Christmas Shortbread Stars

Can you see the corner of the cardboard I used as a reflector? It didn't help much though. It was such an overcast day, I couldn't get rid of the shadows, so these photos are quite dark.

My kitchen is a flurry of action this week. I am busy baking cookies for the tradespeople who come to do work on our house. It would probably be easier to buy ready made cookies, but where's the spirit of Christmas giving in that??

Besides, how could I deny Miss Pantry the chance to "help" Mummy in the kitchen? She loves to pour ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix it all up with the whisk. It's a bit messy, but there's no time like the present to start including her in the kitchen. Being able to cook is an important life skill (in my opinion), and one that I want my children to have.

I've posted a shortbread recipe previously. This recipe is similar, except there's no egg. But I'll be honest, the dough is fiddly. At first I thought I'd never get the crumbly pieces to come together. But persistence, or rather sheer pig-headedness in my case does pay off. Just keep kneading, and the warmth of your hands help it stick.

Fiddly dough aside, these are the best homemade shortbread I have ever tasted. It is buttery as expected, but the crumbs are extremely fine, and the texture so light and delicate, it is almost powdery. Even Mr Pantry declared that "these are much better than the other shortbread and so easy to eat".

Eat them as they are, dust some icing sugar over the top, sandwich with jam, dip in chocolate, sprinkles, nuts, or whatever else floats your boat, but make sure you make them today!

And be warned. These are so yummy, it is hard to stop at one!

Recipe from Western Star.

Happy baking and Merry Christmas!

Shortbread

These are my Mum's favourite biscuits. Crumbly, buttery shortbread.

However, would it surprise you if I said that Mum doesn't like butter? Nope, can't stand the taste, the smell, the texture. But give her a plate of these? And she just about inhales them.
I could never figure out why, because these biscuits are baked with almost the entire stick of butter (220g)!

These biscuits are fabulous with a cup of coffee. The rice flour gives it a nice crumbly interior, while the exterior holds its shape rather well. They are good travellers too. I would know, because these biscuits survived a plane trip in my suitcase. Yes, my suitcase, stored in ziploc bags no less. And they arrived at their destination looking just as unblemished as they were when I packed them.

Make these today, won't you?

Recipe from Donna Hay's Modern Classics Book 2

Ingredients:

• 220g chilled butter, chopped
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC. Line trays with non-stick baking paper. Process all ingredients in a food processor until a dough forms.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead gently.
3. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls. Place on baking trays and flatten slightly with a fork.
4. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until just golden brown.

Notes:

I used my KitchenAid mixer for this because my food processor is too small. First I creamed the butter and sugar, then added vanilla and egg, before adding the flours half a cup at a time.

Happy baking!

White Chocolate Chunk and Cranberry Cookies

Somehow my cookies always end up stacked. It's the easiest composition, since I only take pictures while Miss Pantry is having a nap.

I have a sweet tooth. As if you didn't already know.

Every few days, I get the urge to eat something sweet. Oh who am I kidding? I get the urge for something sweet daily. So I turn to my stash of chocolate when the cravings strike. And before I know it, I'd have eaten half a slab and I'll spend the rest of the day feeling like a fat slob.

Only sometimes will I let the annoying thing called will-power get in the way. I think my butt subconsciously knows that too much chocolate is not good for it.

Well, here you go. Partially unstacked and with a ribbon. Wow.

Times like this, I curse that I am not blessed with super high metabolism or the skinny gene. Or that I don't look like Miranda Kerr - I have a secret crush on her. She's gorgeous and advocates a healthy lifestyle. And she drinks chlorophyll. It's supposed to help with something, cell regeneration or whatnot. I forget. Maybe I should drink chlorophyll, might help with memory.

So anyhow, in an effort to eat less chocolate/packaged cookies/store-bought-highly-processed junk, I figured I'll make my own sweet snacks. If I made them, then I get to eat them without feeling guilty, because I'll know exactly how much sugar or fat has gone into them. Right?

I know what you are thinking right now. You're thinking "this cookie has chocolate and processed sugar in it"! Yes, yes, you are right. And it does make this cookie decadently sweet. But you see, that is the key. Because it is sweet, one (or two) cookies will be enough to satiate my sugar cravings.

Ingenious isn't it?

Recipe adapted from Taste.com.au
Yields 32 cookies

Ingredients:

• 125g butter, softened
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup rice flour
• ½ cup almond meal
• ¾ cup plain flour
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 150g white chocolate, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan forced).
2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg. Beat until combined.
3. Stir in flours, almond meal, chocolate and cranberries.
4. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls and place 5 cm apart on trays. Flatten slightly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden. Cool for 5 minutes on trays before transferring to racks.

Happy baking!

Amaretti Amore

Gosh, it has been ONE YEAR since my last post. Is anyone still following this blog? I don't blame you if you're not.

To lure you back, here's a sweet incentive. These are extremely easy to eat! Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. With a subtle hit of almondy goodness. Ah, I'm in love.

Recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks: Wicked sweet indulgences

Yields 20 biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (125g) almond meal
• 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon almond essence
• 20 blanched alomonds (20g)

Method:

1. Line 2 oven trays.
2. Beat almond meal, sugar, egg whites and essence in a small bowl with electric mixer for 3 minutes; stand 5 minutes.
3. Spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain tube. Pipe directly onto prepared tray in a circular motion from centre out, to make biscuits about 4cm in diameter.
4. Top each biscuit with an almond. Cover trays of unbaked biscuits loosely with foil; stand at room temperature overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Bake biscuits for 12 minutes or until browned lightly. Stand amaretti for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Tip: Amaretti can be baked the day they are made, however, they will spread a little more. For best results, stand the unbaked biscuits overnight.

Happy baking!

Anzac Biscuits

This has got to be one of the easiest biscuit recipe ever. It's yummy. It's economical. It stores well. There is no egg, so it's safe to give to people with egg allergy. Did I mention that it's yummy too?

Think how happy your children/partners/friends/family/colleagues/neighbours will be when they taste this biscuit. And the pride and warm-glowy feeling it will give you, knowing that YOU baked it. Out of l.o.v.e for them. You'll feel like the genius-domestic-goddess/god-extraordinaire that you are.

And look, because I love you, I've baked some for you. I've even tied a ribbon too. Aren't I nice?

Happy Friday and have a great weekend.


Recipe from Donna Hay's Modern Classics Book 2:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup plain (all purpose) flour
• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ cup desiccated coconut
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 125g (4 oz) butter
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 tablespoon hot water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC. Place oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl.
2. Place the golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over low heat and allow to melt.
3. Mix bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter mixture. Pour butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Place tablespoonfuls of the mixture on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper, allowing room for the biscuits to spread, and flatten slightly.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Notes:  

• Makes 22. (I usually get 20 or 21 only, each of my biscuits might be a bit bigger)

Sultana and Cornflake Cookies

Are you one of those people who has bits of unfinished cereal lurking in your pantry? A handful of cornflakes, a handful of museli, bit of rolled oats here, bit of Weetbix there?

If you are nodding your head (or am I the only one?), then this recipe is for you!

Next time you decide to bake cookies, don't fall back on the predictable chocolate chip cookie (nothing against CCCs, I love them). Try this one instead. It has fruit (sultanas), and vegetables (corn-flakes)! It's healthy! Ok, stretching it a little. Much like the waistband of my tracksuit.

But enough about my weight issues.

Bake this. Today.

Recipe from Taste.com.au

Ingredients:

• 125g butter, chopped, at room temperature
• ⅔ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1¼ cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 tbs milk
• 1½ cups cornflakes
• ½ cup sultanas

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two large flat baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Using electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Add milk and mix until dough comes together. Using a wooden spoon, stir in cornflakes and sultanas, and mix until well combined.
3. Using 1 tbsp of mixture, roll into balls. Place onto baking trays allowing room for spreading. Flatten slightly with a spatula. Bake for 12-14 minutes, swapping trays after 8 minutes or until light golden. Stand for 5 minutes on tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Notes:

• Don't overbake, cookies harden on cooling.
• Mixture was quite crumbly, adding a little more milk might help.

Happy baking!

Chocolate Freckle Hearts

It's chilly today. Stay at home weather, with a nice hot mug of chocolate and a chocolate heart cookie, covered with dark chocolate glaze and sprinkled with hundreds and thousands.

One can never have too much chocolate in my house. :)

Hope you have a lovely day!