We all over slept this morning , there was something about yesterday that seemed to tire us all out but by the time we sat down to breakfast we all felt much better. My son made breakfast this morning hot buttered crumpet and toasted oven bottom muffins with home made strawberry jam, the perfect breakfast for a busy morning.
After breakfast I gave my son the gift of a wolfs tooth amulet,I feel thta at this time he will need the strength and the survival instinct of this spelendid creature,courage he does not lack but he can be too kind for his own good. Such a gift made by a witch and given by a witch can be a powerful amulet, I am careful to buy only from reputable sources, if I am unable to craft the item myself. Wolfs teeth are scarce here abouts.
Today my son was expecting his gaming group so he went off to change,Pa went off to the shops and I repaired to the kitchen to try out a new cookie recipe. This recipe had cause an unexpected problem for me is so far as I had been unable to buy ant decent chocolate chips.
Since the welcome return of home baking in the form of the cupcake it is possible to by all manner of wonderful things in to and on to cakes on biscuits but chocolate chips seem to be out of favour. Nothing daunted I purchased a block of good plain chocolate, took it home put it in to a strong freezer bag and then beat it mercilessly with a cutlet bat until it gave in and became a bag full of chocolate chunks.
CINNAMON AND CHOCOLATE COOKIES
8 oz butter
5 oz caster sugar
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
10 oz plain flour
pinch of salt
4 oz chocolate chunks
For the coating
1 heaped tablespoon of caster sugar
I tablespoon cinnamon
1 Preheat the oven to 190o C.
2Put the butter and sugar in to a bowl and beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla essence. Sift together the flour and salt in to the mixture, add the chocolate chunks and
mix until thoroughly blended.
3 Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the coating then make small balls of the mixture, roll them in the coating and place them on a greased baking sheet them flatten them out gently with your fingers,
4 bake in a pre heated oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the trays for about five minutes than transfer to a wire cooling rack using a spatula.
You could if you wish substitute orange essence for the vanilla or even add a few chopped toasted hazelnuts . The amount of mixture should make about thirty cookies. You can really taste the chocolate and the frosted cinnamon coating makes them a splendid cookie for Halloween, bonfire night and of course for Christmas,nicely packaged they would make a lovely gift and they could be easily made by children with a little supervision of course.
It was at this point that the spotlight array went off with an almighty bang ant the kitchen was reduced to a twilight zone at once however I carried on regardless in the gathering gloom.
The cookies finished I was overcome with and experimental urge and decided to try my hand at Whooppie Pies. I confess that until recently I had not heard of these sweet cakes but having acquired the recipe off I went.
WHOOPPIE PIES
MAKES 14
7 oz plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
large pinch of salt
2 0z ground almonds
4 oz softened butter
5 and a half oz caster sugar
plus extra for sprinkling
1 large beaten egg
4 f oz milk silver balls to decorate
Buttercream filling
5 and a half oz butter
8 tablespoons double cream
10 oz icing sugar
Icing
4 0z icing sugar
1-2 tablespoons rosewater
Edible silver balls
pre heat oven to 180oc and line 3 large baking sheets with non stick greased proof paper. Sift together plain flour,baking powder and salt then stir in the ground almonds
2 Place the butter and the caster sugar in a large bowl and beat until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg followed by half of the flour mix then add the milk, stir in the rest of the flour mixture and bet until smooth.
3Pipe or spoon 28 mounds of the mixture on to the baking sheets spaced well apart. Bake in the preheated oven one sheet sty time for 10-12 minutes until well risen and just firm to the touch. Cool for five minutes on the baking sheet and then using a palette knife transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
4 For the filling, place the butter in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy , beat in the cream and then gradually beat in the icing sugar and continue beating for 2-3 minutes until very light and fluffy.
5 To assemble spread the butter cream on to half of the cakes on the flat side and sandwich together with the other half. Make the icing and then spoon into a small piping bag and decorate as you wish then dot with edible silver balls and sprinkle with a with caster suger then leave to set.
Mine came out well for the first attempt but I did make them a little too large, they resemble very much those little macaron cakes you get at French Patisserie, I intend to try my hand at those soon.
I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did and what ever you do have a wonderful weekend.
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