Ahh..tutorials...recipes...hmmm

Sooo...been thinking about the blogs I love the most...sometimes I just like to drink in all the gorgeous pics on someone's blog...for instance, Sandes blog at A Gift Wrapped Life...other times I like to simply read about something that sounds so inspiring, or moving...like most of the blogs I read, so no examples...but what i REALLY love when I'm in the "I wanna make something" mood!!...is ...TUTORIALS!! like...Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors...you'll find cool "real girls use power tools"!! ones..here...and Natalie at Hungry Hippy..you'll find fab "i have a sewing machine, and I know how to use it!!" ones here...and so on...(there are SO MANY women whose blogs inpsire me...those were just a couple i"ve been poring over today and in the wee hours of last night..which is actually this morning, isnt it?!lol

ANyway...and I had a couple of emails saying "recipes? for the cookies the other day"...didn't even think about that...so here's the recipe for my Choc Chunk Nut Cookies...and then the Almond Rounds...enjoy!




CHOC CHUNK NUT COOKIES Recipe
4oz(i'm an oldskool baker!!) 100g/1/2 cup...butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup castor sugar (or normal white sugar)
Cream all these together...add:
1 egg
vanilla to taste (NATURAL VANILLA PLEASE GIRLS!! essence=YUK!!)
Whisk again till mixed...then add:
1 rounded cup white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
good pinch salt
1 cup chopped dark choc buttons
1/2 cup chopped nut of choice (I've used toasted almonds or cashews..mmm)
Stir all in till well mixed.
Grease your oven trays or line with baking paper
Place mixture in teaspoonful lots with lots of room to spread (they spread HEAPS!)
Bake at 180deg C (where is the degrees symbol??) or 350deg F for 8-10 min
Leave on tray only a few minutes then lift onto wire rack to cool completely
(if you don't eat them all whilst still warm..in which case...begin again!!)
haha...hope you enjoy them...i know I am!!!!!

And now..the Almond Rounds:..recipe after pics...





ALMOND ROUNDS RECIPE
DOUGH:
6oz(150g)butter softened
1/2 cup castor sugar (or normal sugar)
1/2 an egg (I KNOW!...just weigh a small bowl,beat up the egg in it with a fork and weigh it again, subtracting the weight of the bowl (or tare your scales if you have this function) to get half..use the other half to glaze the finished creation before baking)
squeeze of lemon juice (about 1 tsp)
few drops almond essence
250g flour
pinch salt
pinch baking soda
Cream butter and sugar till just creamy - dont' overcream. Add egg and lemon juice adn almond essence, whisk together. Add dry ingredients and mix till just comes away from the sides of the bowl. Make into a ball, flatten somewhat and chill for 30 mins. Roll out and cut into 12x 7cm rounds, and 12x 8cm rounds.

FILLING:
130g ground almonds
130g castor sugar
1 egg
1tsp almond essence (more or less to taste...I LOVE almond flavouring so I like more..and in fact I would use my almond essential oil in future as a drop of that is like 2 tsp of essence!!- not the almond oil you buy at the pharmacy you understand, for massage etc..that has no scent,therefore no flavour whatsoever...don't use that!)
Mix all filling ingredients together till a nice wet but not sloppy mix...it should be a consistency that could be piped, even tho I don't pipe it on.

Place a tspfull of filling onto each 7cm round, flatten down. Brush the edges with water, place the 8cm round on top and gently press around all edges to join together.Brush with the remaining 1/2 egg from the dough, press a blanched almond onto the top of each one.
Place on greased oven tray, or one lined with baking paper. Bake at 200degC/400degF for 12-14 minutes, till golden brown. Leave on tray a few minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
These will keep well in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks..if you can leave them that long! They apparently freeze well also :)

As Julia would say...BON APPETIT girls!
luv jessie x