These are the nicest chocolate chip cookies I’ve found and I’ve tested a lot!!! You can make them the size of normal biscuits or larger if you prefer. I find that the amount of dough that the recipe makes can be divided intwo. Freeze half in a sausage shape for another day, and bake the remaining half for instant gratification! You should get approximately 24 normal-sized biscuits from half the mix.

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 cup soft brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large plus 1 small egg approximately

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts  (optional)

How to Make Them

1. Beat butter and sugar together until blended and smooth.
2. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts if used.
5. Lay silicone shets on your baking trays (you’ll need 2 trays or bake in 2 batches). Set oven to 325F /170C / Fan oven 160C / Gas Mark 3
6. Place dessert spoonfuls evenly on baking sheet. (Scoop up the dough with the dessert spoon and scrape it out onto the sheet with a teaspoon. It will spread out flat as it bakes, so no need to flatten the heaps!
7. Bake in centre of oven for about 15 minutes (check after 10 mins). They should be just a pale golden brown, not dark.
8. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. They will crisp up as they cool. If you want them chewy you will need to make bigger biscuits and take out of the oven when very pale.

Tags: baking powder, butter, chocolate chips, egg, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, plain flour, salt, vanilla, walnuts
Posted in Biscuits | No Comments »

These are delicious, very crisp, and they keep very well in an airtight container (if you can leave them long enough!). Worth making a double quantity – then you won’t have half an egg left over! You could freeze half the dough for another batch later. (Make as far as step 3 and freeze the dough in a ball. Or you could go as far as rolling the biscuits in oats and then freeze them spread out on a tray. When they are frozen, put them in a bag and keep in the freezer. When you want to use them, just spread them out on a greased baking tray, allow to thaw for about 15 mins and bake. They will probably bake from frozen, but I haven’t tried it!

Ingredients

3 oz (75g) soft margarine

3 oz (75g) caster sugar

half a beaten egg

few drops of vanilla essence

1 oz (25g) porridge oats

4oz (100g) self raising flour

1/2  teaspoon baking powder

about 5 glace cherries, quartered

about 1/2 cup of porridge oats to roll the biscuits in  on a plate or flat dish

How to Make Them

Set the oven to 325F, 160C, gas mark 3, fan oven 150C.

1. Put margarine and sugar in a bowl and beat together until soft and creamy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat together to combine.

3. Add the oats, flour and baking powder. Mix until it sticks together like dough.

4  Pull off small lumps of dough about the size of a table tennis ball (about 1″ diameter). Roll into a ball between palms of hands, then roll in oats to coat.

5. Place on a greased baking tray and flatten gently with a fork.

6. Place a quarter cherry on top of each biscuit and press in slightly to secure.

7. Bake for about 15 – 20 miutes until pale golden brown.

8. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight tin.

Tags: caster sugar, egg, glace cherries, margarine, porridge oats, self raising flour, vanilla essence
Posted in Biscuits | 2 Comments »

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 »

After much experimenting, this is the perfect yorkshire pudding mix!

This makes 12 small puddings in muffin tins.

N.B. You can make up the mixture in advance and keep it in the fridge for a few hours. Then give it another whisk before cooking. If you make it just before the meal, remember you need to let the mixture stand for about 15 minutes before you bake it. The oil needs to be nice and hot before you pour the mixture in.

Ingredients

2 oz plain flour

1 egg

1/4 pint of milk and water (half milk, half water)

oil – any sort, dad likes groundnut but sunflower or olive oil are just as good.

How to make them.

Set oven to 210C

Sift the flour into a jug.

Break the egg into the liquid and stir to break up.

Pour the egg/liquid mixture into the flour and beat with a food mixer until well blended – 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Leave the beaten mixture to stand for about 15 minutes.

Pour a little oil into each muffin tin to cover the bottom.

Put the oil filled muffin tin into the oven to get hot.

When the oil is hot, carefully pour in the mixture, dividing it between the 12 tins.

Bake in the oven until well risen, about 15 minutes.

Tags: egg, milk, oil, plain flour, water
Posted in Accompaniments | No Comments »