ANZAC biscuits

ANZAC biscuits? What are those? I get asked this whenever I make these. Admittedly, it has been just a little shy of a decade since I last made a batch, but I did used to make them fairly frequently. The story I've been told is that these were the cookies sent over to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the war, as they were simple and travelled well.

They are meant to be brittle, worthy of breaking a tooth, but I prefer them chewy. I messed up and didn't make them that way this time, but if you are in America and can get good coconut, these can be truly divine. They look deceptively boring, just appearing to be a plain oatmeal cookie, but when you bite in you get a hit of coconut and you realise just how more-ish these can be.

Another good thing about them is that you don't use any eggs, so no salmonella worries with the dough. Not that this has ever stopped me from eating raw cookie dough.

Oh, and one last tip: when adding sugar, don't mistake a jar of bulgar wheat for a jar of demerara sugar. Trust me on this.

Ahem.

One other nice thing about this recipe is that everything gets thrown into a bowl and mixed together at once. So here we have brown sugar, flour, baking soda, coconut, oats, and a dollop of golden syrup.

Then on went some melted butter.

Then it was mixed.

Err, it seemed a bit dry. So then I actually looked at the recipe and realized I was meant to add a couple tablespoons of water. That made it better.

Then it was rolled into sizeable balls and put in to bake. I can only really fit two trays in my oven at a time, so I crowded them in closer together than perhaps I should have in order to save time.

They flattened out, and I also realized I had overbaked them. Oops.

Not perfect shapes, to be sure. Nevertheless, I brought them to the playground after school and quickly found myself surrounded by children willing to eat them and thus take them off my hands (and a few parents too, of course).

I might try making them into bars next time, as I think that might help prevent overbaking and would also take less oven space. But here is the recipe for them as out of my Mrs Beeton cookbook (and why these are in a "Mrs Beeton" cookbook when she wrote her recipes prior to the war is a question for the publishers at Marks and Spencer):

Ingredients:

75g rolled oats

100g plain flour

150g sugar (I use brown sugar)

50g coconut

100g melted butter

1Tbsp golden sryup

1 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda

2 Tbsp water

Method:

Preheat oven to 160C. Line two baking sheets. 

Combine ingredients and mix well, then roll into balls and place on sheets. Bake for at least 10 min, more if needed but make sure you don't overbake. 

Strawberry Almond Shortbread

The very first time I remember baking something myself from scratch was from a children's cookbook. The cookies were meant to be butter cookies with a jam centre, and I had visions in my head of something like a jammie dodger, or the jam-centred biscuits that always went before any others out of an old fashioned tin of butter cookies. I made sure to get the exact ingredients the recipe required, sending my mother out for "sugar free jam" as the recipe specified (a effort to make the recipe healthier, my mother later explained).

I was thoroughly disappointed with the results. The jam had not magically become taffy-like, the cookies tasted of almond rather than vanilla and were fat rather than elegantly thin. Everyone else liked them, and I made them again, thinking that somehow I had just got the recipe wrong, but I only got the same results. My childhood tastes tended to prefer the machine made, super processed factory cookies to homemade ones it seemed.

When I saw a photo of these cookies here, I was reminded of that recipe, but my adult self thought this type of recipe was worth giving another shot. This time I went in knowing that the jam would retain its general state and that cookies would taste of almonds, ending up crumbly rather than crispy.

The base was a simply shortbread, so I put butter and sugar into the food processor with some almond extract.

And it magically turned it into this in seconds.

Then in went some flour...

And a few seconds later I magically had cookie dough!

I chilled it a little bit, though perhaps not enough given how much some of my cookies flattened out, then rolled it into balls.

And put my big ol' thumbprint in the middle of 'em.

Then on each of them went a dollop of jam. I didn't have any raspberry jam to hand, but Costco strawberry jam did the job nicely.

A few minutes later they came out slightly more disc-like than I had anticipated.

When in doubt, just drizzle on some glaze in a fancy schmantsy kind of way, and you're good to go.

I brought some to a friend, then carried the rest with me to pick up the kids from school. On the way back, we ran into my colleague who was scanning the shelves of our local Sainsbury's for something to put on a plate for guests coming round, so she got the other half of the batch (minus the ones my family consumed). She served them up later, only half pretending they were hers, but was forced to confess when they asked for the recipe!

So here it is, in all its simplicity (originally taken from Better Homes and Gardens, but found on this website):

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup jam
sugar for sprinkling
1 cup powdered sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:

1. Mix butter, sugar, and extract together until well blended. Add flour and mix until combined. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 180C. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on lined cookie sheets. Using your thumb, press an indentation into the center of each ball. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the jam into each indentation and then sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.

3. For icing, in a medium bowl combine powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon water and 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract. Add enough of the remaining water to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle cookies with icing.

Lime Bars

Well, after the lacklustre "lemon brownies" I decided to go with a more reliable citrus bar. Lidl had a special deal on limes, so I picked up a bag and got out a recipe for lime bars that I had made a while back. 

Lemon bars are not often seen here in Scotland, as much as they are a staple in American cafes, and certainly no one here had ever seen a lime version of these citrus treats. I failed at first when describing it to my colleagues as the laden tin was presented.

"They're lime bars," I said confidently.

"What? Lion bars? What are lion bars?"

"Ha ha, no, not lion bars, LIME bars!"

"Oh. What are lime bars?"

"Um...Kind of a shortbread base with a lime topping. Kind of a gooey topping, sort of a custard but not really. They're crusty on top. Gooey but crusty"

"Uh...thanks..."

"No, really! It's kind of like a lime curd topping! With a shortbread base! They're good!"

"Great."

Of course, ultimately, they were home made goodies so people ate them. And darn it, they liked them too.

And for the record, the last time I made these for a separate group, I was told they were the best dessert bars one person had ever eaten ever and they demanded the recipe. So there. 

Here's the recipe I used here, also copied and pasted below.

Gather Up:Cookie Crust

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 /2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 cups flour
Pinch kosher salt

Lime Topping4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons flour
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.

To make the crust, combine the butter and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the flour and the salt, and mix another minute until well combined.

Pat the dough out to an even thickness over the bottom of the pan, and then gently push up and build an edge all around. (This will prevent the filling from seeping down underneath the crust when it is added later.)

Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and let cool completely on a rack.

To make the topping, whisk together the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the flour and whisk until just combined. Whisk in the lime juice and the zest.

Pour the lime topping over the cooled crust and return to the 350 degree oven. Bake for an additional 25 minutes until the filling is set.

Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Generously dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares. Bars will keep 2-3 days at room temperature.

Lemon Brownies...that are lemony but not like brownies

I've been on Pinterest again. I was looking to try something new, something different, and I saw a recipe I'd pinned ages ago for some "lemon brownies". Clicking on it, the link was outdated and broken, but I googled a bit more and found a separate recipe.

"These should be great!" I thought. "They'll be chewy and fudgy like a brownie, but with the zest of lemon flavour! Crusty on the outside, chewy in the middle! They'll be heavenly!"

Errrrm...no...they weren't. At least, I don't think so as I didn't technically eat any, but I did poke and prod and sniff them quite a bit. The good news is, my non-discerning family like them. They basically were just heavy, syrupy, slightly rubbery lemon bricks. They were not chewy in the right way. They were not pleasingly crusty. They were not what I would call "lemon brownies". I'm not saying that lemon brownies don't exist somewhere out there in the ether, it's just that this recipe wasn't them.

I didn't melt the butter, I just cut the room temperature butter into the flour and sugar.

And in a separate bowl went eggs, lemon juice and zest. Then they met each other in the big bowl. At first it was ugly.

But then it looked nice and cake battery.

So into the tin it went.

My assistant was given the task of cleaning the bowl.

And the mix came out of the oven looking like this. Not particularly brownie looking - just looked like a normal thin tray bake.

I mixed a glaze in a separate bowl, but it seemed too runny to me

Indeed, when I put it on, it just sat on the top. I had to wait a good few hours for it to set at all.

And when I finally attacked it, it looked like this. 

Errr...not so great. That said, my family has happily demolished them so just not my thing maybe.

I got my recipe here, and have just copied and pasted it below too. But still I wonder...do lemon brownies really exist somewhere???

Ingredients

For the Brownie

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 eggs, large
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the tart lemon glaze

• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 8 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 cup icing sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
3. Zest and juice two lemons and set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.
6. Pour it into the flour mixture and beat for 2 mins at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
7. Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 mins, should turn golden around the edges.
8. Allow to cool completely before glazing. Do not overbake, or the bars will dry.
9. Filter the powdered sugar and whisk with lemon zest and juice.
10. Spread the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula and let glaze set.
11. Cut into bars and serve.

Spinach, Artichoke, and Bacon Quiche

Quiche and I have a bit of a troubled past.

Years ago, when my mother was feeling adventurous in the kitchen she prepared a quiche for our Sunday dinner. As my parents murmured happy noises while they demolished their portions, I stared at mine, willing it to become something non-eggy. My grimaces offended my mother, and she gave me firm instructions just to EAT IT.

Well, being a good girl, I did as I was told, but my stomach had other ideas and my mother lived to regret her instructions to me. For years, it was a running joke, with "mmm..quiche!" being uttered whenever we were in its presence in a cafe, with mocking looks in my direction. Truthfully, I didn't eat it again for at least another ten years.

But then, one day I stepped into a Parisian patisserie and I decided quiche needed another shot. I ordered a simple miniature quiche lorraine and was bowled over by it. My tastebuds had decided to grow up, it seems (though not completely - I still detest eggs cooked on their own).

Fast forward a few years, when I went to Michigan to visit my husband's family. We were served what my aunt-in-law called "spinach pie" but what I would simply call quiche. I loved it, as did my husband, and I immediately asked her for the recipe and have used it repeatedly since when I want a meal that is simple and easy to make in advance then heat up later. It also travels well, so is handy for pot-luck affairs.

I've adapted it a bit over the years, and this time decided to add in a new element I hadn't tried before: artichoke hearts. It was my husband's idea, as we had a jar languishing in the cupboard, and it seemed a good one, bringing to mind the American restaurant starter staple: spinach and artichoke dip.

The filling is easy to prepare: frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed), a handful of artichoke hearts, a chopped onion, a couple tablespoons of flour, lots of swiss cheese (emmental in this case), salt, pepper, nutmeg, milk, and three eggs. I just put them all in a bowl...

Then mixed them into this unappetizing looking combination.

I had Pepperidge farm pre-made pie crust recommended to me, but we have no such thing here, so I just made a simple shortcrust pastry from my Joy of Cooking recipe, using a combination of butter and vegetable shortening. I know vegetable shortening is the new Satan, but it ensures good pastry, so I still use it. I put it into my prized pyrex pie dish - pyrex really is the ideal material for cooking pie crusts.

Because I wasn't baking for any vegetarians, I put some raw smoked bacon bits in the bottom.

Then on went the filling in one big splodge.

And for a nice brown cheesy top, I added some freshly grated parmesan.

The excess pastry was just folded back over and smooshed together.

Then, the better part of an hour later, using the fan setting with the emphasis on the bottom heat to prevent a soggy bottom, out it came in all its golden glory. I did this early on in the day, then reheated it slightly for our dinner, serving it alongside salad (not pictured).

I'm surprised I haven't posted this before - it is easy to throw together and for this reason makes a fairly regular appearance around this house, in spite of my childhood trauma. 

I promise it tastes better than it looks in my rubbish photo here.


Spinach, Artichoke, and Bacon Quiche

1 pie crust (either bought or half of this recipe which, again, I am surprised I haven't posted yet)

8 oz swiss cheese
2 Tbsp plain flour
1 cup milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
plenty of pepper and nutmeg
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out
1 onion, finely chopped
handful of artichoke hearts
2-3 Tbsp smoked bacon bits
Parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350F/180C

1. Prepare pie crust (whether it means making pastry or removing plastic from it)
2. Mix together all ingredients except Parmesan and bacon
3. Scatter bacon bits evenly in bottom of pie crust
4. Dump mixture on top and spread to even it out
5. Top with freshly grated parmesan, as much or as little as you like
6. Put on bottom rack of oven and bake for 50-60 minutes.