Yummy Cookies

Thought it was time for another recipe. This one is really easy and wow, they are yummy!

The Great Helper

6 oz melted and cooled butter

6oz dark brown sugar

4oz sugar

Pinch salt

5ml vanilla extract

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1.5tsp baking soda

14 oz plain flour

Chocolate chips (I just used a 100g bag)

Bag of M&Ms

Pre-heat oven 180C/Gas mark 4

1. Mix butter, sugars and salt until smooth

2. Add vanilla and eggs and mix very well

3. Add baking soda and flour to the bowl. Mix until just combined

4. Add chocolate chips and stir until well mixed through

5. Roll into small balls, place on a well greased baking tray and put M&M's on top

6. Bake for 12 minutes. Watch for the sides starting to brown and take out. The centers will still look puffy and pale but that's how they're supposed to look. Place on wire rack to cool.

The Finished Product

Enjoy :-)

Christmas Cake Recipe

There is no nicer smell than that of a Christmas cake in the oven. 

175 g (6 oz) Glace Cherries

225 g (8 oz) Raisins

75 g (3 oz) Currants

150 g (5 oz) Sultanas

50 g (2 oz) Chopped Candied Peel

100 ml  Whiskey/Brandy

225 g (8 oz) Softened Butter

Finely Grated Rind Of One Lemon

225 g (8 oz) Soft Brown Sugar

4 Eggs, Beaten

30 ml Black Treacle

225 g (8 oz) Plain White Flour

5 ml (1 tsp) Ground Mixed Spice

I'm slightly allergic to nuts so I left the next ingredients out:

125 g (4 oz) Roughly Chopped Brazil Nuts

50 g (2 oz) Ground Almonds

1. Wash the cherries in cold water, make sure all the syrup is off. Chop them into quarters. Chuck them in a bowl with the raisins, currants, sultanas and candied peel. Pour over the whiskey, cover with a tea towel and leave overnight to soak.

2. Line a 20 cm (8 inch) round deep cake tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper.

3. In a big bowl, beat the butter with the lemon rind until pale and very soft.

4. Gradually beat in the sugar until completely blended. Add the eggs a little at a time. Then add the treacle. Make sure everything is evenly blended.

5. Sift the flour and mixed spice together. Add half to the mixture (add the nuts here if you are using them). Fold in the fruit gently. Then add the rest of the flour. 

6. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin, level the surface and tie a double layer of brown paper around the outside of the tin.

7. Bake in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 2 (150°C) for 3-3.5 hours or until a fine skewer can be inserted into the middle and come out clean. I usually check it after 3 hours. If it needs longer I place a sheet of brown paper over the top so it doesn't burn.

8. Leave cake in the tin to cool for about an hour then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Prick the top with a fork and spoon over about 45 ml (3 tbsp) whiskey. Allow to soak in.

9. When completely cold, cover with greaseproof paper, then with tin foil and leave in a cool dry place. It needs to mature for at least 2 weeks or up to 3 months before icing is applied.

I'll be icing the cake about a week before Christmas. Beth wants to decorate it with snow (royal icing), snowmen and Santa. That'll be fun!

Earth mothers and baking

They always have a way of making me feel inadequate. You know the ones I’m talking about. They are the ones with the slings, babies attached to them with a shawl effortlessly draped over the shoulder. The one and only time I tried to breastfeed in public I was so nervous even though no one gave a hoot. The strategically placed muslin cloth kept sliding down revealing too much breast for a mid morning coffee shop.

I am absurdly proud of the fact that I breastfed my little one for almost a year. Although, I know the best thing I could have done was to bring her into contact with all the germs the breastfeeding was supposed to protect against.

Sitting in the coffee shop two years on, my little daughter in pre-school, I watch these earth mother types congregate. Their group is full of skirts that trail along the floor. From their bags emerge Tupperware containers of homemade treats. Not a jar of store bought mush in sight. How I wish I had never succumbed to the convenience of those jars. However, Beth did get enough homemade mush to keep her going. She is none the worse off for having had a few handy jars and now she has a great appetite (well, the majority of the time she does!)

We love to bake, Beth and I. We will bake at least once a week together. She tends to make more mess rather than help but I wouldn’t change it. In the last week we have made scones, banana muffins and a cake.

Scones: makes 12 at 3 pro points each

8oz self raising white flour

Pinch of salt

5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

1.5oz butter
150ml semi skimmed milk (you might not need the whole lot)
Beaten egg to glaze (optional)

1. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in enough milk to give a fairly soft, light dough.
2. On a lightly, floured surface, lightly roll out the dough to a 2cm thickness and cut into rounds with a small cutter, about 4cm in diameter.
3. Place on a greased baking sheet and brush the tops with the beaten egg. Bake at 220°C (425°F) gas mark 7 for about 10 minutes until golden brown and well risen. Cool on a wire rack.

They are quite nice with jam and cream or with just a little butter.