Makes about 36 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 cup soft brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

3 cups porridge oats

1 1/2 cups raisins or sultanas

How to make them

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, caster sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla essence. Start with a slow speed and gradually increase. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy and mixture lightens in colour.

Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible. Don’t overmix – just stop when the flour is mixwd in.

Now add oats and raisins and stir until mixed in.

Divide the mixture into 3 and form 2 parts into, wrap in clingfilm and freeze.

Using a cookie scoop (holds about 2 tablespoons dough), put scoopfuls on lightly greased baking sheet about 2″ apart. Or roll into balls.

Bake for 10 – 13 minutes at 350F until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack.

Store in airtight tin.

Tags: baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, butter, caster sugar, egg, plain flour, porridge oats, raisins, salt, soft brown sugar, vanilla essence
Posted in Biscuits | 2 Comments »

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

How to make tham

In a large bowl, cream together butter and  sugar until white and creamy.

Beat in egg and vanilla.

Add flour, cinammon, baking powder and salt.

Blend well until mixture sarts to stick together.

Divide mixture into two. Form one half into sausage shape, wrap in clingfilm and freeze.

Chill the remaining half to firm it up a bit – put it in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for a couple of hours. You can use it straight away but it will be very sticky to work with.

When it is firmer, make small balls by rolling between hands – about 3/4″ across.

Set balls about 2″ apart on lightly greased baking tray.

Bake at 350F for about 5 – 10 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

Cool on rack

Store in airtight tin.

Tags: baking powder, butter, cinnamon, egg, granulated sugar, plain flour, salt, vanilla essence
Posted in Biscuits | 3 Comments »

This is a recipe that was my Grandpa Edward Williams’ speciality! He always had a tin of toffee handy and everyone used to hope he would bring the tin out! It is not a chewy toffee, it’s brittle and for sucking! It is a very dark brown colour and very tasty! Quite economical, a victorian recipe that his mother used to make. He also used to make it on the Thames sailing barge that he worked on with his father around 1900-1910.

Ingredients

1 lb soft brown sugar

Knob of butter (about 1 dessertspoonful)

1 tablespoon vinegar

3 tablespoons water

How to make it.

1. Grease with butter,  2 sandwich tins or something of equivalent size. Or line with black silicon liner (but grease around the edges if not lining them).
2. In a medium saucepan put the sugar and water and bring to the boil.
3. As soon as it starts boiling, add the butter and vinegar.
4. DO NOT STIR!!! Just let the butter gradually dissolve by itself, do not try to mix it in or the toffee will crystallise.
5. Boil gently for about 15 minutes. Do not leave unattended in case it boils over or burns. It needs a nice rolling boil, turn the heat down a bit if you think it’s too fast and frothy.
6. Have a cup of cold water ready. After 10 minutes, start testing to see if its done:
7. Pour a teaspoonful of toffee mixture into the cold water. If it sets hard, the toffee is done. If it is soft, let the mixture boil a little longer. Test about once a minute. The toffee is ready when the mixture is brittle and can be snapped after the water test.
8. Carefully pour the mixture into the tins. Remember the metal tins will be very hot once the mixture has been poured in. Leave to set.
9. Break with a small hammer when set.
10. This is best eaten fairly quickly, it tends to spoil in the fridge. Try making half the quantity in one tin to see how you get on.

Tags: butter, soft brown sugar, toffee, vinegar, water
Posted in Sweets | No Comments »

Ingredients
Base
50g (2 oz) butter
150g (5oz) chocolate digestives (crushed)
Filling
175g white chocolate (we used Tesco’s own). (Don’t use Milky Bar)
200g full fat cream cheese (1 tub)
1 egg
75 ml soured cream
3/4 teasoon vanilla essence

How to Make it
1. Preheat oven to 160C / Fan 140C / Gas Mark 3

2. Grease the base and sides of a pyrex pie plate.

3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat.

4. Stir in the crushed biscuits (put the biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin).

5. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the base of the pyrex dish. Chill in the fridge.

6. Break the white chocolate into a bowl and melt over a pan of boiling water, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is smooth and runny.

7. Whisk the cream cheese and eggs together in a large bowl until smooth, then add the soured cream and vanilla and whisk again until completely smooth with no lumps.

8. Stir in the melted chocolate and mix well.

9. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until firm round the edge and just set in the middle

10. When it comes out of the oven, run a knife around the edge to loosen it, then allow to cool and then chill in the fridge.

11. To be posh you could decorate with strawnberries or dust with sieved cocoa or drinking chocolate powder.

Tags: butter, chocolate digestives, cream cheese, egg, soured cream, vanilla essence, white chocolate
Posted in Desserts | No Comments »

Ingredients

4 oz package of cream cheese (like Philadelphia)

1 small egg yolk

1/2 cup granulated sugar (divided)

12 slices white bread

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

How to Make Them

1. Set oven to 400F / 200C

2. In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk and 1/8 cup sugar until smooth. Set aside.

3. On a plate with a rim, mix together the remaining 3/8 cup sugar and cinnamon.

4. Cut the crusts off bread and roll flat with rolling pin.

5. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the slices.

6. Rollup each slice like a swiss roll.

7. Brush each roll with melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat well.

8. Place on greased or lined baking tray, seam down.

9. Bake for 10 – 12 mins until golden brown.

These will freeze well unbaked.

Tags: Bread, butter, cinnamon, cream cheese, egg, granulated sugar
Posted in Individual Cakes and Buns | No Comments »