Cookies and Cakes and Pies . . . oh my!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 TBS molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats, (Do NOT use instant)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup demerara sugar (to roll the cookies in)
• Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside.
• Cream
• the softened butter together with the sugar, until light and cream.
• Beat in the egg, molasses and vanilla. Whisk together the flour, baking
• powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir this into the creamed
• mixture, blending in well. Stir in the oats. Put the demerara sugar
• into a bowl.
• Roll bits of the dough into walnut sized pieces and
• then roll each ball in the demerara sugar to coat. Place on the baking
• sheets, leaving about 2 inches between. Bake, one tray at a time,
• placing them on the centre rack of the oven, for 10 to 12 minutes, or
• until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Repeat until all
• the dough has been used up. Store in an airtight container.
• Chocolate Chip Cake*
• Makes one 8 inch square cake
• Printable Recipe
• This
• is a tasty amd moist white cake, just stogged full of delicious milk
• chocolate chips. If you are feeling really indulgent you can replace
• the chocolate chips with the same amount of good quality milk chocolate
• cut into bits. My favourite it Green and blacks. The icing does call
• for raw egg yolk, so if you are making this cake for the elderly or the
• very young, I would replace it with a plain vanilla buttercream icing.
• for the Cake:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 egg whites, beaten stiff along with 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 ounces milk chocolate chips (Or an equivalent amount of good quality milk chocolate,
• such as Green and Black's, chopped into small bits) (Remove 1 TBS of the flour before mixing it with the
• baking powder and stir this into the chocolate chips so that they don't sink when baking)
• for the Icing:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pre-heat
• the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease an 8 inch square pan and then line it
• with parchment paper. Grease again and then set it aside.
• Cream
• the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whisk together
• the dry ingredients. Add them to the creamed mixture, alternately,
• beginning and ending with the dry. Carefully fold in the beaten egg
• whites. Fold in the chocolate chips, along with any flour residue.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan and then bake for 30 to 35
• minutes, or until the centre springs back when lightly touched and a
• toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Be careful not to
• overbake it. Let sit in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it
• completely to a wire rack to cool before icing.
• To make the
• icing, cream the butter until light. Beat in the remaining ingredients,
• beating until light and fluffy. Spread on top of the cooled cake.
• Gingerbread Pudding Cake*
• Serves 12, but can be successfully halved
• Printable Recipe
• I just love pudding cakes, and this one is a spicy delight! Serve warm with ice cream for a realy tasty treat!
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup molasses
• (mild and in the uk you can use 1/4 cup dark treacle mixed with 1/4 cup golden syrup)
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• Pre-heat
• the oven to 180*C/350*F. Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger,
• cinnamon, salt, allspice, nutmeg and cardamom together in a bowl. Set
• aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in
• the egg. Mix the molasses and water together and then beaet that into
• the creamed butter, alternately with the flour mixture, beating only
• until blended. Do not over beat. Pour batter into an ungreased 13 by 9
• inch baking pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over top. Stir
• together the hot water and melted butter and carefully pour this over
• top of the batter. Do not stur. Bake for 40 to 55 minutes, or until
• the gingerbread looks all cracked on top and a toothpick inserted into
• the centre comes out clean.
• Serve warm with some ice cream. Delicious!!
• One Bowl Chocolate Cake*
• Makes 2 9-inch layers
• Printable Recipe
• This
• is a rich and moist chocolate cake which goes together in a jiffy, all
• in one bowl. Frost as desired with your favourite frosting.
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 2ggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease and flour two nine-inch round cake tins. Set aside.
• Place
• all the cake ingredients,except for the boiling water into a large
• bowl. Beat for 2 minutes on the medium speed of an electric mixer.
• Stir in the boiling water and divide the batter amongst the prepared
• cake tins. The batter will be thin. Don't worry, this is normal.
• Bake
• for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in
• the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before
• removing to wire racks to finish cooling.
• Frost and decorate as desired.
• Strawberry Toffee Tart*
• Serves 6
• Printable Recipe
• A
• crispy, buttery and oaty crust covered with a tangy cream and a plethora
• of sliced strawberries, this is truly moreish. A final drizzle of
• toffee sauce is it's crowning glory. Easy, quick and pleasing on all
• levels this is a true winner!
• 170g of hobnob biscuits (a buttery oatmeal cookie)
• (Scant two cups of crumbs)
• 85g (1/3 cup) butter
• 400g of ripe strawberries (scant 3 cups)
• 385ml of double cream ( 1 2/3 cup)
• 5 soft toffees (such as Werther's original soft toffees)
• 200g tub of Greek Yoghurt (1 2/3 cup)
• icing sugar for dusting
• Line
• an 8 inch tart tin with baking parchment. Crush the biscuits to fine
• crumbs either in your food processor, blender or by bashing them in a
• plastic bag with a rolling pin. Tip them into a bowl and mix together
• with the melted butter. Press this mixture evenly in the base of the
• tart tin. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so until it feels
• firm. Once firm, remove the biscuit base from the tin and carefully
• slide it onto a flat serving plate.
• Slice the strawberries and set aside.
• Take
• 2 TBS of the cream and put it into a small bowl. Whip the rest of the
• cream until it holds soft peaks. Fold in the yoghurt and then spoon this
• mixture over the top of the biscuit base and cover with the sliced
• strawberries.
• Add the toffees to the cream and place in the
• microwave. Cook on medium heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir until
• they form a sauce. Drizzle this sauce over the berries. Dust with icing
• sugar just before serving.
• Sticky Topped Gingerbread*
• Makes one 8 inch square cake
• Printable Recipe
• I
• am a gingerbread connoisseur. I have tried many recipes through the
• years and this is the ultimate version that I have come up with. Dark,
• spicy and moist with a lovely and stickily decadent topping, this
• version wins on all counts!
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup firmly packed soft dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sour milk
• (or buttermilk)
• 1/2 cup dark molasses
• 1/2 cup slightly salted butter, melted and cooled
• For the Topping:
• 3 TBS butter
• 1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 TBS double cream (heavy or whipping)
• 1 medium bottle of sparkling apple cider or apple juice (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 250 ml container of double cream for serving (about 1 1/4 cup)
• shaped piece from the stem end of each apple, about 2 inches wide at the
• tip and 1 inch deep. Using a melon baller, remove the core, leaving the