Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

As you all know by now, I really love to spoil the Missionaries. They're really great lads and far away from home, doing the Lord's work . . . tramping the streets in all kinds of weather, come what may. The mother in me just can't resist taking care of them in any way that I can. Mitzie loves them too, as you can clearly see!



I was reading my e-mails the other day when this popped up. Kevin and Amanda, Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies. There often isn't anything pertinent to me on that page . . . but sometimes there is a gem hidden amongst the travelogues and product reviews, and that gal takes fab pictures!



Anyways this gave me a great idea of how to really spoil the lads, and I have to confess that two of them are leaving tomorrow for other areas . . . and so I extra specially wanted to give that cheeky chap Elder Hopper an extra superfantastic treat before he leaves, as well as Elder Smith . . . and the other two Elders as well of course.



I have to admit to having a certain soft spot for Elder Hopper though. He's been here six months and it will be hard to see him go. He has become very special to us. I have made him promise to come back one day for a visit. We do have an extra couple of beds going!



I used my own chocolate chip cookie recipe because in my opinion it seriously cannot be improved upon. I've been honing it for over 25 years! When I cooked at the big house I used to bake them at least twice and sometimes three times a week! The Mr and the staff all loved them. I used to have to bake extra batches for him to take when he went away as well. He did love those cookies!



So what I did was take Kevin and Amanda's idea and adapt it to my own cookie recipe.
Am I ever glad these won't be living here for very long.



They are uber dangerous. Those lads spend all day walking . . . they can take it. My hips??? Well, the hips don't lie and mine are telling me now . . . walk away . . . just . . . walk . . . away.



And don't look back! To do so would be to risk being turned into a pillar of salt . . . or lard. Take your pick!



*Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups*
Makes about 24 huge cookies
Printable Recipe

Double the pleasure. Double chocolate chip cookies, filled with a milk chocolate centre. Decadently scrummilicious!

220g of butter, at room temperature
201g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)
191g of granulated sugar (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs
1 TBS pure vanilla
500g of plain flour (3 1/2 cups)
1 tsp fine seasalt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
10 ounces of pure chocolate chips, semi sweet (1 1/2 cups)
To fill:
4 ounces milk chocolate chips (1/2 cup), melted

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Lightly grease two medium size nonstick muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla, salt and soda. Stir in the flour until well mixed. Stir in the semi sweet chocolate chips.

Using about 1 dessertspoon measure for each roll the dough into balls. Flatten half of them and place into the prepared muffin tins. Top each with about 1 tsp of the melted milk chocolate chips, taking care to keep it in the middle. Take another ball of dough, flatten it and place it over the melted chocolate and press around the edges lightly to seal the chocolate in. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the muffin tins halfway through the baking time. They should be lightly browned on the edges and set. Immediately upon removal from the oven run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen. Allow to cool completely in the muffin tins before popping out. Store in an airtight container.

Note: To serve as a dessert cup, lightly reheat the number of cookies you want in the microwave for a few seconds. Place each on a plate. Top with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and drizzle with some chocolate syrup. If you have homemade so much the better!!

I have a fantastic chocolate sauce recipe here. It's the best!



Over in The Cottage today, Carrot Cake Drop Scones.

Ginger Cutouts on a Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the abode
Only one creature was stirring & she was cleaning the commode.
The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds,
while visions of Nintendo & Barbie flipped through their heads.

Yes, and dad was snoring in front of the TV,
with a half constructed bicycle propped on his knee.
So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,
which made her sigh, "Now what is the matter?"



With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,
She descended the stairs, and saw the old man.
He was covered with ashes & soot, which fell with a shrug,
"Oh great," muttered the mom, "Now I have to clean the rug."

"Ho Ho Ho!" cried Santa, I'm glad you're awake."
"your gift was especially difficult to make."
"Thanks, Santa, but all I want is time alone."
"Exactly!" he chuckled, "So, I've made you a clone."



"A clone?" she muttered, "What good is that?"
"Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit chat."
Then out walked the clone - The mother's twin,
Same hair, same eyes, same double chin.

"She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess.
You'll relax, take it easy, watch TV and rest.
"Fantastic!" the mom cheered. "My dream has come true!"
"I'll shop, I'll read, I'll sleep a night through!"



From the room above, the youngest did fret.
"Mommy?! Come quickly, I'm scared and I'm wet."
The clone replied, "I'm coming, sweetheart."
"Hey," the mom smiled, "She sure knows her part."

The clone changed the child and hummed her a tune,
as she bundled the small one in a blanket cocoon.
"You're the best mommy ever. I really love you."
The clone smiled and sighed, "And I love you too."



The mom frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal.
That's my child's LOVE she is going to steal."
Smiling wisely, Santa said: "To me it is clear,
Only one loving mother is needed here."

The mom kissed her child and tucked her in bed.
"Thank You, Santa, for clearing my head.
Sometimes I forget, it won't be very long,
before they'll be too old for my cradle and song."



The clock on the mantle began to chime.
Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."
With the clone by his side, Santa said: "Goodnight.
Merry Christmas, dear Mom, you'll be all right."

Sometimes we need reminding of what life is all about.
Especially at times when the Holiday season shouts,
and all we do is clean, bake, and procure.
You get the picture -- I'm sure.



So stop for a moment and hug that little one so dear,
whether he/she is 2 or 22, or even older this year.
For they are the gift that God gave us from Heaven above,
and what a special gift to be treasured, with endless LOVE!
~Author Unknown

Merry Christmas Everyone! May your holiday be truly blessed, and filled with an abundance of love and joy. Catch you on the flip side!




*Old Fashioned Ginger Cut Outs*
Printable Recipe

These deliciously crisp and spicy cookies are a wonderful addition to any holiday tray.

8 TBS softened butter
1/2 cup packed light soft brown sugar (3.75 ounces)
1/2 cup molasses (250ml, can use equal measures of golden and dark treacle)
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (10.6 ounces)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cardamon

Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/350*F. Cream together butter and sugar. Then beat in the molasses and egg.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add to the creamed mixture and mix until well blended. Put into a plastic bag and refrigerate for one hour.

Roll out onto a lightly floured surface, 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch squares or use your choice of cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place on baking sheets and bake for 7 to 9 minutes until set and lightly browned. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

To Decorate:

2 cups icing sugar (8 ounces)
3 to 4 TBS water or milk
Food colouring (if desires)
assorted small candy sprinkles, edible glitter and or decorator sugar

Whisk the icing sugar and enough water or milk together to give you a thick, but easily spreadable glaze. You can tint it different colours, using food colouring. For a neat finish dip the cookies into it on the flat and then lift them straight up allowing any excess to drip off. You can spoon it on as well, but it won't give you as neat a finish. (My stars were dipped, my men were drizzled.)



Over in The Cottage today, some delicious White Chocolate and Cherry Fudge.

My Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chunk, Raisin & Macadamia Nut Cookies

There are some days when you just don't feel much like cooking aren't there??? I like to call them "Egg & Chips" days or "Beans on Toast" days! (and we all have them!)



Today was an "Egg & Chips" day. In fact I was really, really lazy today and sent Todd to the local chippie for the chips. (So bad but oh so good!) By the time he came home the eggs were fried, with crisp lacy brown edges (just the way we like them) and the bread was buttered.



I did bake cookies though . . . so all was not lost. We are going to be visiting an elderly gentleman that is a member of our church Ward and I wanted to bake a treat for him.



I think he'll like these. They're really quite scrummy!



In fact, you could say they are one of my favourite cookies.
Soft and chewy and chock full of lovely dark milk chocolate chunks, sweet and chewy raisins and crunchy toasted macadamia nuts.



Oh my . . . I just may have to bake some more! I am such a bad puddy tat . . . =^..^=



*My Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chunk, Raisin & Macadamia Nut Cookies*
Makes one dozen oversized cookies
Printable Recipe

These are nice and chewy and chock full of lovely raisins, chocolate chunks and toasted macadamia nuts. What's not to love about these!

6 ounces of butter, melted
7.5 ounces soft light brown sugar (1 cup, packed)
3.5 ounces caster sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
1 large egg yolk
1 TBS vanilla extract
pinch salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
8.5 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
9 ounces good quality milk chocolate, chopped (1 1/2 cups approximately. I like
to use Green and Black' as it has a high cacao count and tastes lovely)
5.25 ounces raisins (1 cup)
5.25 ounces coarsely chopped toasted macadamia nuts
(Do take the time to toast them. They taste so much better)

Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Line several baking sheets with baking paper. Set aside.

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

Cream together the melted butter along with both sugars. Blend together well.Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, until light and creamy. Stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips, raisins and nuts using a wooden spoon. Drop the dough by super heaped dessertspoons onto the baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches in between each. (About 1/4 cup each)

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before removing to wire racks to finish cooling completely. Store in an airtight container.



Baking over in The Cottage today, a delicious Double Chocolate Cake.

Candy Apple Cake

Do you know what time of year it is now??? It's FRUIT FLY season!! Yeppers!! Fruit fly season and this past week has seen my kitchen inundated with the little dears, so much so that I decided to take all my apples the other day and make applesauce with them. (I also put out fruit fly traps. I'll tell you all about them at the end of this post!)



I had a lot of apples, and I got a lot of applesauce. Basically I just peel the apples and then cook them with a tiny bit of water over low heat until they are all soft and mushy. Sometimes I add a bit of sugar and spice, depending on what I am going to use it for. This was a real mixture of apples, I think I had four different kinds . . . so it's a real mishmash!



I froze most of it, but I kept back some to make this very delicious cake with. You will love this cake, and it's just perfect for this time of year. A deliciously moist cake, filled with applesauce and spice and covered with a tasty toffee glaze . . . so it's just like a spicy, moist, moreish candy apple!



My pictures are not the greatest . . . not only is it fruit fly season, but the season of good natural lighting has disappeared . . . so my pictures are not so good . . . and I overcooked the glaze a bit so there are a few lumps and bumps in it, which while they did not detract from the cake's overall deliciousness . . . they don't look soooooo good!



Oh, it is soooooo scrummy yummy . . . and as you can tell from that little black snout . . . it is clearly Miztie approved! (Spaniels are such loveable little piggies!)



*Candy Apple Cake*
Serves 10 to 12
Printable Recipe

This is a lovely cake that the whole family will enjoy. Deliciously moist and full of the wonderful flavour of spice, studded with soft raisins and crunchy walnuts, this truly is a joy to bake and to eat. The smell of this when it is baking is truly heavenly!

9 ounces plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
16 fluid ounces unsweetened applesauce (2 cups)
4 ounces vegetable shortening such as Trex, White Flora or Crisco (1/2 cup)
4 fluid ounces water (1/2 cup)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4 ounces chopped toasted walnuts (1 cup)
5 ounces raisins, (1 scant cup)

FOR THE GLAZE:
170g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup, Packed)
2 ounces butter
85ml of double cream (about 1/3 cup)

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 inch bundt pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, spices and sugar into a large bowl. Drop in the shortening, applesauce, water and eggs. Beat it all together with an electric mixer until it is all smooth, beating well. Fold in the sultanas and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until lightly browned and the top springs back when lightly touched. Alternately you may use a toothpick to see if it is done, which when inserted will come out clean.

Remove from the oven and place in the pan on a wire rack to cool for ten minutes. Invert onto a cake plate and dump out. Allow to finish cooling completely.

To make the glaze, combine the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Heat over low heat to melt the butter and sugar together. It should not feel gritty. Whisk in the cream and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Spoon over the cake.

♥♥♥How To Trap A Bunch of Fruit FliesM♥♥♥

Take a small bowl. Put about 2 ounces of apple cider vinegar into it. Cover the top tightly with plastic cling film. Punch a few holes into the top with the tip of a knife and set it near to where you are having the fruit fly problem. (It also helps to put away any fruit until they disappear.) The little beasties are very attracted to the vinegar and get in under the plastic cling film through the little holes and then cannot get out. It works a charm!



Baking in The Cottage today, a delicious Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza!

Amazing Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Did you know that my kids came home from school every day to find a freshly baked treat waiting for them?? I'm not bragging or anything, but it's true! It was a very rare occasion when there wasn't something tasty waiting for them when they got off the bus! I loved to bake. I loved my kids . . . I loved to bake for my kids. I don't tell you this to brag or anything . . . it is simply a matter of fact! (With five children, three of them boys, nothing lasted overly long in my house, I needed to bake every day!)



Some days are just milk and cookie days are they not??? There is nothing more inviting when you come into the house than a plate of freshly baked cookies and a jug of ice cold milk. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy it either!



I am one of those who loves to indulge myself every so often in this lucious treat of milk and fresh baked cookies. Ok . . .so my waistline say I indulge myself more than just every so often . . . but . . . meh!



One of my favourite milk and cookie indulgences are these amazing peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. (Now that's a mouthful!) Oh so scrummy . . .
Crisp, peanut buttery, oaty, chocolatey and filled with lots of salted peanuts. These go down so very well with a tall glass of milk. I make em even more moreish by using chopped Green and Black's milk chocolate.



They are my only weakness . . . (shaddup cheeky!!!!)



*Amazing Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies*
Makes about 6 dozen
Printable Recipe

Two of these, fresh out of the oven, along with an ice cold glass of milk. Cookie heaven!!

8.5 ounces rolled oats (3 cups)
1.5 ounces whole wheat flour (1/3 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
7 ounce soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)
6.7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened (1 cup)
3 ounces natural peanut butter (unsweetened, 1/2 cup)
2 large free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
11 ounces of salted whole peanuts (2 cups)
12.5 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
(Or use an equivalent weight of chopped good quality milk chocolate with a
high cocoa content, such as Green and Blacks Milk, my preferred)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture just until combined. Stir in the peanuts and chocolate.

Scoop onto the prepared baking sheets using dessertspoons, leaving at least 2 inches apart for spreading. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown and set. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Repeat until all cookies are baked. Store in a tightly covered container.



Cooking at The Cottage today, a deliciously old fashioned Potato Pudding! One of my favourite recipes from The Big Blue Binder.

Oatmeal Cake

The missionaries popped over yesterday to do some work for us in the garden. You know how much I love the missionaries and how much I like to spoil them and so I thought I would bake them a cake so that they could have a piece and a nice glass of milk after they were finished.



I thought they would enjoy a good old fashioned oatmeal cake. It was always a favourite of my boys. Put a dish of oatmeal down in front of them and they turned up their noses . . . turn that oatmeal into a tasty cake and they couldn't get enough of it!!



This is an incredibly moreishly moist and delicious cake! Brown sugar and oats make it so . . . and it has a lovely spicy flavour from warm spices . . . cinnamon and nutmeg. Oh so homey and comforting.



The topping is oh so scrummy . . . all nutty and coconutty and sweet . . . kinda like toffee and nuts and coconut in one incredibly delicious combination.



Altogether you get one unbelievably yummy cake that will have them coming back for seconds! I've never had anyone turn down the offer of a second piece yet!



*Oatmeal Cake*
Makes one 9 by 13 inch cake
Printable Recipe

A moist and deliciously old fashioned cake with a scrummy broiled toffee and coconut topping!

375ml of boiling water (1 1/2 cup)
3 1/2 ounces rolled oats (1 cup)
4 ounces white shortening such as Trex or Crisco (1/2 cup)
7 1/2 ounces soft light brown sugar (1 cup)
7 ounces of granulated sugar (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs, well beaten
6 1/2 ounces of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

For the topping:
4 ounces butter (1/2 cup)
7 1/2 ounces soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)
100ml of cream (1/3 cup)
3 ounces sweetened flaked coconut (1 cup)
4 ounces chopped nuts (1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 5. Grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Set aside.

Pour the boiling water over the oats and let stand until cool. Cream the shortening together with the sugars and eggs until fluffy. Add oats and water mixture. Sift the flour, spices and soda together. Blend into the creamed mixture. Pour this batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cake tests done. The top should spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the topping. Melt the butter. Blend in the sugar and add the remaining ingredients. Preheat the grill to high.

Spread the topping onto the baked hot cake. Place under the heated grill for 1 to 2 minutes until bubbling. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Cut into squares to serve. Store any leftovers covered tightly.

Jam Marguerites

I have something spectacularly simple and yet very elegant to share with you today.

These little gems are quite old fashioned, coming from a recipe that's been around a very long time. (1933) I have a series of cookery books in my home library, called The Farmer's Wife cookbooks. I have the Baking one, the Comfort Foods one, and one simply entitled The Farmer's Wife. There are quite a few others as well, but I haven't managed to collect them just yet.



These are lovely ring bound cookery books, just stogged full of tried and trues, family and farm tested recipes, based on simple, wholesome and nourishing ingredients.



It's simple food. Honest food. Old fashioned and delicious.



I have wanted to make these little sweet biscuits for a long time now. From the Farmer's Wife Comfort Food Cookbook (over 300 blue-ribbon recipes), they use every day ingredients . . . round buttery crackers, egg whites, jam, chopped nuts. They're very easy to make and in less than 15 minutes, you can have a delicious little sweet on your teatime table that is not only pretty, but quite, quite delicious.



Each bite is at once buttery and crisp, from the cracker base and ethereally angelically sweet from the soft jam meringue topping, with the added pleasure of chopped toasted nuts. I quite like these. The combinations are endless . . . raspberry jam with almonds, marmelade with walnuts, strawberry jam with pistachios, apricots jam with almonds, etc. . . . let your imagination and fancy go wild!




*Jam Marguerites*
Makes about 20
Printable Recipe

A pretty little dainty, just perfect for the tea table! Quick, easy and delicious!

2 large free range egg whites, at room temperature
3 TBS raspberry or other jam
2 ounces of chopped nuts (1/2 cup)
2 drops lemon essence
20 round buttery crackers (such as Ritz. You can also use TUK, in which case you
will have rectangular shaped ones)

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready a baking tray.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and then gradually beat in the jam, beating until thorougly blended. Add 1 TBS of the choppled nuts and lemon essence. Place a spoonful of the mixture on each cracker and place onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the remainder of the chopped nuts. Bake for abou 10 minutes until delicately brown. (Keep an eye on them.) Serve on the day as they are not great keepers.