Just Like Martha

Whats in the Cookie Jar THIS VALENTINES DAY?

VALENTINES DAY COOKIES of course!

The girls made a batch last night to share with their friends at school today, the rest will be enjoyed over the coming days in for afternoon tea treats I am sure.

One might even appear with a cuppa later tonight??? It is Valentines Day after all!

The cookies were sourced from Taste and are called "Christmas Cookies", they are easy to make and the inclusion of custard powder in the recipe makes them extra yummy! You can of course decorate them with icing, sadly we ran out of time last night but hey I think they are pretty yum just the way they are!

What's in the cookie jar.....for back to school?

Anzacs of course!

You can't go past a good Anzac biscuit (if you are an Aussie that is) so to fill the cookie jar before school started back I made a couple of batches.

I was lucky enough to get the latest Janelle Bloom "My Favourite Food for all Seasons" book for Christmas, lots of wonderful recipes inclusing this good one for Anzac biscuits...enjoy!

1 cup plain flour                1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup caster sugar          3/4 cup dessicated coconut

150g butter, chopped         1 tbsp golden syrup

1 tbsp cold tap water          1 tsp bicarb of soda

Preheat the oven to 160'C (fan-forced), line trays with baking paper. Sift flour into a large bowl, add rolled oats, sugar and coconut and stir to combine. Melt the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan until hot. Combine cold water and bicarb. soda then add to the hot butter and stir until combined (it will bubble). Pour the hot butter mixture into the flour and stir until combined. Roll teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls and leave room for spreading. Bake 12 minutes for chewy anzac biscuits and 15 minutes for crunchy ones, swapping the trays around half way thru baking. Stand biscuits on trays for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

These are perfect little 'treats' to add to the girls lunch boxes!

A "Martha moment" - lots of baking!

There has been lots of opportunities for "Martha" moments here lately with Birthdays and Mothers Day and of course the cookie jar that needed a refill.

We have been enjoying the new Donna Hay show on television, lots of inspring and yummy receipes to try...first up the Ultimate One-Bowl Chocolate Dessert Cake to celebrate a friends Birthday.

 
Recipe source: www.lifestylefood.com.au

Then Donna's Carrot and Spice cake to celebrate Mothers Day and my mum's Birthday..

 
Recipe Source: www.lifestylefood.com.au

And finally the 'neglected' cookie jar got a refill...just in time for Nan and Pop to visit!

Cinnamon Biscuits

1 cup caster sugar            100g softened butter

1 egg                               1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups plain flour           1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder            cinnamon & sugar mixed to coat

Preheat oven to 180'C (160'C fan forced). Grease and line 2 baking trays. In a medium bowl, cream together sugar and butter then add vanilla and egg. Add flour, cinnamon and baking powder and mix well. Roll into 3cm balls and coat in cinnamon sugar. Place on trays and press lightly with a fork. Bake 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool on trays.

 
Recipe source: "Saving Mum"

 

What's in the cookie Jar?

Well not much lately I can tell you! I got quite inspired on the weekend by some lovely new additions to my recipe book collection....

 

I cannot wait to bake from this book, its full of pages and pages of delicious goodies and treats...and for those Masterchef fans out there....

 

Okay, back on track...back to our cookie jar, that would be the empty one sitting in the cupboard that finally got refilled yesterday in between chores and housework.

 

COCONUT CHOCOLATE CRUNCHIES

125g butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

2 eggs

2 cups SR flour

1 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 180'C, line oven trays with baking paper. Beat sugar, butter and syrup in small bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat eggs, one at a time. Stir in sifted flour, coconut and oats. Roll rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls, place on tray about 5 cm apart, flatten with fork. Bake 12 minutes, cool on trays.

Sandwich biscuits together with chocolate icing or ganache (6 ozs milk chocolate metled with 30g butter)

Blog catch up.....

We have had internet problems for the past few days...hopefully they are all behind us...so today, a little blog catch up!

Start of the school holidays and Lilly has been 'omn fire' in the kitchen. Hmmm, could have something to do with Masterchef on Sunday nights too...LOL.

Our cookie jar has been filled with these treats...

Yummo, our favourite MELTING MOMENTS...and these, a new cookie...BANANA NUT BISCUITS

 BANANA NUT BISCUITS

Source: Biscuit and Slice Bible

125g softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup mashed banana

1 cup SR flour

pinch salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and banana and mix well. In a seperate bowl mix together dry ingredients. Add to banana mixture and stir well to combine. With floured hands roll mixture into logs (about 3cm in diameter). Wrap and chill until cold, cut logs into 8mm slices then transfer to baking tray and bake for 12-25 minutes. Alternatively drop teaspoonfuls on to tray and bake (looks like Lilly experiemtned with both)

Then, time for a VANILLA BUTTER CAKE....

This delicious looking creation has only just come out of the oven, it smells amazing but apparently we have to wait until it cools down in the tin and she can cut it up...MARSHMALLOW RASBERRY SLICE...

 
and finally a FREE FORM APPLE PIE...yum I can hardly wait until after dinner. I was only at work a few hours...told you she was 'on fire'!! 

Footnote: this post was actually meant to be posted a few days ago but alas not sure what happened....ahh better late than never....almost at the end of week one of the holidays...almost time for the weekend!

What's in the Cookie Jar?

Its been 'slim pickings' in our household of late, not too many treats for after school or lunchboxes....the girls usually enjoy helping keep the cookie jar full but they have both been busy with assignments so its been up to me, and well, I've been slack!

Yesterday I grabbed the ol' Womens Weekly "Old Fashioned Favourites" cookbook and made these Gingernuts.

Truly yummy with a cuppa and easy peasy to make.

Gingernuts

90g butter

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup golden syrup

1 1/3 cups plain flour

3/4 teaspoon bicarb. soda

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

Preheat oven to 180'C (160'C fan forced). Grease or line oven trays. Combine butter, sugarand syrup in medium saucepan and stir over low heat until smooth and butter has melted. Remove from heat, stir n sifted dry ingredients. Cool 10 minutes.

Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls. Place about 3cm apart on trays, flatten slightly. Bake about 10 minutes, cool on trays.

Gingernuts can be stored in an airtight container for one week. Makes approximately 32. 

Happy baking!

What's in the Cookie Jar?

School holidays means lots of yummy baking and experimenting in our kitchen..

And with a new book added to our collection, we are slowly 'baking our way thru it'..our "cookie Jar" will be well cared for.

Today's entry for the cookie jar is "HONEY JUMBLES", they made it into the cookie jar (but only just LOL) I don't think they will last long!

Oops, the photo looks like a few were still 'wet' when we put them in the jar...

Can't wait to try some of the macaroons, they look really delicious...hmmm, which ones to try first...pistachio and orange blossom, orange almond or rasberry macaroon dreams.....?????
 
  

What's in the Cookie Jar?

Wow, what a busy week it has been...almost forgot to refill the cookie jar..luckily I was reminded by ravenous children after school yesterday (why is it kids are always starving after school??).

Today another old favourite NANA'S COCONUT COOKIES (also with pound measurements I had to translate)

COCONUT COOKIES - thanks Nana

2 eggs

1/2 cup coconut (for a change I used shredded)

6oz butter

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup SR flour

Preheat slow oven to 160'C. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, coconut, then flour. Place teaspoonfuls on tray. If you wish decorate with a cherry or almond. Bake 20 minutes, cool on tray. Enjoy!

Purchased a new cookbook on sale yesterday, can't wait to share more yummy cookie recipes with you. 

What's in the Cookie Jar?

Time to fill the cookie jar yet again!

Todays treats are called AFTERNOON TEA COOKIES and they are sitting in the jar ready for the girls to come home from school for exactly that - afternoon tea!

AFTERNOON TEA COOKIES - source: Saving Mum by Amy Pleydon

125g softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup SR flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup custard powder

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, flour and custard powder and mix well. Preheat oven to 180'C  (160'C fan forced), grease and line baking trays. Roll the mixture into small balls and place on trays. Place each ball slightly with a fork to flatten. Bake 10-12 minutes then when cold ice with pink icing

Enjoy xxx

What's in the Cookie Jar?

Oooh these are really yummy...and SO easy to make!

POLENTA JAM/FRUIT BISCUITS

250g softened butter

1 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup polenta

1 egg, separated

2 cups plain flour

fruit/jam for decorating

Preheat oven to 180'C. Lightly grease baking trays. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add polenta mix and mix well to combine, then stir in egg yolk. Beat egg white until stiff peaks form then fold into mixture. Fold in the sifted flour.

Roll taspoonfulls of mixture into balls and place on prepared trays. Press a piece of fruit (apricot, crystalized giner etc) into the centre of each cookie (or like me make a small dent then add yummy jam). Bake 10 minutes or until golden.

Makes 48 - but beware they disappear quickly!

Source:Biscuit & Slice Bible - By Penguin books

 

Leave me a note and tell me "What's in your cookie jar?"