Edible Spells in Brandy Snap Wrappers

These are an old-fashioned favourite from Titania Hardie. It's fun to make them into little spells for good luck and success, just like fortune cookies.

INGREDIENTS:

To make 24 wrappers :
90g butter, plus more for greasing the baking sheets
3 tbsp golden syrup
60g lightly packed brown sugar
35g plain flour
1 tsp ground ginger

To fill and decorate :
24 edible rice papers, available in most oriental food stores
food colouring of your choice
whipped cream
a length of ribbon

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5, and grease several baking sheets well with butter.

2. Put the butter, syrup and sugar in a saucepan and stir over low heat until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and sift in the flour and ginger. Mix well.

3. Put teaspoonfuls of the mixture well spaced (caution - they spread: try just 2-3 per sheet) on well-greased baking sheets. Bake, in batches if necessary, in the oven for 5 minutes, then remove and allow to cool on the tray for 1 minute.

4. Use a spatula to lift them off the tray, and while they are still warm and pliable, roll them around the clean handle of a wooden spoon (you will need several spoons on the go to allow them to cool on the handle itself). Remove carefully from the spoon.

5. Write little spells for love and success on the rice paper: use food colouring and either a clean nib pen or a fine paint brush. (You will find short, appropriate spells in Titania Hardie's books: Hocus Pocus, Bewitched, Enchanted, Wishing Spells or White Magic .)

6. Make the little spells into scroll shapes, push them through a brandy snap, add some piped cream and tie with a ribbon around the whole biscuit. Everything but the ribbon can be eaten.