Chocolate Kris Krinkle Cookies

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane snow is glistening,
A beautiful sight,
We’re happy tonight,
Walking in a winter wonder land.........

The appearance of these cookies reminds me of snow covered bark on winter trees and so perfect for this time of year! They are very easy to make but oh so very delicious! They bake like magic in the oven, cracking on the tops to show off an amazing chocolate interior and white covered snow drifts of icing sugar. Upon taking that first bite you will find a scrumptious fudgy centre that takes you into a sweet sensation of chocolate ecstasy!

On another note; Mr R (hubby) has a nasty flu type virus and of course I have to nurse him back to health. I will try this week to view your creations my ‘dear’ blogging friends but if not I hope you will understand ~ Rosie x

Chocolate Kris Krinkle Cookies

Makes approx 20 cookies

Ingredients
175g (6 oz) plain chocolate, chopped
50g (2 oz) unsalted butter
175g (6 oz) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
150g (5 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
60g (2½ oz) icing (confectioners) sugar

You will need 2 baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper

Method

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, cool slightly. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt.

Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric whisk until pale for about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed and add the chocolate mix and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture until blended together. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge for 1½ hours or up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan oven 150°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.

Put the icing sugar onto a large plate. Shape the dough into 4cm (1½ in) balls and roll in the icing sugar. Put the sugared balls onto the prepared baking tray and press down lightly with your hand to flatten. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes for soft centres and set edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before placing carefully onto a wire rack to cool.

I am sending my Chocolate Kris Krinkle Cookies to Susan at Food Blogger who is hosting a superb event – Eat Christmas Cookies, season 2, Christmas Cookies From Around The World. Susan is posting cookies and links on her site as they are sent into her from participants. I have linked above the event if you would like to participate. If you would like to view the cookies that participants are sending in [click here].


I am also sending these Chocolate Kris Krinkle Cookies to Jerri @ Simply Sweet Home for her lovely ‘Christmas festival’.

Santa Baby, Slip A “Stained Glass Window Cookie” Under The Tree For Me!!

I've been an awful good girl
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight......

I do adore this time of year with lots of wonderful Christmassy baking and cooking in the run up to the biggest event for every cooks/baker who celebrates Christmas. The aroma of aromatic spices wafting through the air of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg etc, perhaps a warm toddy of mulled wine to give you Christmas cheer or a warmed mince pie with lush brandy butter, which all evoke memories of Christmas past and present!

I have already posted my Christmas fruit cake and its being ‘fed’ each week with brandy until nearer the time to marzipan and fondant ice; also my boozy mincemeat is maturing for my mince pies.

I am now going to commence my countdown to Christmas baking on my blog, in addition to other bakes. I will lead you through traditional fare that is eaten here in the U.K. and/or around the world. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I will baking my way through these delectable delights.

To kick start this affair off, I have chosen Christmas Stained Glass Window Cookies to share with you. They are easy to make and look wonderful hung on the Christmas tree. The light catches perfectly those little centres of jewels glistening away. They can become a little sticky if left too long to hang, that is if little fingers allow for them to be there any length of time * giggle*! It’s a little early here to hang them on the tree here, but I did cut a few branches off a little bush I have, to show you the effect they can give in my pictures.

I am also sending my Christmas Stained Glass Window Cookies to Susan at Food Blogger who is hosting a superb event – Eat Christmas Cookies, season 2, Christmas Cookies From Around The World. Susan is posting cookies and links on her site as they are sent into her from participants. I have linked above the event if you would like to participate. If you would like to view the cookies that participants are sending in [click here].

Here is the recipe for the Christmas Stained Glass Window Cookies if you would like to recreate a little magic of light for your Christmas tree at home.

Christmas Stained Glass Window Cookies

Makes approximately 12

Ingredients
175g (6 oz) plain flour
75g (3 oz) butter
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg white
2 tbsp orange juice
225g (8 oz) hard boiled sweets in assorted colours
Thin ribbon
You will need 2 baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Cookie cutters (large and smaller shapes) to the design you wish to make, Christmas trees, bells, reindeer, stars etc....

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Prepare your baking sheets by lining with non-stick paper.

Put the flour, butter, sugar into a food processor and blend quickly together then add the egg white and drizzle in the orange juice, the dough will start to form into a ball, try not to over work the dough to much. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly then wrap in cling film and press into a circle and chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.

You will need to break up the hard boiled sweets into tiny pieces but keep each colour separate. I placed each batch of colour into a strong plastic bag and bashed them with my rolling pin!

Unwrap the dough and roll out on a floured surface to s thickness of about 5mm (¼ in). Now cut out your desired shape(s) by using a larger cutter(s) and a smaller one(s) for cutting out the centre. (Roll up the dough and reroll and cut out more shapes). Place onto the baking trays and fill each centre of each cookie with one selected colour of hard boiled sweet bits. With a skewer make a little hole in the top of the cookie, this allows to place the ribbon through at a later stage.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Place a skewer back into the holes at the top of the cookies to open them up. Leave to cool on the baking trays until cool enough to peel off. Lastly thread the ribbon through the holes at the top of each cookie. Hang on the tree to glisten away.

Halloween Rattlin' Bones Gingerbread

Q. what do skeletons say before eating?
A. Bone-Appétit!......

With Halloween just around the corner why not get the children involved in some Halloween fun in the kitchen?! With a little guidance from an adult to assist the children with baking the gingerbreads and then arming them with tubes of readymade white icing and making rattlin' bones gingerbread for that spooktacular night of Hallow’ eve.......... Eat, drink and be scary.....Boooooo.....

Halloween Rattlin' Bones Gingerbread

Makes 12

Ingredients
125g (4½ oz) butter
100g (100g) soft brown sugar
100g (4 oz) golden syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
450g (1 lb) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
For Decoration
Tubes of readymade white icing or a little Royal icing for piping on to the gingerbread.

*You will need 2 baking sheets lined with non-stick baking paper – a gingerbread cookie cutter or draw a template out of card to cut around the gingerbread dough.*

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

In a saucepan place the butter, sugar and golden syrup on a gentle heat stirring continually until all the ingredients have melted together. Leave aside to cool.

Sieve the flour, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Add all the contents from the saucepan into the bowl with the dry ingredients then add the egg and mix until fully combined. You may need to finish mixing the dough by hand by pressing and kneading the mixture together. Flatten the dough into a circle and wrap in cling film and place into the fridge for no more than 30 minutes to chill.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 5mm (¼ in) thickness and cut out the gingerbread shapes. Place onto the prepared baking trays and re-roll the dough and remain to cut out shapes until all the dough is used.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 10 -15 minutes or until lightly browned. Lift each gingerbread very carefully with a spatula onto a wire rack to fully cool and firm up.

Decorate with writing tubes or royal icing in white to resemble a skeleton frame. Leave the icing to set before eating or packing away in an airtight container.

Macaroon Creams

It’s a dark miserable day here in my part of the U.K., I woke up to rain and it hasn’t stopped all day! I thought to cheer myself up a light spot of baking would do me the world of good. My next thought was what should I bake today? Something with bright cheerful colours would be just perfect on a day like today and macaroons with bright colours of pinks, yellows and green buttercream seemed alluring! They are simple to create and in no time ready for eating. Taking one bite of these macaroons lead me into a wonderful almond flavoured slightly chewy creaminess of delight. These little macaroons would make such a great tea time treat and of course you can go wild with whatever colour theme you wish for the buttercream!

Macaroon creams

Makes 18 halves and 9 buttercream filled macaroons

Ingredients
2 egg whites
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
125g (4 ½ oz) ground almonds
25g (1 oz) ground rice
For The Buttercream
50g (2 oz) softened butter
100g (4 oz) icing sugar
Edible food colourings, pink, yellow & green

You will also need 2 baking trays lined with non-stick paper

Method
Preheat oven 150°C/300F/Gas mark 2.
In a bowl free from any grease whisk the egg whites until stiff then add the sugar, ground almonds & ground rice folding in with a metal spoon until all incorporated. Scoop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking trays but leaving room between each spoonful for the mixture to spread a little when baking. Place the trays into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the macaroons are pale golden in colour. Leave to cool for a 5 minutes before placing onto a wire rack to completely cool.

Make the buttercream by putting the butter into a bowl and beat it until soft. Add the icing sugar a little at a time beating at each addition until all the icing sugar is incorporated and the buttercream is fluffy. Divide the buttercream equally into three bowls. Add a couple of drops of pink food colouring to one bowl, a couple of drops green food colouring to second bowl and a couple drops of yellow food colouring to third bowl. Mix the food colourings in each bowl until combined through and not streaking in colour. Spread some of pink buttercream onto the flat side of the macaroon and place a second macaroon on top and squeeze gently together, sandwich all the remaining macaroons in the same way with different buttercream colours.

Note: Depending on how large your teaspoons are you may get more macaroons from this mixture.

Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies

I felt in need for a good chocoholic hit in some shape or form and a little therapeutic light baking gave me just what I craved for. The exterior to these cookies are firm-ish upon cooling but the interior has a most wonderful dreamy chewy fudge like texture. The chocolate flavour is a double hit from good quality cocoa powder and good quality chocolate chips. The darker chocolate chips give the most impact for a more adult taste but for children milk chocolate chips maybe what is needed. Served with a cold glass of milk I find this a perfect combination!

Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies

Makes approximately 20

Ingredients
250g (9 oz) plain (all –purpose) flour
50g (2 oz) cocoa powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
175g (6 oz) softened butter
200g (7 oz) light brown sugar
100g (4 oz) caster (super fine) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
300g (11 oz) plain or milk chocolate chips

You will need 2 -3 baking sheets greased or lined with non-stick Teflon liners or non-stick paper.

Method

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add the softened butter and both sugars and beat together until light and fluffy. Incorporate the egg into the mixture a little at a time until fully combined, then add the vanilla and mix in well. Fold in the sieved flour mixture then the chocolate chips until thoroughly combined. Wrap the mixture in cling film (plastic wrap) and leave to chill in the fridge until the mixture is firm, for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 180°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.

Divide the mixture up into equally quantities (it should make approximately 20 large cookies) and roll into balls. Place onto the baking sheets leaving enough space for the cookies to spread when being baked, with your hand or a spoon slightly press the top of each cookie to make a flatter shape.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 10 -12 minutes until the edges begin to darken. They will look and feel under baked but they’ll be ready. Leave on the baking sheets for about 2 minutes to slightly firm up and then with a large spatula to a wire cooling rack until completely cool.

Top tip: when rolling cookie mixture, slightly damp your hands in cold water this helps to form the mixture without too much sticking to your hands.

Gingerbread Men & Women

Run, run, as fast as you can
You can’t catch me
I’m the gingerbread man

These gingerbread men and women are both fun and easy to make. Pass all the icing tubes over to the children to play with colours and themes to dress up their gingerbread men and women. I know they will have a ball in the kitchen and enjoy eating their own artwork too!

Makes 12 or more - depending on size of cookie cutter used

Ingredients
125g (4½ oz) butter
100g (4 oz) soft brown sugar
100ml (4 fl oz) golden syrup
1 egg, beaten
450g (1lb) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1tsp mixed spice
For Decoration
Writing tubes of icing and gels in different colours – I used super cook
Silver balls or raisins - for eyes
I used miniature gingerbread sprinkles for buttons but smarties are also great for this.

Method

You will need 2 baking trays lined with non-stick paper. A gingerbread cookie cutter or draw a template out of card to cut around the gingerbread dough.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

In a saucepan place the butter, sugar and golden syrup onto the stove on a low heat. Stir continually until all the ingredients have melted together. Leave to one side to cool just a little.

In a large mixing bowl sieve the flour, baking powder and spices. Add all the contents from the saucepan into the bowl with the dry ingredients, then add the egg and mix until all full combined. You may need to finish mixing the dough together by hand by pressing and kneading the mixture together. Flatten the dough into a circle and wrap in cling film and place into the fridge for no more than 30 minutes to chill.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 5mm (¼ in) using a gingerbread cutter or template, cut out shapes and place on the prepared baking trays. (Re-roll the dough and remain to keep cutting out shapes until all the dough is finished.)

Place into the preheated oven for 10 –15 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Leave to cool fully on a wire rack before icing.

Decorate as you wish with writing tubes or royal icing coloured and placed into small piping bags. With a little dab of icing, add silver balls or raisins into place for the eyes, same if you are placing buttons onto your gingerbread men and women.

Leave the icing to set before eating or packing away in an airtight container.

Christmas Stained Glass Window Cookies & Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

I’m quite a sucker for cookies and more so when it’s a Christmassy theme! The stained glass cookies glint on my Christmas tree hanging like jewels from their deep red ribbon ties. The Christmas sprinkle cookies would make a lovely gift wrapped in cellophane wrap tied at the top with a beautiful ribbon, if you can bring yourself to part with them that is *giggle*. They have a lovely clean taste of citrus and a hint of almond and sweetness following through from the icing – delicious… I also have to thank my friend Maria for the lovely Christmassy Sprinkles - thanks sweetie :o)

Christmas Stained Glass Window Cookies

Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

Christmas Stained Glass Window Cookies & Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

Makes approximately 30 cookies

Ingredients
For The Cookie Dough
250g (9oz) soft butter
2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
½ tsp almond extract
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
1 egg
350g (12 oz) plain flour, extra for dusting
For The Icing
175g (6 oz) icing sugar, sieved
1 egg white
Few drops of lemon juice
You may need a few drops of cold water
Edible colour pastes – I used sugar Flare
Or ready-made coloured icing in tubes
For Decoration
6 boiled sweets for the stained glass window cookies
Thin ribbon for the stained glass window cookies
Edible dagrees balls in various colours
Christmassy sprinkles

You will also need cookie cutters in various shapes - 3 large baking sheets lined with non-stick paper. An icing-piping bag with a small writing tube nozzle, (if not using ready-made coloured icing in tubes). A skewer or icing tube nozzle to make a hole in the top of the stained glass window cookies.

Method

*The cookie dough will make enough for 6 stained glass windows and approximately 24 sprinkle cookies depending on the size of cutters used*.

Pre-heat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

In a large bowl add the soft butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, almond extract and egg and beat well together until combined. Sieve the flour over the mixture in the bowl and with a wooden spoon bring the mixture together. Now with your hands knead the dough into a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film and place into the fridge for 30 – 60 minutes until firm enough to roll the dough.

Take the dough out of the fridge and unwrap. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to about 5mm (1/4 in) thickness, then with a large cookie cutter cut out the shapes for the stained glass window you will need 6 shapes, (Roll up the dough and re-roll if needed). Take a smaller cookie cutter and cut out the centre of each cookie. Place onto the baking tray and place into the preheated oven.

Take out of the oven after 5 minutes and with a skewer or icing tube nozzle near the top of the cookie make a small hole, this will be to thread the ribbon through later. In the centre of each cookie place a coloured boiled sweet. Place back into the oven for 5 – 10 minutes until the sweets have melted into shape and the cookies are cooked.

Leave on the baking tray to cool slightly before removing onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Meanwhile re-roll the cookie dough and cut out various Christmassy shapes and place onto the remaining prepared baking trays until all the cookie dough is used up.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until cooked.

Leave on the baking tray to cool slightly before removing onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

For The Icing, Lightly whisk egg white, then add the icing sugar a little at a time, beating well until the icing is smooth and stands in firm peeks. If you find the icing too thick add a drop of water and beat in. *If using ready-made icing tubes, pipe onto the cookies as desired*.

For The Stained Glass Window Cookies. Take the cookies and pipe a little icing on to stick the dagrees. With a skewer thread the ribbon through the hole at the top of the cookie and tie at the end.

For The Sprinkle Cookies. Mix little bowls of the icing in different colours and pipe or spread onto the cookies then sprinkle the Christmas sprinkles over and add a few dagrees, leave the icing to set before eating or storing away in airtight tins.

Christmas Pudding Iced Cookies

Looking though my local bakers shop window I spotted some beautiful Christmas Pudding Iced Cookies, which gave me the inspiration to try and recreate some of my own at home. I used Mayan Gold Green & Blacks chocolate only because I had a little left over from another baking project. Of course it wouldn’t matter if you used plain or milk chocolate. I used Cradbury’s mini chocolate drops to resemble the currants in a Christmas pudding.

Christmas Pudding Iced Cookies

Makes 6 10cm (4 in) cookies – depending on what size cookie cutter you use

Ingredients
150g (5 oz) self-raising flour & a little for dusting
25g (1 oz) cocoa powder
100g (4 oz) butter
75g (3 oz) soft brown sugar
Few drops of vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
75g (3 oz) Mayan Gold Green & Black chocolate, chopped
75g (3 oz) Cadbury’s chocolate mini buttons, from the baking section in a supermarket
For The icing
100g (4 oz) icing sugar sieved, & a little extra
1egg white, you may need only half the quantity * see method *
Few drops of lemon juice
Coloured fondant icing in green & red - cut out in shapes of holly leaves & berries
Edible glitter
You will also need
Cocktail stick
Piping bag with a small writing tube for piping icing
10cm (4 in) round cutter
1-2 baking trays lined with non-stick paper

Method

In a mixing bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, butter, sugar and vanilla extract. With your fingers rub in the butter to combine all the ingredients, it should look clump together. Now add the Mayan Gold chopped chocolate working through a little with your fingers. Add the egg and with a fork start to bring the mixture together and finally press together the dough with your hands. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up enough to roll out.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Lightly dust a work surface with a little flour, unwrap your dough and roll out to about 5mm (¼ in) thickness. Cut out with your cookie cutter as many rounds as possible then re-roll and carry on cutting out rounds until all the dough is used. Place onto the lined baking trays and take the chocolate drops and press them in to the cookies equally, now place into the preheated oven.

Cook for about 15 – 20 minutes until they look cooked. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking tray before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

For The Icing, in a bowl add the sieved icing and a half of the egg white to start with and a few drops of lemon juice. Beat thoroughly until smooth and glossy and a runny consistency, (enough to coat the back of a spoon). If the icing is a little thick add a little more egg white until you achieve the correct consistency.

Into a small bowl add about 4 tablespoons of the icing and thicken with the extra icing until it forms peaks and thick enough to pipe with.

When the cookies are cold enough, pipe an icing line around the edge at one end and a quarter of the way onto each cookie to resemble brandy sauce dripping down. Take a small teaspoon and with the runny icing fill in the gaps between the piped icing. Take a cocktail stick and work the icing into all the curves until its completely filled in the middle of the piped icing. Carry on the same until all cookies are covered the same in icing. Let the icing harden a little before taking the fondant holly leaves and berries and sticking them onto each cookie with a little icing, then finally sprinkle a little edible glitter over the holly leaves and berries, it doesn’t matter if some goes onto the icing it just gives it a little glitzy finish. Leave to set completely before eating or storing them away.

Note: This recipe will make 6 10cm (4 in) cookies but depending on what size cookie cutter you use, you may have more or less. You may have a little icing left over from this recipe again depending on how many cookies you make.

Pudsey Bear Cookies

In the U.K. tomorrow it’s BBC Children In Need Appeal raising funds for underprivileged children. A few weeks ago I brought some Pudsey Bear cookie cutters from Lakeland Kitchen Shop, where a donation from this sale also goes towards the appeal.

I thought it would be fun to bake a few of these cookies in gingerbread dough. This would be a great bake to make with the children and let them go crazy with their design in the icing department!

Of course you could bake the original recipe [link here] following instructions on how to ice the cookies too.

Here is my recipe for the gingerbread dough.

Gingerbread Cookies

Makes 10 – depending on size of cookie cutter used, it could be more/less

Ingredients
350g (12 oz) self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
2 tsp ground ginger
100g (4 oz) golden syrup
75g (3 oz) butter
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

You will need 2 baking trays, lined with non-stick baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Sieve the flour, salt and ground ginger into a large mixing bowl, leave to one side.

In a saucepan add the golden syrup, butter and sugar, heat on the stove on a low heat until melted. Leave to cool just for a little while, then add to the flour mixture with the egg. Stir with a wooden spoon until it starts to form together and then bring the dough together with your hands. Knead the dough until smooth and wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Slightly dust a work surface with a little flour and roll out the unwrapped dough to about 1cm (½ in). Using a cookie cutter cut out the shapes and re-roll the dough cutting out more shapes until all the dough is used.

Place the cookies onto the prepared lined baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for 10 – 15 minutes until slightly golden in colour. Place carefully onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Iced Sugar Cookies

I thought I’d have a spot of light baking in the kitchen with these cookies to brighten up an autumn day! The texture has a nice crunch and I think they may even suit a children’s party theme too. Have fun experimenting with shapes, colours and sprinkles! If you haven’t quite enough icing depending on how thick you make it, they also taste fantastic as a plain cookie :)

Iced Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
200g (7 oz) self-raising flour
50g (1 oz) cornflour
110g (4 oz) butter
110g (4 oz) caster sugar
1 egg
Few drops of vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk or enough to bring the dough together
For The Icing
150g (5 oz) icing sugar, sieved
Few drops of lemon juice
A little water
Edible food colours of choice
Sugar sprinkles for decoration
Round cookie cutter

Method

You will need 2 - 3 large baking trays covered with non-stick baking paper. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

In a large mixing bowl sieve the flour, salt and cornflour. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar. Beat the egg and vanilla extract together in a small jug and add to the mixture. Add the milk form the dough together with your hands into a ball; it will be a soft dough.

Chill the dough for about 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge wrapped in cling film. Lightly dust a work surface with a little flour and roll the dough out to a thickness of 5cm (2 in). Stamp out the cookies and then lay them on the prepared baking trays, (Re-roll the dough and stamp out more cookies until all the dough is used).

Place in the preheated oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

For The Icing. Sieve the icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and a little water then beat until smooth. The consistency should be runny but stiff enough to coat the cookies. Dived the icing into three bowls and add the food colours of choice and coat the cooled cookies with icing and sprinkle over the sugar sprinkles. Leave the icing to set for a little while before eating or storing away.

Makes 20 – 30 cookies (depending on the size of cookie cutter you use).

Anzac Biscuts

The gauntlet was laid down for a challenge by cookie at The Cooks Journal to bake Anzac biscuits. How exciting to partake and being a lovely bake too how could I hold back? *giggle* These are fun biscuits to bake and taste divine. I haven’t baked these for such along time I had forgotten just how good they taste!! Thanks cookie for the challenge and I hope I have done your challenge justice.

This recipe is from Good Food on this link

Toffee Apple Cookies & Toffee Apple Delight Bonfire Night Cake

Every year on the 5th November, in the U.K. we celebrate the Gun Powder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, which took place on the 5th November 1605. People build bonfires and make a Guy (an effigy) to burn on the top. The Guy represents Guy Fawkes who was one of the conspirators in the plot. Fireworks light up the night sky and sounds of booms and bangs can be heard from afar. Food is served at these gatherings, such as hot dogs (sausages in rolls with onions), baked potatoes with fillings, mushy peas, mugs of steaming soup, sticky toffee apples etc.

To kick off this event I’ve started already with a few bakes of, Toffee Apple Cookies and my own Toffee Apple Delight Bonfire Cake. The cookies have delicious chewy toffee and dried apple in them that are perfect for this occasion. My Toffee Apple Delight cake is keeping in with the theme too. It has moistness from the grated apple, a toffee flavour from the dark brown sugar with the enhancement of pecans, mixed nuts and Apple Brandy.

Toffee Apple Cookies

The toffee apple cookies are from Good Food and you can find the link here to the recipe

Toffee Apple Delight Bonfire Night Cake

Toffee Apple Delight Bonfire Night Cake

Serves 8

Ingredients
225g (8 oz) self-raising flour
150g (5 oz) soft butter
150g (5 oz) soft dark brown sugar
50g (2 oz) mixed nuts, chopped
1 large Bramley cooking apple, peeled, cored and grated
4 tbsp Apple Brandy, I used Calvados
2 large eggs
4 tbsp milk
½ tsp cinnamon
For The Topping
50g (2 oz) pecan nuts
1 tbsp Demerara sugar

You will need a 20cm (8 in) springform tin, grease the whole tin and line the base with baking paper.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

In a bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating in until all combined. Next add the milk and apple brandy then beat in well again. Add the nuts and grated apple and fold through the mixture until all are mixed through. Fold in the flour and cinnamon gently, until all traces of flour are combined into the sponge mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Decorate around the edge and middle of the cake with pecan nuts. Lastly sprinkle over the top the Demerara sugar.

Place into the oven middle shelf for 40 – 45 minutes or until firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out to finishing cooling on a wire rack. When cool peel of the baking paper at the bottom of the cake.

Note. This cake would be delicious served for dessert with a toffee sauce.

Custard- Screams Halloween Cookies

Beware; these little pumpkin cookies scream out to you of custard creams lol. They are just perfect to make and bake for Halloween. If you have children they can have fun too cutting out scary features with making different coloured icings! Of course you can bake these cookies anytime of the year too by choosing what cookie cutter theme you wish, and leave the butter icing without any colouring added.

Here is my recipe

Custard- Screams Halloween Cookies

Makes 10 cookies

Ingredients
150g (5 oz) soft butter
175g (6 oz) plain flour, sieved
50g (2 oz) icing sugar, sieved
2 tbsp custard powder
For The Butter Icing
50g (2 oz) soft butter
110g (4 oz) icing sugar, sieved
1 tbsp custard powder
2 dessertspoons of milk
Edible orange sugar flare coloured paste

Method

You will need 2 baking sheets lined with baking paper and a pumpkin cookie cutter. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

To Make The Cookie Dough. In a food processor, add the ingredients and whiz together until it forms into a ball. Wrap the cookie dough in cling film and chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge. On a lightly floured surface roll out the cookie dough to about £1 coin thickness and using a cookie cutter cut out 20 pumpkin shapes. With 10 of the pumpkin cookie shapes and a sharp knife, cut out eyes and mouths. Place onto the prepared baking sheets and place in the oven for about 15 minutes. They need to be a golden in colour and will still feel soft when you take them out of the oven. Using a metal slice, carefully place the cookies onto a wire rack to cool off and firm up.

To Make The Butter Icing. Place all the ingredients in a food processor (except the food colouring) and whiz together to form a smooth texture. Scrape out into a bowl and with a cocktail stick add enough edible colour paste to make a pumpkin orange colour.


When the cookies are fully cold and firm, take a spatula and spread butter cream on the back of each cookie. Place the front cookies onto to show the eyes and mouths with the orange butter icing showing through.

Note. You can make this recipe in a food mixer or by hand, creaming the butter and icing sugar, then add the flour, custard powder and milk, forming the dough together and kneading it for a few minutes until smooth. Wrap in cling film and store in the fridge as above.

Prepare to be custard-screamed this Halloween – enjoy!

Halloween Cookies

Halloween is approaching and ghoulish treats for the festivities always go down a treat with youngsters. These cookies are a nice sweet treat to add to any Halloween party you are planning or even for trick-or-treaters who come knocking at your door! They are easy to make and in the process it’s fun to play around with different cookie cutters and coloured icing. You can make them as ghoulish as you wish for example, pumpkins having scary eyes and mouths or bats with dripping red icing for blood!

Halloween Cookies

Ingredients
For The Cookies
125g (4½ oz) softened butter
50g (2 oz) icing sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp mixed spice
1 small egg yolk
165g (9 oz) plain flour
For The Decoration
110g (4 oz) icing sugar, sieved
Few drops of lemon juice
Water, to mix to a paste
Edible food colourings of choice
Silver dragees for eyes
Cookie cutters of your choice

You will need 2 greased baking trays

Method

In a mixing bowl add the butter, salt and mixed spice and beat until light and combined. Add the egg yolk and beat in well. Add the flour and mix until it forms a ball. Flatten into a circle and wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least one hour. If the dough is not chilled enough it will be too soft to roll out.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Roll the dough out to about the thickness of a £1 coin and cut out shapes of your choice with the cookie cutters. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 8 – 10 minutes until cooked. The cookies will feel soft when you take them out of the oven until they harden on cooling. Leave to cool.

To make the icing, in a bowl add the sifted icing sugar, a few drops of lemon juice and just enough water to make an icing thick enough to coat the cookies. In separate bowls divide the icing and colour each bowl of icing to suit which cookies you have made. Drizzle the icing onto the cookies; add the dragees for eyes then leave on a wire rack to let the icing harden.

Makes 15 – 20 cookies depending on how large your cookie cutters are.