Martha's Brandy-Snap Cups Make a Delicious Dish for Ice Cream or Berries

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These unique cookie shapes make an elegant holder for ice cream or whipped cream and berries.

Martha Stewart

Updated on October 17, 2023

Yield:

14 cookie cups

These unique cookies are often rolled and filled with cream and are simply called brandy snaps in the U.K., where the recipe originates. When formed around a custard cup or the cups of a large muffin tin, the batter sets (quickly) into a cup shape that can be used to hold scoops of ice cream, sorbet, or berries and fresh cream, as Martha likes to do for an elegant dessert.

The batter is made on the stovetop and is egg free. Sugar, molasses, and butter, plus spices and orange zest, are brought to boil, then mixed with a small amount of flour and 2 tablespoons of brandy. The batter is dropped into circles and baked. While still warm and pliable, they are transferred to custard cups to harden into cup shapes as they cool.

Ingredients

½ cup sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, (1 stick)
⅓ cup molasses
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅓ cup flour
2 tablespoons Cognac

Directions

Preheat oven and prep baking sheet;

Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat.
Combine sugar, molasses, zest and spices:

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, butter, molasses, zest, ginger, and cinnamon over medium heat. Bring to a boil; remove from heat.
Add flour, then cognac:

Whisk in flour. Add cognac, and whisk until smooth.
Drop batter by tablespoon onto baking sheet:

Drop batter a heaping tablespoon at a time, onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat

Prepare and bake only 2 cookies at a time on the baking sheet, as they harden quickly once removed from the oven and are difficult to shape.
Bake:

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Get several custard cups, about 3 inches in diameter and 2 1/2 inches deep or similar sized muffin cups, at the ready for molding.
Place over custard cup and cool:

Remove snaps from oven, and let cool for 3 minutes. Run a thin spatula all around the perimeter of one snap at a time to loosen the bottom completely. Quickly place the snap, flat side up, over the bottom of a custard cup. Let cool. Repeat with remaining snaps

If the snap becomes hard before removing from baking sheet, return briefly to the oven.