Milk and Cookies

I've not made cookies in ages.  Mostly because they take a while going back and forth to the oven putting tray after tray in to bake (not ideal with an infant), they use a lot of butter, and SOMEONE's got to the eat them all.  However, in the run up to Christmas I do like to rustle up a few batches of some family favourites to give out as gifts and to have in the house for visitors (oh and to leave out for SANTA obviously).  

This past weekend I made a small batch of Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They are an old family favourite.  The recipe in my recipe book was copied off the package of tollhouse chips yonks ago... it is conveniently now on the web for all to use (with or without legit Tollhouse chips.)

It is near impossible to find Nestle chocolate chips here in the UK so I've settled for Sainsburys own milk chocolate chips...I couldn't tell the difference after all these years.  I halved the recipe and made them slightly smaller than suggested (perfect for little hands) so managed to squeeze 3 dozen cookies out of the mixture.  

That was Sunday, yesterday I HAD TO make another batch...

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Empire Biscuits and takeout goodies from Dalkeith

Last week a friend of mine popped by for a visit and to cuddle Little Miss Perfect and brought us a whole bag full of baked goodies from The Wee Bakehouse in Dalkeith.  Brownies, tray bakes, soda bread and Empire biscuits.  Actually she brought one of each goodie and we cut them in half so that we could try a little bit of everything...except the Empire Biscuits.  She brought two of those.  She has a bit of a weakness when it comes to Empire Biscuits and...well...there was no way she was going to share (I don't blame her).  

This week Little Miss Perfect is 2 months old and because I am determined to celebrate every month with something sweet I thought I'd try my hand at making some Empire Biscuits. I used James Morton's recipe and it couldn't have been easier.  

I filled the biscuits with rhubarb and ginger jam and put a dollop of really thick icing on top, instead of completely covering them.  Of course I had to make mummy and mini sized, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't.  

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Gingerbread Moose and Acorns

Now that the clocks have turned back and the days are getting noticeably shorter by the...well...day, I find myself craving comfort.  I love this time of year...saying goodbye to the cream and berries and welcoming all those lovely deep spices like cinnamon, ginger and allspice...not to mention baking with pumpkins, parsnips and beetroot.  The run up to Christmas is possibly my most favourite baking season of the year, I love the smells, I love the tastes, I love the feeling of festiveness, and I love the anticipation.  Saying all that, sometimes I think that the Christmas is Coming hype leads to Autumn being brushed aside in favour of preparing for the C-word.  

This year I thought I would celebrate Autumn with some cute little acorn and Canadian Moose gingerbread biscuits.  Although I usually only make gingerbread in the run up to Christmas I think that it is a perfect autumnal  recipe...spicy and warming.   

I like my gingerbread to be crisp, not chewy, so I use a recipe meant for making gingerbread houses. I like that there is little spread or rise in this dough, meaning that the biscuits keep their shape really well (and have a great bite).  

I wanted to makes these Autumnal Gingerbread a little bit different so added some extra spice...ground cloves, allspice and cinnamon...in with the generous measure of ginger, and swapped out 1/3 of the golden syrup for good old Canadian maple syrup.  

Gingerbread isn't just for Christmas.  

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How...English...

In the mail this morning was that cute little card in the background, from Yorkshire Tea...wishing me a Happy Birthday.  How lovely? How English...oh, I forgot to mention that there was also a package of tea inside the card! Thank you Yorkshire Tea!

Enjoyed with a couple of crumbly almond cookies I made yesterday...Happy Birthday (almost) to me!

Crumbly Almond Cookies (makes 12)

100 g butter, soft

50 g caster sugar

150 g flour

a couple of drops of almond extract

25 g slivered almonds

Pre heat oven to 180 C

cream butter and sugar together

add almond extract and mix well

add flour in 2 batches combining well

use fingers to bring dough together

roll dough into walnut sized balls

place on baking sheet

use fork to flatten to about 1cm

sprinkle with slivered almonds

bake 15-20 mins until golden

cool completely

Baking Ban Broken Again!

I say the ban was broken, but actually I did lay the rules out very clearly...I cannot possibly show up to a BIRTHDAY party with no baked goods! A) my friends have come to expect something homemade and calorific and B) my mother taught me never to show up at a party empty-handed. 

Earlier this week I posted a couple of pictures of the French-style Bath Mitt I knitted for my UK bestfriend Clare's birthday and Moogie over at Moggie & Pap suggested that I bake some brownies to complete the pampering gift.  I toyed with the idea for a bit and ho-ed and hum-ed over recipes...and then I had a total brain wave! GUINEA PIG TIME! I have been waiting for an occasion to try out Martha Stewart's Sugar Cookie Recipe in preparation for my mother's arrival and our team baking cookies for the wedding loot bags.

DING DING DING!! Clare's birthday is the perfect time to hold an undercover taste test and recipe trial!!!
The recipe from Martha's website makes approx. 3 dozen cookies! HOLY COOKIES BATMAN! way way way too many for this bride-to-be (4 weeks...this is LITERALLY crunch time) so I looked through the recipe and it appeared to be easily halved. 

These cookies are pretty labour intensive...or at least time intensive...First you have to pray that the butter you left out on the counter over night actually softened (it didn't)...then you have to come up with a cleaver way of softening the butter sans microwave (don't put it too close to the element on the stove though, cause the foil paper can actually singe...) THEN, once the butter is actually soft you can get on with the making of the dough, which must rest a minimum of 2 hours in the fridge (A PRO HERE IS THAT IT WILL KEEP IN THE FRIDGE FOR A WEEK!) Once the dough has rested you roll out the dough and cut out your shapes and then the shapes must chill again for 15 mins!! Then you bake them....then they have to cool on the bakingsheet before they can be transfered to the wire rack....PHEW!

The verdict?? You have to watch these cookies like a pro...left to their own devices they will brown very quickly and then....once cooled....they are REALLY hard.  However, the ones that I nursed through the baking process turned out quite well.  David and I "taste tested" quite a few of the overly brown cookies, and shared ONE of the good ones...which was soft and crispy at the same time...a good start I think!

Later on, infront of the TV I iced the cookies...I am not very good at decorating (Clare, whose birthday it is, is really good) but I am getting more confident. Actually...that's not true, I am happy having a go at cakes, but cookies are HARD! If they are not perfectly level, or if the table is slightly wonky, the icing is bound to drip and drool, and well...that annoys me.  Anyway, I iced the blue ones first, and then thought I would be smart and add a little red dye to make purple....but ended up with the burgundy colour instead.  At first I was really disappointed, but then I realised....HEY! It is the same colour as our wedding invites! Perfect for our loot bag cookies!

The true test is tonight at Clare's birthday dinner...I'll let you know!