and brown sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently over low heat to melt the butter and sugar together with the syrup, stirring constantly. (Don't let it boil. Make sure everything is emulsified.)
3. Whisk in the milk and set aside.
4. Sift the flour into a bowl with the soda, ginger and mixed spice. Stir in the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Stir in the stem ginger. (You don't want any dry streaks at all.)
5. Shape into walnut sized balls and place at least 2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Using a damp fork, press down to 1/2 inch thickness. (The size of balls should be a generous inch in size. Dampen the fork with a bit of water. This helps to prevent the dough from sticking.)
6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the heated oven, rotating the pans halfway through. (This ensures even baking.)
7. Scoop off onto wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

about baking most cookies 

CRISP OR CHEWY COOKIES?

If you prefer crisp cookies, press the dough flat with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar prior to baking.  If you want soft chewy cookies, remove them from the oven about 2 minutes before they are done as they will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet. If you want crisp cookies bake them for 2 minutes longer.

HOW CAN I KEEP MY COOKIES FROM SPREADING TOO MUCH?

• Don't substitute butter for shortening in a recipe which calls for shortening. shortening has a higher melting point, which means it doesn't liquify as quickly, and does a better job of holding the ingredients together. High butter cookie = a cookie that spreads.
• Grease your baking sheets only if the recipe requests you to do so. Most cookies will not stick unless they contain large amounts of butter or sugar.
• Make sure you preheat your oven before baking. If the oven is not hot enough the fat in the cookies will melt before the other ingredients have time to set up.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO STORE COOKIES?

Cool cookies completely before storing. Pack them in single layers between wax or parchment paper to prevent sticking. Do NOT store crisp and soft cookies together in the same container. Store in an airtight container.

HOW DO I FREEZE COOKIES PROPERLY?

To freeze cookies, place them into airtight containers or freezer bags, again with a layer of wax paper or parchment paper in between the layers.  Again, do not store soft and crisp cookies together. They will keep up to six months frozen. Label properly with the type and the date baked/frozen.

 

HINTS & TIPS FOR COOKIE BAKING SUCCESS 

These hints and tips are sure to help you make the best cookies ever. 

• Use flat cookie sheets without sides for even baking.
• Place cookies at least 2-inches apart on baking sheets to allow for spreading.
• Use a sheet of baking parchment or a light spritz of cooking spray to grease your cookie sheets. It's not necessary to repeat this step for every batch but do wipe off any crumbs or sugar from the surface before adding the next batch. 
• Place your cookie sheets in the middle of the oven.
• Make sure the sides of your cookie sheets don't touch the edges of the oven so that heat can circulate evenly and properly.
• Pay particular attention to bake times.  An extra minute or two can make a big difference to the end result since cookies are for the most part quite small and bake quickly. Always aim to underbake rather than overbake. Cookies do continue to bake after you remove them from the oven. 

 

A FEW OTHER

COOKIE RECIPES TO ENJOY

If you are a cookie monster like I am, you might also enjoy these delicious cookies! 

QUARTER CUP COOKIES -  These incredibly moreish cookies are made from exactly 1/4 cup of each of the main cookie ingredients, aside from the flavorings and soda. The end result is a delicious cookie that everyone enjoys. They were originally called 10 cup cookies, but that made far too many cookies for me, so I reduced everything to 1/4 cup!

LEVAIN BAKERY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES - A copycat recipe of the infamous Levain Bakery cookies. These are excellent oatmeal raisin cookies. The recipe makes nine very large cookies.  Each one weighing in at almost half a pound each. These are a real indulgence, with plenty of nutty oats and sweet raisins. You could make them smaller but then they wouldn't be Levain. 

 

 

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Yield: About 2 dozen

Author: Marie Rayner

Ginger Dunkers

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Crisp, spicy and delicious. Perfect for dunking. (This is a British recipe but I have added North American measures in brackets.)

Ingredients

• 90g golden syrup (1/4 cup + 1 TBS)
• 65g salted butter (1/4 cup + 1/2 TBS)
• 90g soft dark brown sugar (7 TBS)
• 1 large nugget of stem ginger in syrup, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 TBS milk
• 200g plain flour (1 1/2 cups minus 2 TBS)
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 1/2 tsp mixed spice (See recipe notes to make your own.)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 6. Line several large baking trays with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Place the syrup, butter, and brown sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently over low heat to melt the butter and sugar together with the syrup, stirring constantly.
3. Whisk in the milk and set aside.
4. Sift the flour into a bowl with the soda, ginger and mixed spice. Stir in the wet ingredients until thorougly combined. Stir in the stem ginger.
5. Shape into walnut sized balls and place at least 2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Using a damp fork, press down to 1/2 inch thickness.
6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the heated oven, rotating the pans halfway through.
7. Scoop off onto wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Make Your Own Mixed Spice:

You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

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