Snowball Cookies

Dear Christmas. I’d love to tell you that my fireplace is fully decorated ready for Christmas with all the stockings and everything festive, but that would be lying. The truth is, I’ve only got a partially decorated tree up, and might I add – a 6ft slim one this year, (slim: as I’m going to be going for that look myself once Christmas is over and all the dessert is eaten). And I’ve only partially decorated the house, as I figured the more I put up, the more I have to take down in a couple of weeks, right? Is that sort of a Grinch attitude to have? Oh dear.

I’ve been trying to write this post for a few days now, having made these over the weekend, a good couple of times. I’m not too happy with my shots above/below though (the perfectionists in me). So, I think I will repeat this recipe again pretty soon, and update the photography one day, so stay tuned. But for now, they are here and waiting for you with all their festive goodiness!

Honey Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

When I find a new favorite thing, I keep going back to it. New favourite shoes will get worn everyday; favourite nail polish, will get worn to death; a new lunch inspiration will eaten every lunch-time until I tire of the taste. You get the point.

So when I find a new cookie recipe, that is chewy with a bit of nutty-ness and oaty goodness and is quick to make, it will get baked repetitively. They are a bit more healthier than most too. I've made these twice this week already. The last time I felt this passionate about a cookie was with my White Chocolate and Lime cookies, they are brilliant too.

Don't forget to take you butter out of the fridge beforehand, so it's near room temperature, or you can choose one of my quick methods to softening butter. And the best thing about cookies in general is that they only take minutes in the oven!
Behold my Honey Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

When I was a child, I liked to eat a lot of biscuits and cookies. A lot. It tended to be the most accessible sweet thing in the house. Our biscuit tin was always in the same place in my house and was pretty easy to get to. 

I distinctively remember once my Mum had bought a packet of McVitie's Chocolate Digestives. I must have been quite idle at home that day and somehow managed to eat through the whole packet with nothing left but the crumbs. I knew when my Mum returned to see its empty packet in the bin, I would get into so much trouble, so I decided to hide the evidence: Mum remember the time you doubted if you had or hadn’t bought that packet of Digestives from the supermarket? Well you did. How could it have disappeared without a trace? Well Mum, that was me! I ate the whole lot and then craftily hid the wrapper until it was safe to throw away in an outside public bin! 

There, that’s one less confession off my shoulder.

Nowadays, I like to think I can consume a sensible amount of two or three biscuits at a time. Not the whole packet. One exception being these White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies or these.

For cookie eating instructions, click here . 

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Adapted from Joy the Baker, for UK measurements; Makes about 12.

110 g/4oz butter, softened
200 g/7oz soft light or dark brown sugar
2 tbs milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
200 g/7oz plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
100 g/4oz chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
150 g/5oz white chocolate chips


Method 
Preheat oven to 175°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream together until just combined.
Stir in the egg, milk and vanilla and mix well.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt and mix well. Fold in the chopped nuts and white chocolate chips.

Scoop one-tablespoon-sized balls onto the lined baking trays, leaving enough space between them to spread out. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are golden. The cookies will be very soft and will harden as they cool.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on baking trays.

White Choc Lime Cookies

 

I'm here writing to you and eating one of these cookies at the same time (multitasking), before I go and watch The Great Gatsby with the other half. I know I can easily say that I like cookies. And I know you’ve probably heard me say that before, but can I just tell you about these ones, please? Before I tell you about anything else – as nothing else is more important right now – these cookies are were so delicious! I don’t even want to say 'delicious' as that word is so over-used here. I need a new word for delicious to describe these cookies. When I first embarked on baking these, I did think: “these cookies are going to taste funny, as they have lime in them”. And cookies are meant to have sweet ingredients in them, right. We all know this. But was I wrong. I don’t know how, but together, the lime and white chocolate really work.

And the best thing about cookies in general – they're finished baking in 10 minutes! Normally with cookies I personally have a tendency to over-bake them, and then they end up like crunchy biscuits, but I did exactly as it said ‘on the tin’ this time and they came out perfect.

P.S: the secret to a good tasting white choc chip cookie, I believe, is to use a good quality chocolate chip! I have used Dr. Oetkers chocolate chunks.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Hi. I’ve been gone a while. I Know. ‘Life ‘ was busy being a bit unfair to me. I'll tell you about it one day. But I’m back now, and look what I’ve made you!

I didn’t have much ingredients in the cupboard! Just enough to put this together and use half a jar of peanut butter that was due to pass its ‘eat before date’ in July of this year! I was pleased I found a cause for it!

But I’m gonna be honest with you, because I’m that type of girl: 
I made these; they came out right; they look good; and they were quite nice; but I'm just not that crazy enough about peanut butter! As I only ate one and a half!

Now you know that is not like me at all!  

See what you make of them...