covered in freckles

A half eaten packet of freckles;
and a craving for something sweet to dunk in my peppermint tea.

That's all it took to inspire my latest batch of cookies.

F R E C K L E S   C O O K I E S

200g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 1/4 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Chocolate freckles

Preheat oven to 180C and line baking trays with baking paper.

Place butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.

Sift in flour and baking powder and mix to form a dough.

Roll dough into balls and place onto baking tray.

Lightly flatten, then press a chocolate freckle into top of each.

Bake 10-12 min or until lightly golden

Set aside on wire racks to cool.
Store in an airtight container.
Or eat them all... Whatever.

xx

an Australian classic

The conversation (albeit one-sided) has been getting pretty serious around here lately.

For a little while, I was barely spending any time in the kitchen.

But in the past two weeks I've been back in a baking, cooking, creating zone - and I am loving it.

I made Anzac Cookies for (yep, you guessed it) Anzac Day - So here's the recipe...

Better late than never, isn't it?!

A N Z A C   C O O K I E S

1 cup plain flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

3 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle

150g unsalted butter, chopped

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

Preheat oven to 170°C. 
Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine. 
In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted. 
Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. 
It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat. 
Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined. 
Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly. 
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.


xx

please do not feed the drama llama

The benefits (or downfall, depending on how you look at it) of being a baker, means that I can literally feed my emotional eating needs when required.

Without engaging my inner Drama Llama, I can tell you that sometimes the truth hurts.

But what hurts more is fighting my truth. And, let me tell you, it also takes a huge amount of energy.

To fight the truth is to fight a losing battle.

Feeling defeated over the weekend, I embraced my baking skills and made these delicious cookies.

White Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

White Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups plain flour

½ bag caramel choc chips

½ bag white choc chips

Also - 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp almond extract, 1 tsp salt – if you have them in the cupboard… I didn’t!

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar

Add 1 egg at a time

Mix in oil and vanilla

In a separate bowl – combined flour and baking soda

Slowly add dry ingredients to the original bowl

When combined, add choc chips

Bake at 180C for 7-10 minutes 

White Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

And you know what?

Life isn't so bad with a cookie and a cup of tea.


xx

The Grey Zone

On Sunday night I cooked roasted beetroot and sweet potato for dinner.

Delicious and healthy right?!

I then indulged in a dessert of pancakes drowned in cream and maple syrup...

Shuddup. I live alone. Usually there's noone around to judge my food choices.

This is my very own variation of a balanced diet. It's not quite perfect; but it could be worse.  

Let's be honest - I can make justifications to defend my choices until I'm blue in the face...

This, my friends, is what I like to  refer to as the 'Grey Zone'. 

Doing things that neither fall in the 'right' or 'wrong' basket.

Life is simply not 'black' or 'white'; 'good' or 'bad'.

There's a whole dimension in between.

A middle section of life that you can convince yourself is OK because it's not 100% not OK...

Still with me?

No. Me either.

Anyway, the Grey Zone can apply to all facets of life.

Today I'm introducing you to the Grey Zone Cookie.

It's made with wholemeal flour; oats; chia seeds; and stevia (not real sugar!)

But the recipe also includes chocolate and oil.

Whatevs.

They were super yummy.

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

3/4 cup oats

1 cup whole-meal self raising flour

1/4 cup ground chia seed

3 Tablespoons Stevia

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup honey 

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the oats, flour, ground chia seed, Stevia, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, the honey, and the vanilla. Mix well. Add the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix well. Allow the cookie dough to rest a few minutes to let the liquids absorb into the flour.

Using a measuring Tablespoon, scoop level Tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden color and set. Let cookies rest on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Embrace the Grey Zone. Try these cookies!

xx

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

At Christmas Time, you really can add candy canes to almost any recipe to make it a little more festive.

Well.. atleast I think so!

I made these little gems for Christmas Day and they got rave reviews from everyone.

Go and get your hands on some discounted candy canes and give them a go - it's not too late to appreciate a Christmas Cookie.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

ingredients

1 c. plain flour

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar

1/3 c. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/4 c. mini chocolate chips

1/2 c. crushed candy canes

instructions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until combined and any lumps are broken up.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together using a mixer on high speed. 

Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined. 

Set mixer to low speed and slowly add flour mixture. 

Beat until just combined and fold in chocolate chips and candy cane pieces.

Drop tablespoons of batter two inches apart onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. 

Bake for 12 minutes or until set.

Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then finish cooling on wire racks.

xx

An American Tradition

Sometimes I wish I lived in the United States...

Americans get to celebrate lots of fun holidays such as Thanksgiving and Halloween - complete with the festive foods and over-the-top decorations.

They also seem to celebrate other occasions such as Graduation and Valentine's Day.

I have just discovered a new reason for a gathering in the Festive Season - A Cookie Exchange.

Also known as a Cookie Swap or Cookie Party.

The general idea (from what I can gather) is that everyone makes a huge (6-10 dozen) batch of their cookie of choice and brings them to the party complete with recipe card.

Here

A cookie swap is a social event with a practical side. 
For many, it marks the beginning of the holiday season and brings friends together for more than just cocktails and chit-chat.

WHY ? (I did some research...)

A cookie swap also…

Saves valuable time during the busiest season of the year. It is much faster to make multiple batches of the same cookie, than to track down ingredients for 7 or 8 different recipes and prepare each one.

Provides you with a wonderful selection of homemade baked goods to serve your guests over the holidays.

Introduces new types of cookies to your palate and unique recipes to your repertoire.

Provides a fun, casual social event that is easy to host – the guests bring the goodies!

Offers opportunities for a charitable outreach. Guests can be asked to bring non-perishable food items to donate to a local food bank.

I might be new to this trend.. but I am smitten with the idea! 

And the invitations!!!

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

Here

It's not all fun and games though..

There are RULES!!

THE RULES OF THE COOKIE EXCHANGE

All cookies should be homemade, baked and main ingredient must be flour.

No plain chocolate chip cookies, cookie mixes, no-bakes, meringues or bars.

Each guest to bring 6 dozen total cookies.

The theme is "Christmas Cookies" (You can make any theme you like.)

Arrange cookies in a basket or platter and be creative!   

Bring a large container to carry away your cookie, 

Email a copy of your recipe before the party (or bring recipe to the party)

RSVP as soon as you can and let the host know what type of cookies you are planning on baking - no duplicate recipes allowed

If you don't have time to bake, or have burnt your cookies, but still want to attend, you must go to a real bakery and buy 6 dozen yummy cookies.

These can be found at the Official Cookie Exchange Website.

If anyone has ever participated in a Cookie Exchange - 

Please tell me alllll about it! I am dying to know what it's like!

xx

Cookie Love

I am in love... 

With these cookies.

These are now my hands-down new fave. 

White choc and macadamia.

Ingredients

½ teaspoons Of Baking Soda

½ teaspoons Of Salt

2 cups Of All Purpose Flour.

¾ cups Of Unsalted Butter, Melted

1 cup Of Packed Brown Sugar

½ cups Of White Sugar

1 Tablespoon Of Vanilla Extract

1 whole Egg

1 whole Egg Yolk

2 cups Of White Chocolate Chips

1 cup Of Roughly Chopped Macadamia Nuts

Ready ? Set... GO!

Start by preheating your oven to 165 degrees C

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the baking soda, salt and flour. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter and the sugars until well blended. 

Add in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk and mix well until light and creamy.

Mix in the flour mixture until just blended. 

Stir in the white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts by hand using a wooden spoon.

Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. 

Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown. 

Cool on a cooling rack a few minutes after they have been taken out of the oven.

xx

Chocolatey Goodness in a Cookie

I like to bake to de-stress; to unwind; and to focus on something else when my mind is a crazy tornado of thoughts.

My Saturday morning baking was the only solution to a very long week at work - and so at 8.30am I turned on the oven and a short time later had made some triple choc cookies that filled the house with a delicious chocolatey aroma.

Triple Choc Fudge Cookies

Want to make a batch for yourself ??

Ingredients

125g butter, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup plain flour
¼ cup self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/3 cup cocoa powder
½ cup dark choc bits
½ cup white chocolate bits

Method

Preheat oven to moderate. Line three oven trays with baking paper.

Beat butter, essence, sugar and egg in medium bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in combined sifted flours, soda and cocoa powder; and stir in both chocolates. 

Drop rounded tablespoons of mixture onto prepared trays about 4cm apart; press each with fork to flatten slightly. Bake in moderate oven 10 minutes. Stand 5 minutes; transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

Enjoy.

xx