Cookies and Chaos

by C A Phipps

  3Add the rum and cocoa.

  4Add the remaining icing sugar to form a stiff dough.

  5Using a tablespoonful scoop out the mixture and shape into balls.

  6Roll in the coconut or chocolate hail and chill until firm.

  Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Ingredients

  225g (1 cup) caster sugar

  300g (2 cups) plain flour (sifted)

  200g (1 cup) of butter melted

  1tsp vanilla extract

  1tsp of baking powder

  A pinch of salt

  1 egg

  100g-200g chocolate bar or chocolate chips

  Instructions

  1Add the sugar and melted butter in a bowl and mix together – a wooden spoon is fine, no need for a whisk.

  2Sift the flour, baking powder, vanilla and salt together and add to the sugar and butter mixture. Add the chocolate chips at this stage if you’re making chocolate chip cookies.

  3Mix together using your hand. Once you get a dough texture, add the egg and knead using your hand again.

  4Spread some butter onto a baking tray. Take some of the dough, roll into ball then flatten a little. Keep them on the small side as they spread out during baking. Also, don’t keep biscuits close to each other otherwise they will get stuck together.

  5Place in the oven and bake at 160C, 320F for 10-20 mins.

  The bigger the cookies, the longer they’ll take to cook. They’re ready when the edges are golden.

  Mini Fruit Tarts

  Ingredients

  2 cups of milk

  2 tbsp vanilla essence

  ¾ cups of sugar

  6 large egg yolks

  3 tbsps. cornstarch

  ½ tsp salt

  7 oz (200g) of butter

  1 packet of sweet short pastry (4 sheets)

  Any berries in season

  Instructions

  1Mix milk and vanilla essence in a pot and bring to the boil.

  2In a bowl at sugar to the egg yolks. Whisk until egg yolks have lightened in color.

  3Add 3 tbsps. cornstarch and ½ tsp salt and whisk.

  4Slowly add the hot milk a little at a time so that the egg doesn’t curdle.

  5Put back into saucepan and place over a medium heat.

  6Bring it to the boil while whisking constantly until the custard thickens.

  7After a few minutes remove from heat and add 200g of butter a little at a time, whisking until smooth and it all has been added.

  8Cover for a couple of hours or leave overnight so that it sets.

  9Cut pastry sheets and place in non-stick mini pans.

  10Place baking paper and then rice or cooking beans in each one.

  11Cook for 8-10 minutes or until brown.

  12Cool.

  13Mix the custard until smooth again and fill the pastry cases.

  14Decorate with lovely ripe berries or kiwifruit.