A nameless social media platform* is telling me that my “most liked” post from 2012 was about Joe Froggers biscuits – watch me fainting with not surprise, because these are hot favourites any time I make them!
This recipe comes out every Christmas, weather permitting: they are a form of gingerbread and breathtakingly sticky in the making, especially if we are in the depths of our usual summer – say 30 to 35℃ and north of 90% humidity. Best advice on making gingerbread generally is to flour your hands/bench/trays well – but if you are in the tropics, the big trick is to wait for a less humid day, or at least cook late at night when it is a little cooler.
These really are something else – the extra ingredient is cloves, which is a break from traditional gingerbreads. They are also supposed to be made in rounds of 7 or 8 inches diameter, so conversation slows down even in our family when these are on offer.
The recipe came from a “book of the series” on TV over 30 years ago,** which told the story of various spices from around the world. It really gave me an insight into the traditional uses of spices (rather than herbs), and the precious commodity that they represented back in the day.
This batch are mini-sized for the wee girl next door, who is the stage where everything “little” is adorable! See below for the recent real-sized ones.
Supposedly, these will store well in an airtight container, but they’ve never lasted long enough in our house for me to test that advice!
*Which no longer publishes the amount of “likes” a post receives, mind you!
**With thanks to “The Spice of Life” by Sheldon Greenberg and Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz, published by Mermaid Books, which we purchased from the SBS TV station in Australia in 1985.
Mumchefoz 
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