The best ANZAC Biscuits and reflections

This ANZAC Day blog isn’t your traditional ANZAC Day reflection. I intend no disrespect to people who are commemorating ANZAC Day the traditional way, I’m just having a different kind of ruminations.

I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus recently. It wasn’t planned, it just happened. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to blog, life just got in the way a little bit. It’s been good to get away and get some perspective. With all the time I freed up from not blogging, I had the opportunity to evaluate things from a different perspective and realized that some of my older recipes need updating!

With the rest of my free time, I went to New Zealand and Africa and met amazing people, had adventures that I’ll never forget and ate a whole lot of delicious new foods. I’ll sprinkle details of my trips in upcoming blogs, but would thoroughly recommend both destinations to anyone even vaguely considering a holiday right now. Get out there!

The last time I posted an ANZAC biscuit recipe I was at a very different stage in my life. You can read about the wonderful adventure I had here. I was totally in love with Australia and in awe of how different its landscapes can be. Right now, I’m still in love with Australia, but for very different reason. The Boy, as he was referred to in previous blogs, is no longer a part of my life. Things changed for the worse in our relationship and it ended up being unhealthy. The deterioration of one relationship, however, has meant that countless other relationships have bloomed – my friends and family are wonderful, crazy, ridiculous people who are there for me at the drop of a hat.

I am grateful for Australia because of all the people in my life that are here. I’m also grateful that we have such a delicious little morsel to help us commemorate ANZAC Day.

Enjoy your day off, I hope you’re spending it well!

ANZAC Biscuits

Makes 24

1 cup oats
¾ cup desiccated coconut
1 1/4 cups plain flour
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
125g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp bicarb

Line a baking tray and preheat your oven to 160°.

Mix together all of your dry ingredients until they’re evenly distributed.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and golden syrup over a low heat. While this is melting, put the boiling water and bicarb into a small cup and mix them.

When the butter and golden syrup are completely melted, pour the water and bicarb in and allow it to bubble up for 20 seconds, stirring as little as possible. The butter and golden syrup will react to the bicarb, bubbling and becoming cloudy.

Remove the mixture from the heat and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix until there are no dry pockets left, then spoon tablespoons of mixture onto your lined tray.

Bake the biscuits for 12-15 minutes, rotating at half way. Transfer them onto a cooling tray and devour them still warm – they won’t last very long!

Santa’s cookies and Christmas recipes

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. There’s a sense of magic in the air – people are friendlier, smiles come more easily from strangers, and everything smells so ridiculously delicious! Along with the magic, the air is laden with smells like sherry, fruitcake, pine and cinnamon.

For me, Christmas revolves around food and family. In the absence of family this year (the Boy and I are in Sydney while the rest of my family are up the coast), I plan to eat myself into a a food coma – who is with me?

And I’ve already started with these babies! I’ll be putting some out for Santa, but I can’t promise that I won’t nibble on them before he gets to them! They’re soft and moist, and the hint of cinnamon is subtle, but works wonders. Make these, Santa and your stomach will be eternally grateful.

Santa’s choc chip cookies

Makes 40 cookies
1 1/2 cups Nuttelex
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 tspns cinnamon
4 teaspoons cornflour
2 teaspoon bicarb
5 3/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cream together your Nuttelex and both types of sugar, then add in the eggs, vanilla and cinnamon until just combined.

Pop the cornflour and bicarb in, then add in the flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Try not to overmix, as this will make your cookies tough.

Finally, add in the choc chips, saving a handful of each and setting them to one side.
Scoop out heaped tablespoons of mixture and roll between your hands until you have a rough disc, then press some of the remaining choc chips into the discs so that you end up with an appealing mix of chocolate on the top of the cookie.

Set them on your lined tray about 1cm apart and pop into the oven for 12 minutes, rotating at half way. These cookies are best if you only put one tray in at a time. However, if you decide to put two trays in at once, leave them in for 2 minutes extra, and swap them over at half way so that they cook evenly.

When you remove them from the oven, allow them to cool for two minutes, then transfer them to a cooling tray.

I recommend you devour these babies warm, but make sure you save some for Santa!

If cookies aren’t your thing, here are some other last minute Christmas recipes for you:

No-bake choc mint cheesecake

Mint chocolate crackles

Cherry syllabub

Chocolate cardamom biscuits and a hiatus

I’ve been away for a little while. The Boy and I moved into a new place, which meant uprooting ourselves and our little pupper.

This meant that our already anxious little Daisy turned into a giant nervous wreck. Norman, the most regal dog I have ever met, is remaining at my parent’s place. He’s old and forgetful, so it wasn’t fair to take him with us.

And this meant that Miss Daisy had to spend long periods of time by herself.

Just. Look. At. This. Face. Continue reading “Chocolate cardamom biscuits and a hiatus”

Chocolate peanut butter cookies and Winter recipes

I’ve hit a bit of a wall recently. All I want to do in my spare time is hide under the covers, binge on Netflix series and eat delicious things.

Generally I would have no issue being the person who makes said delicious things, but these past few weeks I haven’t been getting very far. I played around with a delicious earl grey and orange blossom water layer cake (recipe still in the works) and I’ve made litres and litres of soup. I’ve also been really into breakfast smoothies.

The soup and smoothies are testament to how much of a hermit I am recently. I don’t need to expend much energy making them, and all I need to do is blend up assorted food lying around the house.

But no baked goods! Continue reading “Chocolate peanut butter cookies and Winter recipes”

Speculoos fondant cookies and the meaning of Christmas

This time of year really gets me thinking about what Christmas means. Having been to Europe earlier in the year, I’m thinking about white Christmas, mulled wine and open fires. Of course, Australia’s Christmas is completely the opposite. Right now it’s 30+ degrees every day and lots of humidity – not quite the idyllic Christmas that most people dream of.

Christmas spice cookies with fondant (2 of 8)

But I wouldn’t have it any other way. As much as I love experiencing parts of other cultures, one of my favourite things to do is bring them home with me. This is why I made these little gems!

Continue reading “Speculoos fondant cookies and the meaning of Christmas”

Orange & poppy seed cookies and November

Movember makes me happy. Unsurprisingly, it’s not the ridiculous patches of hair that spring up (with varying degrees of success) on the men in my life that I love.

Moustache cupcakes (7 of 16)

I love that it is part of the solution to de-stigmatising men’s health problems. That sounds a little pompous, but hear me out.

The men in my family are stoic, old-fashioned creatures who hate the idea of going to the doctor until there’s a real problem (I.e. When the problem is usually worse).

Preventative doesn’t exist in their vocabulary.

Continue reading “Orange & poppy seed cookies and November”

Fairy bread biscuits and brightness

This week has been a bit of a crazy one! Sydney (just in case you missed it) has been absolutely hammered with rain. Train lines flooded, businesses closed, broken umbrellas were strewn about the city; nothing remained dry.

single

It was actually kind of ridiculous. On the second day of ridiculous rain, I decided to bake away the grey. These fairy bread biscuits were the perfect counterbalance to the bleakness. This is such a simple recipe, but it gives such consistent, delicious results. Continue reading “Fairy bread biscuits and brightness”

Chocolate date skillet cookie and pans

This skillet cookie is everything. It’s giant, chocolatey and gooey – all of these are positives (I think) when it comes to baked goods!

I’m in love with it. I was inspired to make a skillet cookie for two reasons – one, I’d read about them before and somehow never made one; two, I was sent a cast iron pan to trial by Mark from Solidteknics.

The pan is proudly Australian made and it is built to last for generations. I love cooking in my mum’s and nan’s old pots and pans because they have character and history; they wear the marks of thousands of meals, yet continue to reliably do their job. I hope that this castiron pan will hold the same value to my kids (whenever that day comes!) Continue reading “Chocolate date skillet cookie and pans”

Baileys buttercream sandwich biscuits and St Patrick’s day surprises

I started making these biscuits so that I’d have a St Patrick’s Day appropriate recipe. I don’t really like to go for the super cliched option when it comes to occasion baking, so I’ve stayed way from green desserts this year. Last year I made the delicious Guinness cake, but this year I opted for Baileys instead because I drink Baileys all year round. Now that I’ve made these delightful little morsels, I know that they’re far too delicious to only make once a year. This babies are going to be on high rotation because they’re addictive!

I also had lots of fun messing around with videos as I was making them. I was surprised at how fun playing with Instagram videos is – I’m going to be making lots more videos! My new, adorable baking paper and speedy baking are a match made in heaven! Continue reading “Baileys buttercream sandwich biscuits and St Patrick’s day surprises”

Catch ups and simple orange biscuits

I’ve been a bad blogger. I haven’t updated the blog in over a week! I have an excuse, I promise. I’ve been trying to organise a super-cute giveaway for the blog (keep your eyes peeled in the next few blog posts), I’ve been working like a crazy lady, and I was in Melbourne over the weekend. I do have a biscuit recipe to share with you though – that’s go to count for something, right?