Anzac Biscuits

A Kiwi workmate brought me a couple of these last year and they were so good---nothing better than oats and coconut.

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup coconut
3/4 cup oats
75g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup or corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp boiling water

Mix flour, sugar, coconut and oats. Melt butter and syrup. Dissolve baking soda in water and add to butter and syrup. Stir butter mix into dry ingredients. Place level tablespoons of mix onto greased baking trays, then press out with fork. Bake at 180C for about 12-15 minutes or until golden. Makes 15.

*Mine turned out slightly flat because I added a bit too much water but damn they were good anyway!

Pecan Tassies

Shells
½ pound butter (2 sticks)
1 large pkg cream cheese
2 cups sifted flour

Soften butter and cheese to room temperature. Mix well. And flour and mix with hands. Shape into balls the size of a small walnut. Press dough into muffin tins.

Filling
3 eggs slightly beaten
2 cups light brown sugar
Dash of salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups chopped pecans

Put pecans into bottom of shells. Mix first five ingredients well. Spoon mixture into shells. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from tins while still warm. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool.

Chocolate Bar Brownies

These are usually made with Hershey bars, but I'd like to try them with Cadbury. Mmmmm....

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
1 lb. can (16 ozs.) Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
1 cup nuts (walnuts, for example)

Cream sugar and butter. Add and beat remaining ingredients. Lightly grease and flour cake pan. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting
6 Hershey bars
Place on top of cake after you take it out of the oven. As bars melt, spread evenly with a knife.

White Chocolate Chip Cookies w/Dried Cherries

Hopefully my mom won't mind me sharing this one. She does some amazing cookies at the holidays and this one is worth sharing. I haven't ever made them, but I've eaten plenty!

2 1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups flour
1 tsp each: baking soda, baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup each: granulated sugar, packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pkg (12 oz) white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup dried cherries or cranberries

Heat oven to 375F. Process oats in food processor to fine powder. Combine oatmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt in medium bowl; set aside. Beat together butter and sugars in bowl on medium until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients, about 1/4 cup at a time. Stir in choc chips, walnuts and dried cherries. Drop by tablespoons on greased baking sheets. Bake in batches until golden, about 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool.

Oatmeal, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just had these for the first time today...amazing!

½ c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
½ c. (1 stick) butter, softened
½ c. peanut butter (preferably chunky)
½ tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. all-purpose flour
½ c. quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 pkg (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350F. Beat sugars, butter, peanut butter, vanilla & egg in medium bowl with wooden spoon until creamy and well blended. Mix in flour, oats, baking soda & salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet.

Madeira Biscuits

These are basically butter cookies with raisins. Hysterical when kids mistake the raisins for choc chips;)

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 3/4 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. raisins

Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar & salt in large bowl until creamy. Mix in vanilla. Add flour & raisins; mix until smooth dough forms. Divide dough in half. Shape each dough half into 1 1/2 in. diameter log. Wrap log in plastic and refridgerate until firm; about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Butter 2 large baking sheets. Cut each dough log into 1/4 in. thick slices. Place slices on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are golden (approx. 10 mins). Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves, from approx 6 tea bags
½ tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup butter, cut into pieces

Pulse together all the dry ingredients in a food processor (or blender if you don’t have one, in which case you’ll need to transfer the dry ingredients to a large bowl and use a hand mixer when you add the other ingredients) until the tea leave are pulverized. Add the vanilla, 1 tsp water, and the butter. Pulse together until a dough is formed. Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of cling film and roll into a 12 inch log, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Slice each log into disks, 1/3 inch thick. Place on parchment or foil lined baking sheets, 1.5 inches apart. Bake on 375 degrees F until edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.