Easy Shortbread Biscuits

I've baked these biscuits so many times that I've memorised the recipe, and I usually have to make a double batch.  We sometimes add a teaspoon of cinnamon or some orange zest for a change, and they are delicious with chocolate drizzled over as well.  These biscuits melt in your mouth and are proper buttery, delicious traditional shortbread.  

Easy Shortbread Biscuits

125g butter, softened (at room temperature)

55g sugar

180g plain flour

Preheat your oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5 and line a couple of baking trays with non-stick baking paper or a reusable liner.

Beat the butter and the sugar together until noticeably paler in colour, the mixture should be smooth.  Stir in the flour until the mixture is a smooth paste.  You can freeze the mixture at this point if you want, or refrigerate the dough to bake later.  Tip the mixture onto a work surface and gently press or roll out the dough until 1cm/½in thick.

Cut the dough in to fingers and put on to the lined trays.  Prick each biscuit lightly a few times with a fork.  Put the trays of biscuits into the fridge for half an hour.  Don't miss out this step.  It allows the dough to rest and stops the biscuits from spreading too much when baked.  Sprinkle with a little sugar if you want.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden-brown.  Leave to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an air tight container.

Leave a Comment Basics, Biscuits, Make it yourself, Vegetarian

Our Family Meal Plan for week of 03/09/2018 - £60

We got through out Mother Hubbard week last week, and I took advantage of the empty fridge and freezer to thoroughly clean both and defrost the freezer.  I also cleaned our oven, because of a spillage, and it's still gleaming.  I loathe cleaning the oven, it's one of my least favourite jobs so a the suggestion of many friends I've purchased an oven liner to put on the bottom of our oven which should make spillage clean up much easier.

We're staying with the frugal theme with the Meal Plan this week as I'm bracing myself for the inevitable school trip letters the first couple of weeks back, and other unforeseen expenses that crop up once school starts.

It's back to routine for us towards the middle of this week, although 3yo doesn't start back at Nursery until next Monday.  The holidays have seemed rather long and all of my children are welcoming the prospect of getting back to routine and starting the new school and college year.

Our apple tree still has enough fruit to keep us going this week, and we've been blackberry picking again too.  We've rhubarb, fresh herbs, chard and rocket from the back garden. The weather is still fairly warn so the garden is still giving us plenty of produce, the apple tree will probably not have fruit left by next week though.

Breakfasts will be overnight oats, granola with yoghurt and fruit, or porridge and weekend breakfasts will be pancakes and bacon butties.

Packed lunches will be Quinoa and Pearl Barley Salad, cooked pearl barley and quinoa mixed with diced celery, peppers, cucumber, grated carrots, and chopped fresh herbs with a garlic yoghurt drizzle.  There'll of course be a piece of fruit and baked treat for afters.  Weekend lunches will be Bean and Rice Burritos and Homemade Pizzas.

Snacks will be popcorn, homemade biscuits, homemade toasted teacakes and English Muffins. 

Dinners

Chana Masala

Mejadra (Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice) with wilted greens, pita breads (homemade), and yoghurt sauce.

Macaroni Cheese

Chilli Con Carne

Salmon and Rice Bake

Spaghetti Bolognese

Bacon and Egg Pie

Shopping List

40 items: £59.91

Packets and Cereals

1x     ASDA Wholewheat Spaghetti (500g)         45p

1x     Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg)         65p

1x     ASDA Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg)         69p

1x     ASDA Wholemeal Bread Flour (1.5Kg)         69p

1x     ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg)         45p

1x     ASDA Smartprice Sultanas (500g)         £1.00

1x     ASDA Easy Cook Long Grain Brown Rice (1Kg)         £1.09

1x     ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg)         45p

1x     ASDA Wholewheat Penne (500g)         45p

1x     Allinson Easy Bake Yeast (100g)         98p

1x     ASDA Good and Balanced Green Lentils (500g)         £1.15

1x     ASDA Good and Balanced Pearl Barley (500g)         55p

1x     ASDA Quinoa (300g)         £1.19

1x     Tropical Sun Popcorn (500g)         79p

2x     ASDA Scottish Porridge Oats (1Kg)         £1.78

1x     ASDA Ready to Roll Puff Pastry (500g)         £1.00

Tins, Jars and Cooking

1x     ASDA Wild Pacific Pink Salmon (418g)         £2.19

7x     ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g)         £2.03

2x     ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g)         66p

1x     ASDA Stock Cubes - Beef (12x10g)         43p

1x     ASDA Black Beans in Water (400g)         65p

2x     ASDA Chilli Beans in Chilli Sauce (390g)         £1.30

Frozen

2x     ASDA Frozen for Freshness Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)         £1.90

2x     ASDA Beef Mince (800g)         £5.00

Dairy and Eggs

3x     ASDA British Whole Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)         £4.44

4x     ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)         £1.80

1x     ASDA Smartprice Mature White Cheddar (830g)         £3.69

1x     ASDA Condensed Milk (397g)         £1.05

1x     Wood Farm Free Range Eggs Medium (12)         £1.60

1x     ASDA Best for Baking Cakes Spread (1Kg)         £1.70

Meat, Fish and Poultry

2x     ASDA Farm Stores Cooking Bacon (500g)         £1.14

Fruit and Vegetables

25     ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas by Weight (200g)         £3.00

2x     ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)         £1.30

4x     ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber         £2.00

2x     ASDA Grower's Selection Celery         £1.04

1x     ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose         20p

2x     ASDA Grower's Selection Pears (1.2Kg)         £4.40

1x     ASDA Farm Stores Brown Onions (1Kg)         65p

1x     ASDA Farm Stores White Potatoes (2.5Kg)         £1.25

1x     ASDA Grower's Selection Cooking Peppers (700g)         £1.35

Bakery

2x     ASDA Wholemeal Tortilla Wraps (8)         £1.78

We purchased our shopping online from Asda, via My Supermarket and the cost of our groceries was £59.91. Had we shopped elsewhere our shopping list would've cost:

£65.04 from Tesco

£69.75 from Sainsburys

£89.67 from Ocado

£89.88 from Waitrose

My lovely blogging buddy Ciara from My Fussy Eater has created a fab Meal Planning Facebook Group so we can inspire each other. She also has a book out which you can order here. 

And Katykicker has a Meal Planning Linky full of fabulous Meal Planning posts with lots of tasty ideas.

4 comments Biscuits, Bread, Breakfast, Dairy free, Dinners, Fish, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Pasta, Rice, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

OUR FAMILY MEAL PLAN FOR WEEK OF 06/08/18 - £72

It's the third week of the holidays and I'm looking forward to a couple of hours by myself this week.  It's been 15 days since I had any 'me time' apart from time spent working.  My husband is working a half day from home so he can spend time with 3yo in the morning and I'll be taking our middle two to a pottery taster class, which will give me 2 hours to myself whilst they have fun.  Our eldest will be helping in a local coffee shop as she does most mornings, and some afternoons.

We'll probably go to the local park a few times this week, especially as there's cooler weather forecast, and also visit the library and perhaps a free museum workshop.  We're very lucky that there are so many fab museums in town, many offering free holiday workshops.

Our garden is still providing us with salad greens, chard, spinach, fresh herbs, strawberries, raspberries and apples.  I'm going to have to use up lots of apples in baking and we'll be eating plenty as snacks because the tree is fully laden at the moment.  I'll also be giving apples to any friends and neighbours who fancy some. 

I'll of course be baking.  There will probably be a batch or two of scones, some flapjacks, muffins, and perhaps some biscuits/cookies.  Snacks will be homemade vegetable chips, popcorn, fresh fruit, and baking.

Breakfasts will be cereal or granola with fruit and milk, or toast and spread with a piece of fruit for afters.  Weekend breakfasts will be pancakes and crumpets.

Lunches will be accompanied by crudites and dip (hummus, herbed yoghurt, salsa).  We'll be having Cheese and Vegetable Puffs, Super Quick Couscous and Chickpea Salad, Versatile and Thrifty Flatbreads, Salmon and Couscous Salad, Chickpea Patties on homemade rolls with salad.  We'll have the flatbreads and couscous and chickpea salad twice.

Salmon and Couscous Salad

350ml vegetable stock, boiling hot

300g couscous

juice of a lemon

1 Tblsp oil

400g tin salmon, drained

1 chilli, deseeded and very finely diced (optional)

500g frozen mixed vegetables, cooked

large handful of parsley, finely chopped

handfuls of salad greens, to serve

Add the stock and couscous to a large bowl, mix until combined then cover with a plate or cling film and leave to sit for 10 minutes.  Use a fork to fluff up the couscous then mix through all the other ingredients.  Serve atop a handful of salad greens.

Chickpea and Sweetcorn Patties

400g tin chickpeas, drained
325g tin sweetcorn, drained
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tblsp lemon juice
2 Tblsp gram flour or cornflour
2 Tblsp rapeseed oil

Tip the chickpeas into a bowl and crush to a thick paste with a potato masher. Stir in the sweetcorn, onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon juice and plenty of salt and black pepper.

Add the gram/corn flour and mix well until everything starts to stick together. Divide the mixture into four, then form each quarter into a burger shape.

Brush the burgers lightly with oil and place on the barbecue or griddle. Cook on each side for 2 minutes, until crisp and hot through. Serve in buns or on sandwiches with salad fillings and sauces of your choice.

Dinners

Veggie Curry Filo Parcels

1 small sweet potato, diced

1 tsp canola oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 Tbsp curry powder

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 can lentils, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp sultanas

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

12 filo sheets

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Preheat your oven to 200°C.  Put the sweet potato into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil then simmer until the sweet potato is tender.  Drain and set aside.

Over a medium heat, in a large frying, gently soften the diced onion in the oil.  Add the curry powder and garlic and cook for a minute or two.  Add the lentils, cooked sweet potato, sultanas, ¼ cup/60ml/4 Tblsp water, lemon juice and sugar.  Cook gently until most of the water has evaporated then take off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Lay one sheet of filo on your bench. Place ¼ cup/4 tablespoons of filling towards the short edge of the filo rectangle.  Spread out a little. Fold the long edges toward the middle, covering some of the filling.  Roll the filo into a cylinder shape like a spring roll.   Repeat until all the filo and filling have been used.

Place on a baking tray lined with foil or baking paper.   Brush with oil then bake, or brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds then bake.  Bake the filo parcels in your preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Roast chicken with roast vegetables

Chicken Fried Rice

2 cups long grain rice

600ml water

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tblsp/15ml oil

1 onion, finely diced

1kg mixed frozen vegetables

500g leftover cooked chicken, shredded

3 Tblsp/45ml soy sauce

Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear.  In a saucepan cover the rice with the water and bring to the boil with the lid on.  Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 20 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the rice to cool.

Put a wok or large frying pan over a moderately high heat and add the oil.  Add the onion and vegetables. Stir-fry until nearly cooked then add the cooked rice and chicken.  Make sure the rice and chicken are heated through and piping hot.  Move the rice and vegetable mixture to one side of the wok or pan and tip in the beaten eggs, cooking until scrambled.  Mix the scrambled egg through the rice mixture.  Stir through the soy sauce then serve.

Bacon and Egg Pie

Quick and Easy Nachos

Fish Burgers with sweet potato wedges and salads

Easy Orzo Bake

Shopping List

53 items: £72.14

Packets and Cereals

2x   ASDA Smartprice Wheat Bisks (24x18g)                                             £1.48

1x   Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg)                                                  65p

1x   ASDA Wholemeal Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                                                69p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Plain White Flour (1.5Kg)                                        45p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg)                                       45p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Sultanas (500g)                                                      97p

1x   ASDA Lemon Juice (250ml)                                                                39p

1x   ASDA Easy Cook Long Grain White Rice (1Kg)                                   £1.04

1x   ASDA Cous Cous (1Kg)                                                                      £1.35

1x   Allinson Easy Bake Yeast (100g)                                                        98p

1x   ASDA Orzo (500g)                                                                              65p

1x   ASDA Great to Bake Golden Syrup (750g)                                           £1.34

1x   ASDA Ready Rolled Filo Pastry (200g)                                                £1.30

1x   Tropical Sun Popcorn (500g)                                                              79p

1x   ASDA Scottish Porridge Oats (1Kg)                                                    89p

1x   ASDA Ready to Roll Puff Pastry (500g)                                               £1.00

Tins, Jars and Cooking

1x   ASDA Smartprice Bolognese Sauce (440g)                                         39p

1x   ASDA Wild Pacific Pink Salmon (418g)                                               £2.19

2x   ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn in Water (326g)                                      70p

5x   ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g)                                                      £1.65

1x   Merchant Gourmet Ready to Eat Puy Lentils (250g)                             £2.00

2x   ASDA Chilli Beans in Chilli Sauce (390g)                                             £1.30

Frozen

2x   ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                                          £1.64

1x   ASDA Battered White Fish Fillets (6 per pack - 600g)                          £2.70

Dairy and Eggs

2x   ASDA Semi Skimmed Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                                           £2.96

1x   ASDA British Whole Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                                             £1.48

1x   ASDA Best for Baking Cakes Spread (500g)                                       85p

2x   ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)                                 90p

1x   ASDA Free Range Mixed Weight Eggs (15)                                        £2.00

1x   ASDA Butter - Unsalted (250g)                                                           £1.49

1x   ASDA Smartprice Mature White Cheddar (830g)                                  £3.69

1x   Island Sun Sweetened Condensed Milk (397g)                                     £1.00

Fruit and Vegetables

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Salad Tomatoes (750g)                               £2.30

20   ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas by Weight (200g)                          £3.00

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)                                              £1.00

5x   ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber                                         £2.50

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                                         £1.04

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose                                               20p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Courgettes (3)                                             95p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Spring Onions                                             50p

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Sweet Potatoes (1Kg)                                  £2.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Giant Watermelon                                       £2.50

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Apricots (320g)                                           £1.58

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection British Parsnips (500g)                                65p

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Cherry Tomatoes (250g)                                       £1.10

1x   ASDA Farm Stores White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                                         £1.15

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Mixed Peppers (3)                                                £1.98

1     ASDA Grower's Selection Red Cabbage by Weight (1.1Kg)                  72p

1     ASDA Grower's Selection White Cabbage by Weight (Approx 1.2Kg)   78p

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Nectarines (6)                                             £2.00

Meat, Fish and Poultry

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Cooking Bacon (500g)                                          £1.14

1x   ASDA Butcher's Selection Whole Chicken (1.6Kg)                               £3.28

Snacks and Sweets

1x   ASDA Smartprice Tortilla Chips - Lightly Salted (180g)                        41p

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website MySupermarket, and are correct as of 4th August 2018. Prices may vary in different in-store locations

We purchased our shopping list from Asda on 04/08/2018, via MySupermarket and our items cost £72.14, had we shopped elsewhere our groceries would've cost:

£80.93 from Tesco
8£1.39 from Sainsbury's
£89.01 from Morrisons
£102.99 from Waitrose
£103.45 from Ocado

My lovely blogging buddy Ciara from My Fussy Eater has created a fab Meal Planning Facebook Group so we can inspire each other. She also has a book out which you can order here. 

And Katykicker, and Naomi from The Organised Life Project have a Meal Planning Linky full of fabulous Meal Planning posts with lots of tasty ideas.

4 comments Biscuits, Chicken, Dairy free, Dinners, Fish, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Muffins, Pasta, Rice, Salad, Snack, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

3 Ingredient Banana, Oat, and Raisin Cookies

These delicious morsels are vegan, refined sugar free, and gluten free if you use gluten free rolled oats.  Very quick and easy to bake, brilliant for children to help with too.  I make these often to beat the late afternoon energy slump, or as a short notice breakfast on the go.

The key to a good flavour is using over-ripe bananas as they provide the sweetness for the cookies, and you can use other dried fruits should you prefer such as finely chopped dried apricots or dried cranberries.  I've added chopped nuts in the past too, such as walnuts or almonds for more protein and extra flavour.  However if I am planning on putting these in school lunches I leave out the nuts as our primary school is nut-free.

The recipe is easy doubled or tripled should you want to make a large batch, they keep well for a couple of days in an airtight container.   

Banana, Oat, and Raisin Cookies

80g mashed banana, I used one medium sized over-ripe banana

70g rolled oats

50g raisins

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4.  Line an oven tray with non stick baking paper.

Peel the banana and mash with a fork until you have a smooth paste.  Add the oats and dried fruit, mix until totally combined.  Divide the mixture in half then each half into four so you have 8 small portions.

Roll the portions of mixture into balls then put onto the oven tray, leaving about an inch between them to allow for spreading. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the cookies start turning golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the trays.  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Leave a Comment Basics, Biscuits, Dairy free, Gestational Diabetes, Gluten-free, Snack, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Speed Baking - Versatile Vanilla Cookies

Who doesn't like a cookie with a well earned cuppa? I bake most days and this is one of my go to recipes for cookies which are tasty, easily adaptable, and quick to make.  It's also a fab recipe for when children announce there is a bake sale the next day.

Versatile Vanilla Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies

225g butter, softened but not melted
140g sugar
1 free range egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
280g plain flour

Put the butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla before stirring through the flour until completely combined. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Mix through 150g chocolate chips.  Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls, flatten slightly then place onto baking sheets lined with non stick baking paper - leaving room for the cookies to spread.  Preheat your oven to 190C/170C Fan/375F/Gas Mark 5 and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 - 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make round or thumbprint cookies:

Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls, flatten slightly then make a dent with a spoon.  Place on to trays lined with baking parchment, leaving room for the cookies to spread. Put a small dollop of jam, lemon curd, or chocolate spread into the indents.  

Thanks so much to my perfectly manicured friend who was a hand model in exchange for cookies.

Preheat your oven to 190C/170C Fan/375F/Gas Mark 5 and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 - 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Rolled and cut out cookies:

If you want to make shaped cookies you will need to chill it first to make it easier to work with.  Divide the mixture in half, shape into flat discs, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes. 

Roll out the dough between two sheets of non stick baking paper until it's about 3mm or 1/8 inch thick. cut out your shapes then carefully transfer them to lined baking sheets - leaving room for the cookies to spread.  

Preheat your oven to 190C/170C Fan/375F/Gas Mark 5 and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 - 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Leave a Comment Basics, Biscuits, Make it yourself, Snack, Snacks, Vegetarian

ABC Cookies (Vegan)

I wanted a cookie that would be great for breakfast on the go (with a pot of yoghurt) as well as a baked treat in lunchboxes or for afternoon tea with a cuppa.  It decided to adapt my Wholemeal ABC Muffins recipe to make cookies instead.  I added rolled oats to the recipe and used more mashed banana to replace the egg. It took a bit of tinkering, and a few batches of cookies, before I got the cookies just how I wanted them.

Toddler boy loved helping me bake a batch of these cookies

My team of taste testers (my children and some school run Mums and their children) declared them to be delicious and far too tasty to be so packed full of goodness.  Result!  They are lots of fun to bake, my toddler loved mashing the banana, measuring out the dry ingredients, and mixing everything together.  He also helped dollop the dough on to the trays and flatten the cookies.  My older children can make the cookies themselves without too much bother.

ABC Cookies (Vegan) 

150g/1 generous cup grated apple or pear (unpeeled)

200g/1 cup mashed over-ripe banana

150g/1 generous cup grated carrot

60ml/4 Tblsp/¼ cup maple or golden syrup

80ml/⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

300g/2 generous cups wholemeal flour

100g/1 cup rolled oats

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon or mixed/pumpkin spice

80g/½ cup chocolate chips or chopped dates

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4.  Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Measure the apple, banana, carrot, syrup, oil, and vanilla into a bowl then mix thoroughly.

Measure the wholemeal flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon into another bowl, stir together until well mixed.  Add the chocolate chips or dates and stir again to coat them in the dry ingredients.

Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir everything together until completely combined.

Using a cookie scoop, mine measures 2.5cm/1 inch in diameter, dollop the dough onto the lined trays.  You could use a tablespoon instead but I find that a cookie scoop is much easier and makes lovely round cookies.  I usually get about 20 - 22 cookies out of this batch of mixture.  Press the cookie dough mounds down slightly with a wet palm or floured fork.

Bake in the oven for 15 - 18 minutes. Allow to cool on the trays for a few minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  The cookies keep well for around 3 days in an airtight container.  The cookies are also freezable for a month or two.

Leave a Comment Basics, Biscuits, Breakfast, Dairy free, Snack, Snacks, Vegan

Giant Chocolate Chip Birthday Cookie

I baked this as an experiment and oh my goodness was it delicious! My daughters said it would be great decorated like a Birthday Cookie that a certain cookie retailer sells.  Baked as one of 10yo's birthday cakes, this giant cookie cost £1.87 to make, without energy and decorating costs.  The High St retailler version costs £14.99 or more depending on your choice of decoration.  My version is 8 times cheaper!

I used a simple icing sugar and water icing to decorate the cookie, coloured with gel colours.  Cost of icing was 60p for the icing sugar, I had the gel colours already but you can purchase them for around £1 and they last a very long time as you don't need to use much.  You could of course use 30g cocoa (30p) to make chocolate icing, and save on cost.

Giant Chocolate Chip  Birthday Cookie

175g softened butter (56p)

200g granulated sugar (11p)

1 large free range egg (16p)

2 tsp vanilla bean paste (30p)

250g self raising flour (8p)

2 tsp baking powder (6p)

100g dark chocolate chunks, I chopped up a chocolate block (30p)

100g milk chocolate chunks I chopped up a chocolate block (30p)

Preheat your oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F/Gas Mark 6.  Grease and line a 23cm/9 inch non-stick, loose based flan tin or springform cake tin.

Cream the butter and the sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla then beat again until completely combined.  

Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, then gently but thoroughly mix it until a soft cookie dough forms.  Add the chocolate chips and stir to distribute them evenly through the cookie dough.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared flan tin then spread out evenly, ensuring the top is level.  

Bake in the preheated oven for bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out free of crumbs or dough.

Allow to cool in the tin and gently turn out the cookie before serving in slices.

1 comment Basics, Biscuits, Budgeting Tips, Cakes, Party, Vegetarian