Today saw the annual Whittle baking project, and so here is my one and only recipe post of 2011.
This year, I think you’ll agree, we have surpassed our (admittedly dodgy) previous efforts. Behold, the miracle of Christmas Bauble Cookies.
Step 1:
Assemble the ingredients for the cookies: flour (150g), dark sugar (50g), caster sugar (50g), salt (pinch), egg (1), vanilla essence (a bit), butter (100g), chocolate chips (50g).
Step 2:
Realise that you have kept the kitchen tradition of having six tubs of baking powder and no bicarb. Take off slippers and apron, put on boots, walk to Co-Op, buy bicarb, return home, measure out a quarter of a teaspoon of bicarb. C’mon – a QUARTER OF A TEASPOON? I’m sure it can’t be vital.
Step 3:
Mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Just in case your mixture is less “light and fluffy” and more “two day old porridge” (see below) then dispose of mixture and return to Step 1.
Step 4:
Add the egg and vanilla essence to the butter. In the event that someone accidentally drops the egg into the wrong bowl (see below), scoop out and repeat this step. Once the wet ingredients are all combined, stir in the flour, salt, bicarb, and chocolate chips. Stir until the mixture forms a dough.
Step 5:
In the event that the mixture does not resemble a dough AT ALL, add more flour. Add a bit more flour. Then a bit more. Basically just keep adding flour until you get something you can roll out. You might need to add a bit of milk if you added too much flour in a “THIS IS NOT DOUGH” panic (see below).
Step 6:
Cut out large circles from the dough and put them onto greaseproof paper. Then using a small cutter and a paring knife, cut a small circle out of the middle of each disc to make “O” shapes. Use a straw to make a small hole in the outer circle.
Step 7:
Bake the cookies until they’re just firm to the touch – about 8 minutes at 180 degrees. Meanwhile, put some clear coloured candies (we use Jolly Rancher but fruit Polos would work, too) into Ziploc bags and using a rolling pin, smash them to smithereens. This is VERY therapeutic.
Step 8:
Once the cookies have cooled, put about 2 teaspoons of crushed candy into the hole in the middle of each cookie. Return to the oven and allow the candy to melt and become smooth. This takes about 3 minutes.
Step 9:
Remove the cookies from the oven and when they are almost completely cool, peel them off the paper backing, and place on a wire rack to allow to cool completely.
Step 10:
Decorate with festive icing, and if you like you can even thread a ribbon through the hole and hang these on the tree for that, erm, home-made feel.
