Melting Moments biscuits

The Great Australian Bake Off topic this week was biscuits. And not just any biscuits, but filled, sandwich biscuits.

Now biscuits rarely last long enough to bother pairing and icing in this house, but rising to the challenge, I waited until the kids were at school before baking these biscuits (mostly because I forgot to get the dough out of the fridge, and it was too cold at 6am to roll into balls)

Sophie helped to make the icing that holds the biscuits together (she loves nothing more than pouring and mixing, and often dances a jig when I say "let's bake"), and then she proceeded to stick her finger in the bowl and eat half the icing, sans biscuits!

Ingredients
190g butter, softened
1/3 cup icing sugar
3/4tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cornflour
1 & 1/3 plain flour
lemon filling
1 cup icing sugar
1Tbs soft butter/margarine
juice of half a lemon

Method
* cream butter and sugar
* add vanilla, mix well
* add sifted flour and cornflour, mix well
* refrigerate 1 hr
* roll into even sized balls
* bake 180°C 12-14min
* allow to cool completely
* mix all filling ingredients in a bowl until smooth
* spoon filling onto one biscuit, place on top of another biscuit, allow to set

The Great Australian Bake Off airs on Lifestyle at 8.30 AEST Tuesdays.

Next week's topic is choux pastry.

linking up with Fabulous Foodie Fridays at Create Bake Make and Bake Play Smile

 If you bake something inspired by this week's episode, don't forget to link up below or use the hashtag #bloggerbakeoffau on social media
 

An InLinkz Link-up

Almond Orange Shortbread

Growing up, mum bought a tin of Dansk shortbread cookies every year. You know the blue tins, right? And during the Christmas season, it was often the only biscuit floating around the house. But no one actually liked them, so the tin and contents got thrown out in January, only to reappear the following year. 

But it did introduce me to shortbread. And shortbread has been a personal favourite of mine for a long time. And shortbread with citrus is pretty awesome. This shortbread packs a marzipan punch when it's fresh out of the oven that mellows over time, allowing the orange flavour to develop and pack an even bigger punch a few days later. I would skip the nuts next time I made this, and the kids would probably like it better. My dough was too soft to roll into logs, so I just rolled balls and pressed down with a glass base.

Ingredients
250g butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1tsp almond extract
2 cus plain flour
zest of 1 orange
150g slivered almonds

Method
* cream butter and sugar until smooth
* add almond extract and orange zest, mix well
* add flour, mix well
* add almonds, mix carefully
* pour onto bench, gently knead
* roll into 2 logs, wrap in baking paper and refrigerate 2 hrs
* slice 1 log into even pieces, place on tray
* bake 180°C 12-15min, or until golden brown

Chai Snickerdoodles

About 6 years ago the internet was just starting to open the world up. People were discovering other countries and traditions and taking the bits that appealed as their own. One of the things I discovered and loved was the American fun of a cookie exchange - baking one type of cookie by the dozen, and getting together with friends and swapping cookies.

But even back than I didn't have friends who baked. So I started baking and posting them here.

Years later, one of the best {and easiest} cookies I've ever discovered was snickerdoodles. They're little balls of sugar cookie dough, rolled in sugar then baked. They are yummiest warm from the oven, but we've always found them just as yummy after they've cooled and crisped up around the edges. And chai is a lovely Christmas-y spice that pumps up the flavour of the cookies.

Ingredients
2 & 1/3 cups self raising flour
250g butter, softened
1 ½ cups caster sugar
2 eggs
chai sugar
5Tbs caster sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground cardamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Method
* mix chai sugar ingredients in a jar
* cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
* add eggs, one at a time, mix well
* add flour, mix well
* refrigerate 1 hour
* roll into balls with damp hands
* pour chai sugar into plate
* roll balls into sugar, place on tray
* bake 180°C 14min
* cool on tray before moving to wire rack

Gingerbread Crackles

When I first started baking Christmas cookies all those years ago, I didn't think the kids would enjoy strong spices like ginger. But over the years we've discovered that they are the biscuits that are more likely to be eaten than, say, brown sugar oatmeal cookies.

I call these crackles, because the sugar coating on the outside "crackles" as the cookie expands. There's a warm hit of ginger that lingers long after you've taken your last bite, I think these will be added to the ever-expanding-make-again list.

Ingredients

100g butter, chopped

1/3 cup golden syrup

1 & 1/2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2tsp ground ginger

1tsp mixed spice

1/4tsp ground cloves

1/4tsp bicarb soda

1/4cup icing sugar for dredging

Method

* place butter and syrup in saucepan, melt over low heat, mix well

* pour butter mix into bowl, add all ingredients, except icing sugar, mix well

* refrigerate at least 1 hour

* roll into balls, roll in icing sugar, place on trays

* bake 180°C 12min

* cool slightly on tray before moving to wire rack

Hokey Pokey cookies

Sometimes, staying enthusiastic about an idea is really hard. Especially when you realise the efoort actually involved in the enthusiastic idea.

So in order not give up completely, you revert to the path of least effort, in hops of reigniting the spark of passion.

Simple usually works best, just like these biscuits are pretty awesome, even for their plain ingredients and flavours. Make a fresh cup of tea, and  eat a couple without worrying about spoiling your dinner.

Ingredients

125g butter, softened

1/2 cup caster sugar

1Tbs golden syrup

1Tbs milk

1tsp bicarb soda

1 & 1/2 cups plain flour

Method

* cream butter and sugar until light and creamy

* heat golden syrup and milk in microwave 20 seconds

* add bicarb soda to milk mixture

* add milk misture to butter mixture, stir well to combine

* add flour, mix well

* roll into balls, place on tray, press gently with fork

* bake 180°C 12 minutes

linking with Essentially Jess

 

Chocolate Sprinkle cookies

The kids have waited patiently all week for this recipe. It's been written up on our menu planning wall for over a week, and I started to make them last weekend before I discovered that I didn't have any cocoa (on a public holiday Monday, so I couldn't even send Steve to the shops for me!)

These are such fun to eat! Every little sprinkle gets in your teeth, and adds a bit of crunch to tasteful chocolate cookie. The kids have eaten a couple today, and have tried to convince me to let them eat more. I don't expect any to be left by Monday.

Ingredients

250g butter, softened

1 & 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup cocoa

2 cups self raising flour

sprinkle to dredge

Method

* cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

* add eggs one at a time, mix well

* mix in vanilla

* add sifted flour and cocoa, mix well

* refrigerate at least 1 hour

* roll into balls with damp hands, roll in sprinkles

* bake 180° for 12-14min

* allow to cool slightly before moving to wire rack

YIAH Pumpkin Pie Spice cookies

I first discovered pumpkin pie spice way back in 2009 {that recipe is still one of our favourites} Premixed pumpkin pie spice hadn't reached the shores of Australia yet, so I hunted down a recipe on Baking Bites {still a favourite baking blog to read, with recipes that never fail!} and always have a supply in the cupboard, mixed and ready to go.

So, when my sister became a Your Inspiration at Home consultant, I wasn't going to try the pumpkin pie spice, or the apple pie spice. After all, mixing them myself just made sense. But as part of this 31 cookies project, I really wanted to showcase the YIAH products in a way that hadn't been done by other consultants {the recipe inspiration on their website comes from consultants, not the company} Noella sent me some pumpkin pie spice, and I scoured pinterest for recipe ideas.

This recipe is absolutely perfect. The icing is creamy and tangy, and the cookie is crumbly with just the right amount of spice. I don't usually bother frosting cookies, but I'm really glad I did these ones, it sets off the cookie just right; another cookie that was devoured by everyone quickly and quietly, and will be added to regular rotation.

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened (185g)

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1tsp vanilla extract

1tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 cups self raising flour

Frosting

1 cup icing sugar

60g butter, softened (3Tbs)

2Tbs cream

drop vanilla extract

1tsp pumpkin pie spice

Method

* cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

* add egg and vanilla, mix well

* add flour and spice, mix well

* roll into balls, place on tray, bake 180°C 12-14min

* allow to cool slightly before placing on wire rack

** for frosting - mix all ingredients well, frost cookies when cool.

linking up with Fabulous Foodie Fridays at Create Bake Make and My Brown Paper Packages

Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookies

Oatmeal cookies seem to be a popular sort of cookie for Americans, but they're not something that seems to have taken off in Australia, beyond ANZAC cookies. And I must admit that these do sort of taste and look like ANZAC cookies, and are just as disliked by the fussy children in the this house.

I stumbled on this recipe from The Pioneer Woman when I went to pinterest and search "oatmeal cookies". Looking at all that buttery sugary goodness made me want to add it to my repertoire. But fussy kids win, and I sent half the cookies home with Caitlin, and devoured the rest myself.

Ingredients
250g butter, softened
2 cups dark brown sugar
2tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 & 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2tsp bicarb soda
3 cups rolled oats

Method
* cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
* add vanilla and eggs, mix well
* add flour and bicarb, mix well
* add oats, mix well
* place spoons full onto lined tray
* bake 180°C 12-14min
* allow to cool slightly on tray before moving to wire rack to cool completely

Choc Chip Cornflake Cookies

Choc chips cookies get devoured in mere hours here, especially fresh and warm out of the oven. There's just something about warm chocolate and soft sweet cookie dough that pairs beautifully with a hot cup of tea in winter, and in summer they're just sweet enough without tasting horrible one a hot day.

As I was pondering my list of cookies to bake this month, I remembered how much fun choc chip cookies could be with cornflakes added. I can't even remember when I last made these, but I do remember several occasions when I headed off to uni classes and left my brother instructions to make them before I returned. That was if he hadn't eaten all the choc chips!

So I added these to my list, and enjoyed them when they came out of the oven, as did the kids. I think Steve even snuck one into his lunch box!

Ingredients

125g butter, softened

2/3 cup caster sugar

1tsp vanilla

1Tbs milk

1 & 1/4 cup self raising flour

1 & 1/2 cup cornflakes

2/3 cup choc chips

Method

* cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

* add vanilla and milk, and mix well

* add flour, choc chips and cornflakes, and carefully mix

* place spoons full on tray, bake 180°C 12min until golden brown

Peanut Butter Cookies

I seem to be baking lots of classic recipes lately, and discovering that the kids that didn't like them years ago have fallen in love with them now.

I first made peanut butter cookies when I was pregnant with Chloe. They had whole peanuts in them, and the whole process of roasting peanuts and rubbing the skins off and chopping them up helped the time pass while I waited for her arrival.

But this isn't that recipe. Because I haven't got a clue where that recipe is. I found this recipe over at Gimme Some Oven. They're soft and chewy and lightly crumbly with just a hint of peanut butter, and the batch was devoured in a couple of days.

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups plain flour

1tsp baking powder

1tsp bicarb soda

1tsp cornstarch

1tsp salt

250g butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)

2tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

Method

* cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy

* add peanut butter, mix until smooth

* add vanilla and eggs, mix well

* add dry ingredients, mix well

* roll into balls, place on trays, mark with criss cross pattern with fork

* bake 180°C 12 minutes

** do not refrigerate dough, it stops the reaction on the bicarb soda.

linking with Essentially Jess

Lemon Crinkles

I think lemon is a really underutilised flavour in biscuits these days. Probably because not many backyards have big old lemon trees in them any more (and now that my generation has realised what's missing, it will be years before the trees are big and old again.) Meanwhile, we buy lemons at the supermarket, and don't even bother investing in limes out of season.

I chose to make these cookies for me. I love a good lemon-flavoured something with my afternoon cup of tea, and these were no exception. Of course, we've got cookies coming out our ears here, so there's plenty of lemon crinkles left over while the kids devour more exciting flavours.

Ingredients

125g butter

1 cup caster sugar

1/2tsp vanilla

1 egg

zest of 1 lemon

juice from half lemon

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/4tsp baking powder

icing sugar for dredging

Method

* cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

* add vanilla, lemon zest, lemon and egg, mix well

* add flour and baking powder, mix well

* roll into balls, roll in icing sugar

* bake 180°C 14min

Classic Jam Drops

Jam drops have always been hit and miss in this house. I'm not a huge fan of jam, but Chloe loved it growing up, so these were on high rotation with the orange poppyseed cookies; but Douglas wasn't a fan when he was little, and Natalie has never liked jam, so it was easy to forget this classic and try other things. But I really wanted to see if the jam drops base would work with lemon curd, because everyone is a fan of lemon here.

And it was the right decision to make. Where some cookies are still stashed away in the cupboard, there were no jam drops left within 24 hours. Even Steve tried them, and he never eats biscuits, because of his reflux issues. The kids have already ordered these for back to school baking, but I'll be doubling the batch this time!

Ingredients

80g butter, softened

1/3 cup caster sugar

2Tb milk

1/2tsp vanilla extract

1 cup self raising flour

1/3 cup custard powder

jam or curd

Method

* cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

* add milk and vanilla, mix well

* sift flour and custard powder, fold into butter mixture

* roll dough into balls, place on trays

* using thumb, or end of wooden spoon, make an indentation

* fill hole with jam or curd

* bake 180°C for 15min 

London Fog cookies

Tea and cookies just seem to go hand in hand. And a crumbly, buttery shortbread style cookie is the best sort. So it was with great excitement I noticed recipes appearing a couple of years ago that had tea in them. But I've never actually made any of those recipes.

When my sister became a Your Inspiration at Home consultant recently, and I purchased half the catalogue hosted a party and got a pile of products, one of the products I chose was the London Fog tea leaves. I'd never even heard the term London Fog before, but as a long-time Earl Grey lover, I figured I couldn't go wrong with that choice. And a little bit of research showed me that London Fog is actually Earl Grey and vanilla. And my first Cate-invented cookie recipe was born.

Ingredients

250g butter, softened

2/3 cup icing sugar

1 1/3 cup plain flour

1.5tsp vanilla extract

2Tbs London Fog tea leaves, crushed

Method

* cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

* add vanilla and tea, mix well

* add flour, mix until combined

* wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30min

* roll out dough, cut shapes, place on lined trays

* bake 180°C for 14min

** adjust time depending on size of cookies

Orange Poppyseed cookies

Sometimes, you bake a recipe so often that you can measure the ingredients from memory. You've always got everything in stock in the cupboard, and the finished product never lasts long in the cupboard. And then you don't bake it for years and years, and forget the recipe and have to hunt it out.

This is one such recipe (there are a few over the course of this month.) I think Chloe was about 3 when I first made these cookies, and they were a much loved staple during her childhood. In fact, it was Chloe that asked a few weeks ago if this one was on the list, and I cooked them as soon as I could and sent her the recipe. I hope they turned out just as she remembers!

Ingredients

250g butter, softened

1 cup icing sugar

2.5 cups plain flour

grated rind of 1 orange

poppyseeds

Method

* cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

* add rind, and mix well

* add sifted flour, and poppyseeds, mix well

* pour onto lightly floured surface, knead gently

* roll into 2 equal sized logs, refrigerate 2 hours

** can be frozen at this point

** to bake, slice into half inch slices using a serrated knife

** bake at 180°C for 14 minutes, or until golden brown

31 days of cookies

You may have been a reader here 12 months ago, when I took part in the #write31days project, and wrote a series of posts about blogging.

Or maybe you followed along in May, when I blogged every day.

What you may not have realised, unless you're a long-time-reader, is that I don't often finish projects like that. So it's pretty exciting that I did actually finish them. The only other time I've finished big projects was back in 2011, when I finished Layout-A-Day, creating 28 scrapbook layouts in 28 days.

I'm back again this October, writing 31 posts. And for some reason that I'm not really sure of, I decided to share 31 cookie recipes [maybe because I've always hoped the American idea of Cookie Exchanges will one day take off in Australia.]

But I have to tell you, choosing to share 31 cookie recipes isn't as easy as it sounds - I forgot about the bit where I have to cook all those cookies! Fortunately, there's plenty of people around us available for taste testing, although I have yet to have a batch that lasts long enough to leave the house, everything has had the kid-seal-of-approval so far!

So what delights am I cooking up? There's shortbread and snickerdoodles and oatmeal cookies and slice & bake cookies and even sugar cookies. There's new recipes that I've invented, and tried and tested classics, and new twists on old favourites. And hopefully, you'll find a favourite or two to add to your Christmas cookie list.

day one - Orange Poppyseed cookies
day two - London Fog cookies
day three - classic jam drops
day four - lemon crinkles
day five - peanut butter cookies
day six - choc chip cornflake cookies
day seven - brown sugar oatmeal cookies
day eight - YIAH pumpkin pie spice cookies
day nine - chocolate sprinkle cookies
day ten - hokey pokey cookies
day eleven - gingerbread crackles
day twelve - chai snickerdoodles
day thirteen
day fourteen
day fifteen
day sixteen
day seventeen
day eighteen
day ninteen
day twenty
day twenty one
day twenty two
day twenty three
day twenty four
day twenty five
day twenty six
day twenty seven
day twenty eight
day twenty nine
day thirty
day thirty one

And if you're writing every day in October, you can join my pinterest board to share your posts.

linking up with Essentially Jess