Cinnamon Heart Cookies

Valentines day is just around the corner and if your in need of a little something extra for your girl/boyfriend then don’t go down the road of a box of store bought chocolates (unless it’s a special kind you know they love), why not bake them some special cookies instead. It’s so much more personal and shows that time and effort has been put into baking something especially for them. And if they are anything like me, they may still have plenty of half eaten boxes of chocolates lingering over from Christmas and not in need of any more!

These cookies and wonderfully crisp and packed full of wonderful cinnamon flavour to add a bit of tongue tingling spice. They are very easy to bake and when simply topped with a thin layer of icing and a scattering of sprinkles they produce a cookie that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone’s face. I found some adorable heart shaped napkins in my local supermarket – never seen these before and couldn’t resist getting them.

So if you want to give that special someone a homemade gift then give these a go. You can flavour and decorate them any way you wish. Why not have some fun and write little messages on them ‘I love you’ or ‘Kiss me’ come to mind. Also, if you are harboring a secret crush for someone and haven’t the courage to ask them out why not write it on a cookie instead ‘Fancy a date?’ Whatever you get up to this Valentines day, I hope you get to share it with someone you love, be it with friends, family, that special someone (or even George the goldfish).

Cinnamon Heart Cookies
Ingredients
45g butter
60g caster sugar
85g plain flour
½ tsp cinnamon
3 tsp vegetable oil

Method
Beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat in until all incorporated and the butter has lightened in colour.
Add the cinnamon, oil and flour and mix into a crumbly dough.
Use your hands to bring the mixture together, add a drop of water if needed.
Wrap the dough in clingfilm and place in the fridge for an hour to firm up.
Preheat the even to 180C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Lightly dust a work surface and roll out the dough until 3-4mm thick. Cut out hearts or other shapes and place on the baking tray.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
When cool, top with royal icing and decorate with the sprinkles of your choice.
Store in an airtight container until needed.
Makes 12 cookies.

Daring Bakers January Challenge: Tuile Biscuits

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

I was very happy to see this months Daring Bakers challenge was tuiles – dainty and delicate wafer thin biscuits, often served as an accompaniment to desserts. They are quite an unusual biscuit as they are very thin, crisp and fragile, but when immediately out of the oven they are still soft and pliable, meaning they can be bent or shaped into pretty designs. The ‘dough’ (its really a paste) can also be piped or spread through a stencil onto baking trays as they keep their shape perfectly in the oven, meaning small designs and detail are possible.

I have make large curved shaped tuile biscuits in the past, so I was excited about trying a stenciled shape and a piped design with the paste this time. I decided to go with the suggested stencil design, of a butterfly, as the thinness of the biscuit makes for very dainty looking butterfly wings. I used a little thinned cocoa powder for the dots which I added before they went into the oven – which I think finishes them off nicely. It’s best to bake no more than 3 or 4 biscuits at any one time as they start to crisp up the minute you remove them from the oven and if you want to bend each one you have to do this while they are still hot or else they will brake.

After making a few butterflies I put the remaining paste into a piping bag and piped out small squiggles. Why? Well it just so happens that this challenge came at the perfect time. My mum celebrated a very special birthday this month and my sister and I were cooking her and her friends a special meal. I was in charge of dessert and I decided to make a trio of miniature desserts for each person – they had a choice of either a lemon or chocolate based dessert trio and the tuiles made perfect elegant accompaniments. The butterflies were balanced on the side of a lemon tart and the squiggles were the stream on a chocolate mousse I served in espresso cups to look like a coffee. So this challenge couldn’t have come at a better time and they were a hit with the guests!

Below is the recipe for the tuiles and I will be posting the dessert recipes shortly. Don’t forget to click here to see other Daring Bakers tuiles. Thanks Karen and Zorra for a great challenge choice.

Vanilla Tuiles
Recipe from The Chocolate Book by Angelique Schmeinck
Ingredients
65g softened butter
60g sifted icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
65g plain flour
1tbsp cocoa powder or food colouring for decoration

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with butter and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Only put 2-4 shapes on each baking tray as they crisp up extremely quickly and you need time to shape them while still hot. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa or food dye and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.

Bake butterflies for about 5-6 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately transfer from baking sheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still hot so be quick.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you can transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, folded paper etc.
Makes 40 small designs or 20 larger ones

Christmas Gingerbread Cookies

My flat mates decided to throw an early Christmas party and I thought it would be a good idea to have some festive cookies to nibble on and to decorate the Christmas tree and gingerbread seemed the perfect choice. I made gingerbread cookies last year too, but I found the recipe a bit temperamental and wanted to try something different. I remembered the recipe for my favourite vanilla cut out cookies and decided to try and adapt it to the festive season.

I added spices, black pepper and treacle and used light brown sugar instead of caster to give a more golden colour and depth of flavour. The dough came together very easily and after a short rest in the fridge it was a doddle to roll out. The cookies kept their shape well during baking and turned out crisp yet still tender. They filled the flat with their festive aroma and had a lovely lingering taste of spice. I ended up with over 50 cookies and spent a happy hour decorating them before the guests arrived. They were a big hit and even the ones from the Christmas tree got munched, apparently they “fell” into peoples mouths. I’ll be making another batch before the festivities are over.

Christmas Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
185g butter
200g soft brown sugar
350g plain flour
1 egg
2 tsp ground ginger
1½ tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp black treacle

Method
Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg followed by the black treacle.
Add the spices and sift over the flour. Using a spatula, work the flour into the batter until a dough is formed. Use your hands towards the end to bring the mix into a dough.
Kneed it gently until smooth. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and flatten slightly into a disc. Place in the fridge for 30minutes to firm up.
After 30 minutes, preheat your oven to 180C and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Cut the dough in half and working with one piece at a time, roll it out on a floured surface until 4mm thick. Cut out a variety of shapes using festive cutters and place on the baking trays. They don’t spread so you have fit them quite close together.
Bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes until golden and crisp.
Allow to cool for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies, still on the greaseproof paper, to a wire rack to cool.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Once cooled, decorate with royal icing and sprinkles if desired.
Makes 45-55 cookies depending on size.

Note: If you want to hang some of the cookies on the Christmas tree, cut out a small hole at the top of each cookie using the tip of a small piping nozzle before baking. Tread through a piece of ribbon when cool.

This is also my entry to Food Blogga’s Christmas Cookie event. Click here the ongoing cookie roundup.

Oaty Melting Moments

These cookies are very light and tender. They have a crisp outer edge and a soft crumbly centre that melts in the mouth. The slightly unusual twist to these cookies, compared to other melting moment cookies I have seen, is that the dough is kept soft and sticky so that mounds of cookie dough can be generously rolled in oats before baking. This helps gives the cookies their crisp outer edge and a slightly nutty flavour.

I have fond memories of baking these with my mum when I was very young. We used to call them cornflake cookies as we often rolled them in lightly crushed cornflakes instead of oats. Either way they are delicious and must always be topped with half a glace cherry.

I’m now living back in Sheffield and in my final year of Uni and I’m sharing a flat with a lovely photography student called Amie. I am really excited by this as she has all the photographic know-how when it comes to taking pictures, as well as a nice camera, so we have agreed that if I help her learn to bake, she will help me out with some photos and afterwards we both get to eat the goods – it’s the perfect arrangement. It was dark outside when we had finished baking (we got the late night munchies) but Amie took these pics for me and I love how the cookies in the background fade into the distance while the front ones are still in focus. I have camera envy. If I pick up any good tips, I’ll be sure to pass them on.

Oaty Melting Moments
Ingredients
100g butter
75g caster sugar
½ egg beaten
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
170g self raising flour
5-6 glace cherries
Rolled oats or lightly crushed cornflakes for coating

Method
Heat the oven to 180C and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Crack the egg into a bowl, whisk until combined and then add half to the butter mix along with the vanilla or almond extract. Beat again until well incorporated.
Sift over the flour and mix well.
Scatter a layer of oats or cornflakes over a plate.
Take tablespoons of the batter (it will be sticky) and shape into rounds. Roll the dough in the oats/cornflakes until well coated.
Transfer to the baking trays and flatten slightly. Leave a 2inch gap between each one.
Cut the glace cherries in half and poke a half into the centre of each cookie.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden and just firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool.
Makes 10-12 cookies

Coconut Choc Chip Biscotti

I wanted to post some cookies to a friend and decided that biscotti would be the most likely to arrive intact and still tasting fresh thanks to their long shelf life. As I was had a rummage through the cupboards for some chocolate chips and my eyes settled on a bag of desiccated coconut and I knew I had to try adding that into the mix too. I was a little unsure if the coconut would make them too crumbly but the dough came together without any problems.

They went into the oven formed into little logs but they grew and spread while baking into wide fingers which I was at first alarmed with but this actually made them turn out a perfect biscotti shape when sliced.

The biscotti were very light and quite crumbly due to the coconut strands, but this meant they were perfect for munching on without having to dip them first. The little dots of dark chocolate worked perfectly with the toasty coconut flavour. I wrapped the best biscotti into bags, labeled them and sent them on their merry way and I’m pleased to say the recipient informs me they survived intact and still perfectly crisp. So if you want to post someone some cookies, biscotti would make an excellent choice; they adapt so well to different flavour combinations so you can create a biscotti to suit the recipients tastes.

Coconut Choc Chip Biscotti
Ingredients
280g plain flour
60g desiccated coconut
50g dark chocolate chips
150g caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
100g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Melt the butter and set to one side.
Place the flour, coconut, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl.
Lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla into the butter and pour over the flour mixture.
Beat together until well combined.
Add the chocolate chips and mix once more until they are evenly distributed.
Cut the dough into two and, with floured hands, shape each one into a long log shape about 2inches/5cm wide. Place on the baking tray, leaving a good 3inches/7.5cm gap between them.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are golden in colour and spread.
Remove them from the oven, leave to cool and firm up for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire wrack. Spray the tops of the biscotti with water to make slicing easier and leave for 5 minutes more.
Then slice the biscotti log into 1cm slices and lay them back onto the baking tray.
Bake for 15-20 more until crisp and golden in colour.
Transfer the biscotti to a wire wrack to cool and repeat with the remaining log.
If stored in an airtight container they will keep for 2 weeks.
Makes 35-40 biscotti

Decadent Chocolate Brownie Cookies

These cookies are my new favourite treat for when I want a chocolate hit. They have all the moist chocolate richness of a brownie but with a thin cookie exterior. They are so decadent that I have had to make two batches in the last week as the first batch vanished in a matter of hours.

Their cookie form means they are perfect for packing into lunchboxes, taking on journeys, eating on their own or transforming into brownie cookie ice cream sandwiches.

I added some swirly white chocolate chips to mine but you could of course add any number of add-ins, raisins, nuts etc. They only require one saucepan to make too, meaning they are very quick to make. So hop to it – go and bake some now.

Decadent Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Recipe adapted from Leiths Baking Bible
Ingredients
60g butter
50g dark chocolate
70g caster sugar
70g soft brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g plain flour
15g cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking powder
70g white chocolate chips

Method
Preheat the oven to 175C and grease a baking tray.
Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a saucepan until smooth and then remove from the heat.
Stir in the caster sugar and brown sugar and beat until the crystals have dissolved. Then beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and beat until all combined. The mixture will turn very stiff at this stage but this is what you want.
Finally chop the white chocolate into chunks and stir through the chocolate batter.
Place rounded tablespoons of the chocolate mixture onto the baking tray, leaving a two inch gap between each one. Flatten slightly.
Bake in the oven for 9 minutes only before removing and leaving for 2 minutes to firm up before transferring to a wire wrack to cool. Do not over bake or they will become crispy when cool.
Makes around 14 cookies

Date Streusel Squares

These squares were the other sweet treat given to the refreshment stand for last weekends fete. They consist of a shortbread style base, a sticky date filling and a coconut streusel topping. The original recipe called these ‘crumble slices’ but as they also have a base (unlike a crumble) I think calling them streusel squares is better.

I really liked all the different textures of each layer and the coconut in the topping added extra flavour and its own unique texture. My only criticism is that the squares were quite sweet, but then dates are very sweet by nature. Next time I might try reducing the sugar a little.

Other dried fruits such as apricots or figs would also work well in place of the dates. Adding a few finely chopped nuts might be good too.

Date Streusel Squares
(Recipe adapted from Simple Slices by Australian Women’s Weekly)
For the base
90g butter
150g plain flour
75g caster sugar

For the date filling
250g dates
250ml water
20g caster sugar

For the streusel topping
90g butter
30g desiccated coconut
15g shredded coconut
75g plain flour
20g rolled oats
110g soft brown sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line a rectangle pan, around 20cm x 30cm.
To make the base, melt the butter and then add in the flour and sugar and mix well to create buttery crumbs.
Press the crumbs into the base of the tray and pat down firmly.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown in colour.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Chop the dates into small pieces and add to a pan along with the water and sugar.
Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until the dates have broken down and the water has been absorbed.
Continue to heat, stirring constantly until you have a thick pasty mixture, around 10 minutes.
Spread the date mixture evenly over the surface of the baked biscuit base.
Now make the topping. Melt the butter and then pour over the rest of the ingredients and mix together, ensuring everything gets evenly coated. Press together gently with your fingers to form small clumps.
Scatter the streusel over the date mixture and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the topping has turned golden brown.
Allow to cool completely in the pan before transferring to a board and cutting into squares with a sharp knife.
Makes 12-15 squares.

Vanilla Cut Out Cookies

Every once in a while the need for a simple plain cookie is called for and these cookies fit the bill perfectly. They are very crisp with just the right amount of sweetness and a subtle flavour of vanilla.

The dough was great to work with. I thought at first there was too much flour, but a little kneading and it soon became a smooth soft dough. It needs to firm up in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling but I left mine in the fridge overnight and baked them the next morning for extra freshness.

The cookies keep there shape well when baking, meaning they are ideal for cutting into shapes for decorating. I posted these cookies off to my little cousin for his birthday along with a few tubes of coloured icing as I thought he would have fun decorating the cookies himself, so I only have pictures of the undecorated cookies.

Vanilla Cut Out Cookies
Recipe from Food Beam blog
Ingredients
185g butter
225g caster sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
350g plain flour
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Make sure the butter is soft and cream it together with the sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat again.
Sift over the flour and then work the mixture into a dough using a wooden spoon and finally your hands to form a slightly sticky ball of dough.
Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until required.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough until around 5mm thick.
Cut out a variety of shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a 1-2cm gap between each one.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until just turning lightly golden brown.
Allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Decorate as you wish.
I got 40 cookies of various shapes and sizes.

Cherry & White Chocolate Cookies

After a request from someone at work for a Monday Munchers treat involving cherries and white chocolate I came up with these cookies. Not very adventurous I’ll admit, but delicious none the same. They had a crisp outer edge with a bendy/chewy centre which was a nice change from the soft cakey cookies I made them last time.

I based the cookies on a recipe from the King Arthur Flour Company, only I halved the recipe and altered a few of the ingredients. I baked the cookies in two batches and the first batch spread far too much and they ended up joined together like some sort of crazy paving, I think it was because I tinkered with the recipe, but I added more flour and the second batch turned out much better. The recipe below includes the added flour.

I used dried Bing cherries which are un-dyed and quite tart, but this went well with the chunks of sweet white chocolate.

Cherry & White Chocolate Cookies
(Recipe adapted from the King Arthur Flour Company)
Ingredients
115g butter
100g light soft brown sugar
75g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ beaten egg
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g plain flour
75g white chocolate
75g dried cherries

Method
Heat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Cream together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla and beaten egg.
Sift over the flour and bicarb and beat until well incorporated.
Chop the chocolate into small chunks and fold into the batter along with the dried cherries.
Place tablespoons of the cookie dough onto the baking tray, leaving a 2inch gap between each one. Slightly flatten the dough into a rough round.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden around the edges.
Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.
Makes 18 cookies

Honey & Orange Creams

For the Monday Munchers this week I really wanted to give them something a bit different that I hadn’t made before. I was flicking through one of my favourite cook books for inspiration when I suddenly found the perfect thing – sandwich cookies! And not only were they sandwich cookies, they were honey and orange sandwich cookies topped with crushed walnuts and filled with honey buttercream. Problem solved.

The recipe for the cookies was really intriguing as it involved making a very light and airy dough that had to be rolled into small balls and flattened before baking – I had thought sandwich cookies would have to be rolled and cut out into discs, but it appears not as the cookies baked into perfect circles. Another curious thing was that they had a crisp surface and yet remained quite soft and tender on the inside. I was initially disappointed by this when I tasted a little of the cookie on its own, but once assembled with the cream filling I think its actually better this way as it means you can take a bite easily without the cream oozing out the middle. I was also quite startled by how orange the cookies looked when I took them out the oven, curiously this lessened to become a golden brown colour as they cooled. I’m not sure why this happened, all I can think is that it’s something to do with a chemical reaction to the bicarbonate of soda in the mix. Anyone have any suggestions?

The flavour of the cookies was also very good. The honey and orange made it taste quite zesty and delicate. The walnuts of top became lightly toasted and provided a wonderful nutty flavour and a slight crunch. I feel they are quite an elegant little cookie and would be the ideal thing to serve your mum or grandmother with a cup of afternoon tea, but that’s not to say there weren’t equally enjoyed by the guys at work.

Honey & Orange Creams
(Recipe from The Cookie Book by Catherine Atkinson & Joanna Farrow)
Ingredients
250g self raising flour
2 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g caster sugar
110g butter
Zest of 1 large orange
115g clear honey
25g walnuts

For the cream filling
50g butter
100g icing sugar
1 tbsp honey

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and set to one side.
Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl with sugar. Grate in the rind from the orange.
Add the butter and rub the ingredients together using the tips of your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Heat the honey until it’s runny and warm, but not hot. (Either in a saucepan or the microwave). Pour over the crumbs and stir with a spoon until it begins to form clumps and then use your fingers to bring it into a sticky dough.
Take small heaped teaspoonfuls of the dough and roll it between your hands to form balls the size of a large marble.
Place the cookie balls onto the baking tray and flatten slightly using your fingers. Leave a 2inch gap between each one to allow for spreading.
Finely chop the walnuts and press a few pieces into the top of half the cookies. Leave the other half plain.
Bake the cookies for 8 minutes until puffy and golden brown (or orange!)
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling wire. Repeat with any remaining cookie balls.
When cool, spread the honey cream over the base of one of the plain cookies and top with a cookie embedded with walnuts.
Makes 40 cookie discs or 20 sandwich cookies.

To make the cream filling
Beat the butter until smooth and soft. Gradually sift over the icing sugar and beat until well incorporated.
Stir through the honey and leave at room temperature until required.

Peanut Butter Chip Choc Cookies

After making cookies to share with my friend over the weekend, I realised that its been a while since I baked cookies for the Monday Munchers and so decided that chocolate cookies would be this weeks treat.

These cookies are basically the well known Tollhouse Cookies but with a twist. I wanted to make chocolate cookies and so replaced some of the flour with cocoa powder and added peanut butter filled smartie style chips in place of chocolate chunks. The peanut butter chips not only showed up well against the dark cookie but also added to the fun of eating them as they provided little shots of peanut flavour in every bite, which was a novelty to the Monday Munchers as I don’t think we have peanut butter chips here in the UK, so people became quite excited by them. The ones I used were given to me by Gigi from America. If anyone knows where I can get these in the UK then please let me know.
I sat on the floor and watched them baking, it was interesting the way they spread into chocolaty pools before puffing up and baking into thick cookies. Somehow I always imaged they would turn from dough to cookie without the melting part in the middle, but I don’t suppose they would spread out into cookie shape otherwise – random comment I know! The cookies themselves were soft and chewy with a strong cocoa flavour. Next time I might try making mini ones and sandwiching them together with peanut butter for extra indulgence.

Peanut Butter Chip Choc Cookies
Ingredients
110g butter
50g caster sugar
75g soft brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
100g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g peanut butter chips or choc chips

Method
Preheat the oven to 175C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper
Cream together the butter and both the sugars until light and well combined.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and bircab and beat until just combined. The mixture will be quick thick but don’t worry.
Stir through the peanut butter chips or chocolate chips.
Place heaped teaspoonfuls onto the baking tray, leave a 2inch gap between each one.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until spread out and lightly puffed up.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.
Repeat the process with any left over cookies mixture.
Makes 14-16 cookies.

Choc Chip Cakies

I call these cookies cakies because they are a cross between a cookie and a cake. The outside is crisp and chewy and the inside is soft and cake-like. They adapt very well to whatever add-ins or flavours you wish to throw at them. I kept mine simple with a vanilla base and choc chips stirred through. You may notice that some of the cookies have pink blobs in them, this is because I used white chocolate bar that had been dyed pink (it was left over from valentines day).

I made these for my friend J from back home, as she was visiting yesterday. We had a lovely time sitting on the sofa, munching cakies and catching up with each others gossip.

Choc Chip Cakies
Ingredients
100g butter or margarine
60g soft brown sugar
40 caster sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
150g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g chocolate chunks of your choice

Method
Line a large baking tray and pre heat the oven to 190C.
Cream the butter and both sugars together until creamy and well combined.
Beat in the egg and vanilla and chocolate chunks.
Sift over the flour and bicarb and fold in until a dough is formed.
Place heaped teaspoons of the mixture onto the baking tray, leaving a 2inch gap between them.
Flatten the dough slightly and place in the oven to bake for 8 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven, they should be golden brown and slightly puffed up.
Allow to cool for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.
Makes 16 cookies

Giganti-Hugeous Crisp Cookie Thins

I wanted to try and make some wheat free cookies for one of my work mates who is on a wheat free diet. Rather than using an existing wheat free cookie recipe I decided to try and replace the wheat flour in a standard cookie recipe with a wheat and gluten free flour I had picked up at the supermarket.

The cookie dough came together well and seemed to be of a good texture and consistency and I was feeling relatively confidant they would turn out ok. I added some chopped chocolate orange chunks for flavour and spooned small teaspoonfuls out onto a baking sheet. The recipe said the cookies would spread so I left quite a bit of room in between each one. When the baking time was up I opened the oven door to find the cookies hadn’t spread a little, but had melted into huge thin flat cookies that were merging together. Eppp!

I tried again, placing fewer spoonfuls on each sheet and leaving plenty of room. The second batch turned out better, they were still huge but at least they did look vaguely cookie shaped. The texture of the cookies was very crisp and crumbly. They were also quite brittle and had a slightly gritty texture from the rice flour that was part of the mix. I was quite disappointed in their flavour, they were sweet yet had quite a savoury note to them.

I took them to work anyway where they received mixed responses. Some people hated them while others quite liked their unusual texture. It was decided that they resembled more of a French langue de chat biscuits than a soft chocolate chip cookie but they would make quite good cookies to serve with deserts. So they were a successful (sort of) but not really as a soft and chewy cookie. I’ll have to try again another time.

Crisp Cookie Thins
(Recipe adapted from Waitrose.com)
Ingredients
100g butter
50g soft light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
125g wheat and gluten free flour (or ordinary plain flour)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g chocolate orange, chopped

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Place the butter and sugars into a bowl and beat together until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg and then sift over the flour and bicarbonate of soda.
Fold in the flour followed by the chocolate.
Drop teaspoons of cookie mixture onto the baking tray leaving A LOT of space between each one.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.
Transfer to a cooling wrack straight away and leave to cool.
Make 16 cookies.