Thursday 27 October 2016

Brandy, little bit of snap, no cannoli

What makes this brandy snap a cannoli? I ask myself and the cat. Flossie has no interest in pastries so, not surprisingly, has nothing to offer on the subject. Reading through Rose's recipe for Brandy Snap Cannoli I come to the conclusion that the cannoli part springs from the style of the filling. 

The pastry cream-based filling did sound lovely but I chose to go cannoli-free this week simply because I knew that I wouldn't have any rolls to fill. This is the hottest, most humid time of the year in Darwin and there was not a hope in hell of persuading a brandy snap to curl on command. So I decided this was a perfect excuse to buy some ice-cream. Merely as a vehicle over which I could drape my brandy snaps, you understand. Plus, as I told Flossie, the cold of the ice-cream would also cause the snaps to get bit snappier.

This innovation meant that I didn't have to make the cannoli filling or undertake any piping of said filling which made this week's Alpha Baker homework very easy. It was also delicious. The brandy snaps never really hardened properly but eaten with ice-cream, or on their own, they were still lovely.


I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but Rose's instructions for cooking the brandy snap mixture before adding the flour were a bit minimal. I was a bit uncertain about the time it needed to boil. It's possible I didn't read it properly, of course. Like the instructions for spacing the dobs of brandy snap mixture on the tray.

Do you think these brandy snaps-to-be are too close?


Err, waaaay too close! I call this the 'wreath of snap'.


I wasn't a complete piker. I did make an attempt to make a rolled snap. It never hardened and I found myself eating it as I put the others in a container for the fridge. They are in shapes unknown to geometry, and (minus the snappy effect of ice-cream) are soft and a bit greasy, but they do look very golden and pretty.


Next week the Alpha Bakers are making Monkey Dunkey Bread! Cue little happy dance (on the inside).

3 comments:

  1. This is priceless! Between you and Nicola my vocabulary increases by leaps and bounds! This week's "piker" is perfect. Flossie could have quite a conversation with my feline about baking. I wonder if these brandy snaps would drape over an upside down bowl to form little cups for ice cream? Wouldn't that be fun!

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  2. Ah, reading about being a piker! Love it.

    Serving with ice cream is genius. Although the Creme pat is worth making (just with reduced sugar).

    Agree about rose's instructions. She is usually much more directive!

    Also doing the happy dance for the monkey dunkee brioche.

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  3. Oh I feel your mooshy-snap pain!

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