Cookie Jar
It has been a busy few weeks of completing work documentation packages, kids science projects and after school activities (or at least my part to play for the kids homework is cracking the whip to ensure they are completed on time!), recovery from winter colds and the typical work catch up that follows. It's lovely to see the signs of spring starting to emerge meaning summer is just that little bit closer!
In the effort to make the week a little easier, over the weekend I try to make sure that I have enough 'lunchbox fillers' in the pantry, freezer, and cookie jars to get us through the week. It means that mornings are just that little less stressful when lunchboxes need to be filled or when the kids rock home at 3.00 hopeful that there is something good around for afternoon tea. While I do a sneak in a range of sugar free baking (carefully selected to ensure the rebellion is minimal), the occasional treat is good for the soul too. Favourite 'go to' recipe books include Jude Blereau's Wholefood Baking, from which this simple biscuit recipe originates, and I have official confirmation from my kids to share this one with you as 'child approved'.
Ingredients:
260g unbleached white spelt flour (or stoneground white flour)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt.
125g unsalted butter (softened)
75g rapadura sugar
1 egg (room temperature)
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
1 tsp vanilla paste.
Drizzle - 150g Dark Chocolate (approx) and a teaspoon of coconut oil.
Instructions:
1. Put flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and whisk.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, brown rice syrup and vanilla paste and beat until creamy.
3. Add the flour mix and beat on low speed till the flour is just incorporated and has come together into a soft dough.
4. Form dough into a line on a length of baking paper and roll up into a log 32cm long and 4cm diameter, twist the ends of the baking paper to seal and put in fridge for one hour. If you want to sandwich them together with a filling after cooking you may need to make a little more precise with an even diameter. Otherwise 'rustic' is totally fine and lends a degree of homemade authenticity to the finished product!
5. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, and line two baking trays. Unwrap the dough and cut into 5mm thick slices and place on the trays 3cm apart.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven, cool on the trays for 10 minutes bfore moving to a rack. They crisp up as they cool.
Jude also has a lovely lemon icing filling in her book so you can sandwich the two together with some raspberry jam, but I decided to melt a little chocolate with some coconut oil in separate bowl over boiling water, and then drizzle it over the top of the cookies. I put some cooled cookies into a cookie jar, and then the rest go into the freezer so I have a hidden stash ready to throw into lunchboxes whenever required.
I hope that helps a little with your week of balancing family life and work. If you would like to chat on social media and get to know us more, you will tend to find me on Instagram or you can follow our architecture 'work in progress' on the Donnell Day Instagram page or facebook. Have a great week!
Lisa.
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