Cookies and Cakes

 
     
  CHUNKY MONKEY COOKIES

200g flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g caster sugar
125g butter
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
150g white chocolate
75g glacé cherries

1. Mix the flour, bicarb and caster sugar together, then rub in the butter to make fine crumbs
2. Beat together the egg and milk and add to the dry ingredients
3. Chop the white chocolate and cherries into small pieces and add to the other ingredients, mix well
4. Drop heaped dessertspoons of mixture onto a greased baking sheet, spaced well apart
5. Bake at 180°C for 8 - 12 minutes, until lightly browned
6. Leave for 2 minutes to harden, then transfer with an egg lifter to a wire cooling rack
 
 
     
  GINGER SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

250g butter
125ml castor sugar
250g cake flour
10ml ground ginger
castor sugar for sprinkling

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
2. Sift together the flour and ginger and gradually work into the butter mixture
3. Knead lightly and roll on a floured surface until 5mm thick
4. Cut into shapes using a biscuit cutter
5. Bake at 160°C until golden brown
6. Sprinkle with castor sugar while warm
 
     
  CHRISTMAS MINCE PIES

Ingredients
350 g cake or all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
125 g castor sugar
175 g butter, cut into cubes
6 egg yolks, beaten
250 ml good-quality fruit mincemeat
1 apple, peeled and grated
1 each orange and lemon, grated rind
splash of brandy or rum

Method:
Place the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.
Add the butter and work it in, using your fingertips.
Mix in the egg yolks briefly, just until the dough holds together.
Knead into a ball and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface.
Cut out rounds, using a 5 cm diameter cookie cutter, and stamp out small star shapes from the leftover pastry.
Press the pastry rounds into the hollows of tartlet tins.
Mix mincemeat, apple, rind and brandy or rum.
Drop 5 ml filling into each pastry case and top with a star shape.
Bake at 190 °C for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.
Cool on wire racks.
Tips
Serve warm, with a dollop of brandy butter or a dusting of icing sugar.
Make the pies in advance and freeze them.
When grating citrus peel or ginger, cover the side of the grater with cling film and grate over it. It's easier to lift off and you'll have a clean grater.
 
     
  CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE

Ingredients
500 g fruitcake mix
50 g candied peel
150 g assorted glacé fruit
200 g butter
250 g soft brown sugar
5 ml mixed spice
15 ml bicarbonate of soda
250 ml brandy or rum
2 extra-large eggs
125 ml sherry
125 ml milk
400 ml cake or all purpose flour
100 g mixed nuts

Method:
Preheat the oven to 150 ºC.
Grease the cake pan well and line it with baking paper or greaseproof paper. Add a brown paper collar, if using.
Combine the fruit, butter, sugar, mixed spice, 7 ml bicarbonate of soda and brandy in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Simmer gently over moderate heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Cool.
Beat the eggs until frothy in a large mixing bowl. Add the sherry and milk and whisk with the eggs.
Sift the flour and remaining bicarbonate of soda together into a large mixing bowl and add the chopped nuts.
Add the cooled fruit mixture and the egg mixture to the flour and nuts and mix through evenly.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan, to three quarters full.
Bake the cake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.
Test to see if the cake is done: insert a thin metal skewer into the centre of the cake then remove it. If the cake is done, it will come out clean with no trace of stickiness.
If ready, remove the cake from the oven, place a plate on top and cool it on a wire rack for a few minutes. Remove the plate and the pan, shaking it loose carefully, then peel the lining paper off the bottom of the cake. Sprinkle the cake generously with extra brandy.
When the cake is cool, turn it right side up and decorate it with whole almonds and glacé cherries.
 
     
  CHRISTMAS CAKE
The cake must be baked in October and iced in December

375g Cake Flour
375g Butter (not margarine)
250g Brown Sugar
6 Large Eggs
250g Currents
250g Seedless Raisins
250g Sultanas
125g Mixed Peel
250g Cherries
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Mixed Spice
1/2 tsp Salt
125ml Brandy
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cloves
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Black Treacle (I use Syrup)
1 tsp Cocoa
100g Ground Almonds
1/2 jar (250g) Fruit Mix
Extra Brandy for Soaking the Cake

1. Wash and dry all the fruit
2. Pour the brandy over the fruit and soak overnight stirring occasionally
3. Cream the butter and sugar well
4. Add the eggs 1 at a time plus a Tsp of flour with each egg
5. Add treacle
6. Add fruit mince and fruit
7. Fold in all the dry ingredients and mix well
8. Fold in the ground almonds
9. Grease a round cake tin and line it with wax paper
10. Wrap 4 layers of brown paper over the outside of the tin and secure with string
(This prevents the cake from getting too brown on the sides)
11. Bake in a pre-heated oven 150 C for 3 1/2 hours.
(If the top gets too dark, cover with tin foil)
12. Take out of oven and pour about 20ml of extra brandy over cake
13. Store in an airtight tin, pouring brandy over every week to keep moist

By December your Christmas cake is ready to ice and should be smelling delicious

ALMOND PASTE
450g Ground Almonds
225g Sifted Icing Sugar
225g Caster Sugar
8 Large Egg Yolks
1 tsp Almond Essence

1. Mix the almonds with the sugars
2. Add egg yolks and essence and mix together to form a soft, but not sticky paste
3. Smooth the paste by kneading briefly on a icing sugar dusted board

1. Turn out your cake and place upside down on a cake board or stand
2. Make lots of holes in the cake with a skewer, piercing about 3/4 way through the cake
3. If you want to, you can add a little more alcohol at this stage, and allow to seep into the holes
4. Brush the cake with 45ml of heated smooth apricot jam
5. Roll almond paste out into a round big enough to cover the cake entirely, top and sides
6. Lift the paste onto the cake, easing it over the top and down the sides
The easiest way to lift the paste, is to ease it over your rolling pin
7. Press gently, but firmly into position and trim excess at the bottom edge with a knife
8. Smooth with a palette knife, and leave uncovered, to set for 24 hours in a cool dry place

ROYAL ICING
900g Sifted Icing Sugar
4 Large Egg Whites
1 Tsp Glycerine
2 tsp Lemon Juice

1. Put the icing sugar and egg whites into a large mixing bowl
2. Beat together till smooth and fluffy
3. Beat in the glycerine and lemon juice
4. Spoon about 3 Tsp of the icing over the top of the cake and spread it evenly
5. Drag a clean metal ruler, or something like that, over the icing to smooth it
6. Trim the excess icing from round the top edge of the cake and leave to set overnight
7. Put the remaining icing in a clean bowl, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate
8. Next day, beat the remaining icing again, and give the top of the cake another layer
9. Spread the remaining icing round the sides of the cake, letting a little overflow onto the top of the cake
10. Pull icing into peaks with a knife
11. Leave to dry and decorate with Christmas decorations and ornaments as desired
12. If the top of your cake has a few dents in it, place a decoration over the dent or dust with icing sugar
13. If you really battle to get the top smooth, rather peak the entire cake with a knife, but remember, decorations can hide a magnitude of little faults
Have fun, that is the most important thing
 
     
  CHRISTMAS CAKE

Ingredients:
4 bottles of Vodka
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
lemon juice
4 large eggs nuts
2 cups of dried fruit

Method:
Sample the vodka to check quality.
Take a large bowl, check the vodka again.
To be sure it is the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer.
Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.
At this point it's best to make sure the vodka is still OK.
Try another cup .... just in case

Turn off the mixerer.
Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick fruit off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck
in the beaterers pry it loose with a sdrewscriver.
Sample the vodka to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something.
Who giveshz a shoot

Check the vodka.
Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table.
Add a spoon of sugar. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven and pee in the fridge.
Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over Don't forget to beat
off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the vodka and kick the
dog.
Fall into bed.
CHERRY MISTMAS!
 
     
  HERTZOGGIES

PASTRY
500ml Cake Flour
45ml Caster Sugar
10ml Baking Powder
1ml Salt
125g Butter or Margarine
3 Egg Yolks
15ml Cold Water
FILLING
75ml Smooth Apricot Jam
3 Egg Whites
250ml Sugar
500ml Desiccated Coconut

1. Sift flour, caster sugar, baking powder and salt together
2. Rub in softened butter until it resembles breadcrumbs
3. Beat egg yolks and water and add to flour
4. Mix to a soft consistency, adding a little water if dough is too stiff
5. Knead dough thoroughly
6. Roll out thinly, cut into circles and line oiled muffin tins
FILLING
7. Place a little jam in the centre of each pastry
8. Beat egg whites till stiff, and gradually add the sugar
9. Fold in the coconut
10. Place spoonfuls of coconut mixture on top of the jam
11. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 180 C
12. Allow to cool
 
     
  JAN SMUTS COOKIES

PASTRY
750ml Cake Flour
10ml Baking Powder
1ml Salt
250g Butter or Margarine
200ml Sugar
2 Eggs Beaten
FILLING
125g Butter or Margarine
150ml Sugar
2 Eggs Beaten
225ml Cake Flour
5ml Baking Powder
100ml Smooth Apricot Jam

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together
2. Rub in softened butter till mixture resembles breadcrumbs
3. Add sugar and mix lightly
4. Add eggs, and mix to a stiff dough
5. Roll out 3mm thick and cut rounds of 80mm
6. Line oiled muffin tins with the pastry circles
FILLING
7. Cream butter and sugar
8. Add eggs and mix well
9. Add sifted flour and baking powder to egg mixture and mix well
10. Place a little apricot jam in the centre of each circle and top with 15ml of filling
11. Bake for 15 min at 180 C
12. Leave to cool and dust with a little caster sugar
 
     
  GINGERBREAD MEN
50g Butter
100g Soft brown sugar
3 Tsp Black Treacle ( or syrup)
225g Cake Flour
1 Dsp Bicarb
2 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch Salt
Little Cream
Little Caster Sugar
Raisins for decoration

1. Cook butter, treacle and sugar over a low heat till dissolved, then allow to cool
2. Add sifted flour, bicarb, spices and salt to cooled liquid and mix
3. Add a little cream to make a stiff dough
4. Wrap in greaseproof paper and chill for 30 minutes
5. Roll dough to a thickness of 5mm and sprinkle with caster sugar
6. Cut out shapes with a gingerbread cutter (available from most stores)
7. Lift carefully onto a greased baking sheet
8. Mark eyes, nose and buttons with raisins and bake at 170 C for 10 - 15 minutes
9. Allow to cool

 
 
     
  LOW CHOLESTEROL CHRISTMAS CAKE

1 kg mixed dried fruit
150g glacé apricots, chopped
150g glacé pineapple, chopped
250ml brandy
250ml treacle brown sugar
80ml oil
3 extra large egg whites, lightly beaten
5ml vanilla essence
15ml molasses or golden syrup
15ml orange marmalade
60ml orange juice
15ml finely grated orange rind
500ml cake flour
125ml self raising flour
5ml ground nutmeg
5ml ground cinnamon
5ml ground cloves
5ml mixed spice
60ml brandy fro pouring over

Mix the fruit in a large bowl with the brandy, cover and leave overnight, stir occasionally. Preheat the oven to 150ºC. Grease and line a 20cm square or 23cm round cake pan with greaseproof paper. Beat the sugar, oil and egg whites till combined. Add the essence, molasses, marmalade, juice and rind and beat until combined. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the fruit and sifted dry ingredients. Spoon into the tin, tap on the table to remove any air bubbles, and smooth the surface. Bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours . Remove from oven, pour over the brandy and cool in tin before removing the paper.