INGREDIENTS

“IT’D be a shame not to celebrate the glorious ‘snap’ of a gingersnap,” says Jerrelle. “The sound that resonates in your jaw toward the back of your skull.

“I spent a chunk of my childhood so obsessed with that sound. I’d finish off a whole bag, sometimes in under an hour.”

84g softened butter or virgin coconut oil; 200g granulated sugar; 2tsp vanilla extract; 1tsp packed fresh grated ginger; 1tsp packed orange zest; 1 large egg (or 80g vegan flax egg); 60g molasses; 180g white whole wheat flour; 60g cacao powder or cocoa powder; 2tsp baking soda; 2tbsp ground ginger; 1tbsp ground cinnamon; 1tsp salt; Cane sugar, for rolling

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C or gas mark 5). Position two oven racks in the center of the oven, and line two baking sheets with parchment.

2. In a large mixing COCOA GINGERSNAP COOKIES (MAKES 30) bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, grated ginger and orange zest until very fluffy, about three minutes. Slowly add the egg/flax egg and molasses and continue to beat until creamy.

3. Sift in the flour, cacao powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt and beat until just combined. Let the batter sit for 10 mins.

4. Roll 2.5cm balls of dough in your palms, and then into the cane sugar to coat. Place the cookies on the baking sheet with about two to three inches between each one, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, at least one hour, best overnight uncovered, before eating so they make a snap. EASTER is upon us and I hope you have lovely things planned with family and friends.

I’ll be revising for a wine exam, but you can’t have everything.

Oh, hang on, there will be wine “to taste” so that’s a bonus.

Whatever your plans, here’s a selection of wines to try.

■ A couple of… wines from the Co-op for when friends pop up unexpectedly this weekend.

They’d be great with a fish dish too – the wines, not the friends. The Co-operative Truly Irresistible Chenin Blanc 2017 (£6.99, 13% abv) is an ideal wine now the weather is warming up. The grapes grow on ancient parcels of bush-vines sourced from Darling which is an hour’s drive from

The Co-op Irresistible Marsanne , left (75cl, £7.99) was created by Jean-Claude Mas from grapes grown in the Languedoc in the south of France. It has aromas of pears and honey, a hint of nectarine, and then vanilla. There’s a subtle creaminess on the palate and a good kick of acidity.

■ A couple of… Australian chardonnays with just the hint of oak for a delicious weekend roast chicken. Tesco Finest Yarra Valley Chardonnay (£11, 12.5% abv) is fermented and aged in oak barrels and has a beautiful balance of acidity and tropical fruit with a delicate creaminess and a touch of spice.

I guess overly oaked Australian chardonnay ruined the grape for many, but winemakers in Oz are toning down the oak and creating chardonnays of subtlety and elegance.

Here’s another one. McGuigan Shortlist Chardonnay 2016 (RRP £14, Sainsbury’s, 13% abv). It’s a few years since I tried this wine and I’d forgotten its delicious complexity. It is made from grapes grown in the cool

climate of the Adelaide Hills which creates a fresh, zingy wine.

Fermentation in oak takes hold naturally – via wild yeast on the grapes and in the winery – and the wine is stirred on the lees for eight months. All this delivers a multi-layered wine with lemon, dried honey, grilled pineapple, dried apples, vanilla and herbs.

■ A couple of… Malbec 2017

Seascape

The wine has aromas of plums, cold tea and pepper. A strange mix, but this is an easy-drinking medium-bodied wine not a punchy malbec from Argentina.

I’ll nip now to Aldi and the Haupapa Central Otago Pinot Noir (£8.99, 13% abv) which is one of their Easter limited edition buys. I loved this wine. It has a nose that keeps on delivering, with eucalyptus, raspberry, gentle red fruits, a peep of prunes, black cherry and a seam of earth. It is named after the weather in Central Otago the world’s southernmost winemaking region in New Zealand.

■ Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.

reds for your Easter Sunday lamb. , right (£8, Booths, 14.5% abv) hails from South Africa and is part of a new Capeography range created by Boutinot. The company is celebrating South African vineyards from inland (Landscape) to altitude (Cloudscape)...

Cape Town and they benefit from the cooling influence of the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a light, refreshing wine with notes of crisp apple, ripe pear and a sunshine peep of tropical fruit.