Category: How To Be A Domestic Goddess

Maple-Pecan Cookies

If you don’t have maple extract in your pantry, use maple syrup in this buttery shortbread.

1 cup plus 2 tbs. butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tbs. light brown sugar
1 tsp. maple extract or scant 1 tbs. maple syrup
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup pecan halves

Heat the oven to 325°F. Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the maple extract or syrup. Gradually add the flour to make a soft dough. Roll into approx. 25 balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Oil the bottom of a glass and press down slightly. Top with a pecan half and bake for 15-10 minutes. The edges should be just golden. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

This cake has just the right amount of “squidginess” and is absolutely delicious.

1 cup softened butter
1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup plus 2 tbs. boiling water

Heat the oven to 375°F and line a 9 x 5″ loaf tin with parchment paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar, then stir in the eggs and vanilla, beating well. Fold in the chocolate. Combine the flour and baking soda and fold into the batter alternating with the boiling water. You will have a smooth, fairly liquid batter.

Spoon into the prepared tin, place on a baking sheet (in case anything bubbles over) and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 325°F and bake for another 15 minutes, or until a skewer come out just a little sticky.

Place on a rack to cool before slicing.

Lemon Curd

Winter is the time that Meyers lemons are ripe and they make a spectacular curd!

2 lemons, zested and juiced
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup caster sugar
8 tbs. butter

Beat together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a jug. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over a low heat. Gradually pour in the egg mixture and add the lemon juice and zest. Stir constantly until the curd thickens.

Garlic and Parsley Hearthbreads

Somewhere between a herby focaccia and garlic nan, these easy breads are ideal for a beginning bread maker. Foolproof!

3 1/2 cup white bread flour
1 package rapid-rise yeast (1/4 oz.)
1 tbs. salt
1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups warm water
5 tbs. olive oil
3 large of 4 small heads garlic
extra-virgin olive oil
bunch flat-leaf parsley

Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Stir the oil into the 1 1/3 cups of water and add to the bowl. Stir to combine into a soft, but firm dough, using more water if necessary. Knead until smooth and elastic on a lightly floured surface, 5-7 minutes. From into a ball.

Lightly oil a clean bowl. Put the dough into the bowl, then turn it over in the oil. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375°F. Cut the tops off the garlic cloves, making sure they remain whole. Place them in foil, drizzle with olive oil and scrunch up loosely. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until soft and golden. Remove and allow to cool a bit.

Place the parsley leaves in a small food processor. Scoop out the garlic and add. Season and whizz together. Add enough olive oil to make a paste. Set aside.

When the dough has risen, punch it down and leave it to rest for 10 minutes. Divide it in half and roll each half into a bulky oval. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with a tea towel land leave to rise for 25 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F.

Poke your fingers all over to make dimples in the dough. Brush with the garlic paste and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Sweet and Salty Peanut Cookies

To quote Nigella, “If greed alone were the spur and measure, these would be my favorite cookies”. That seems like a good enough recommendation for me!!

1/3 cup light brown sugar, plus more for dipping later
scant 1/2 cup butter, plus a little more for melting
scant 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tbs. self-rising flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tbs. or 4 1/2 oz. salted peanuts

Heat the oven to 375°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, shortening, egg and vanilla. Mix together well, then stir in the flour and then the peanuts. Drop the dough in rounded teaspoons onto the baking sheets about 2″ apart. Brush the bottom of a glass with melted butter, then dip in some brown sugar and gently flatten the dough.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, by which time they should be cooked through. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 30

Custard

So many desserts and better served with custard. No offense to Byrd’s, but freshly made is so much better!

1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, slit down the length
2 1/4 cups light cream
5 large egg yolks
1 tbs. sugar

Fill the sink with cold water. You will need this too cool the custard once cooked, or to plunge the custard in if it starts to split.

If you are using a vanilla bean, put it in a pan with the cream and heat until nearly boing. Take off the heat, cover and leave to steep for 20 minutes.

If not using a vanilla bean, pour the extract and cream in a pan over the heat. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together. When the cream is warm, slowly pour it over the egg mixture, beating all the while. Pour everything into the rinsed-out and dried pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the custard has thickened, about 10 minutes.

Plunge into the sink of cold water for a minute or two to cool. You can eat it right away or make it in advance, keep it chilled and warm it over a pan of simmering water.

Serves 4

 

 

Garlic and Parsley Flatbreads

These are something between garlic nan and herby focaccia: dimpled, doughy and headily pungent.

3 1/2 cups white bread flour
2 1/4 tsp. rapid-rise yeast
1 tbs. salt
1 1/3 – 1 2/3 cups warm water
5 tbs. olive oil, plus more for pouring over the garlic and drizzling
3 heads of garlic
bunch of flat-leaf parsley
sea salt, for sprinkling

Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Pour in 1 1/3 cups warm water and the oil and mix to form a soft, but firm dough, adding more water if needed. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Oil a bowl and place the dough inside, turning once. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to double in size, about an hour.

While the dough is rising, heat the oven to 375°F. Cut off the tops of the garlic heads and place in a small, foil-lined baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, season and pull up the foil to form a parcel. Roast until soft and golden, about 45 minutes. Unwrap the foil and leave to cool.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down and leave it to rest for 10 minutes. Divide in half and form each into a chunky oval. Place each on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise for 30 minutes, or until puffy.

Meanwhile, squeeze the garlic out of the bulbs into a small food processor. Add the parley leaves, then pour in enough olive oil to make a paste. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 400°F. Poke your fingers all over the tops of the breads to dimple them, then spread the garlic paste over the tops.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the breads are golden and the garlic paste is a darker brown. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Slice and serve.

Coffee and Walnut Splouge Cookies

This lovely little cookies come together in a jot and are perfect with a cuppa.

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
14 tbs. butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 tbs. instant espresso powder
2 eggs
generous 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Heat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars, then add the espresso powder and the eggs. Stir in the flour mixture just to incorporate, then stir in the walnuts.

Using a smallish ice cream scoop or two spoons, drops mounds of the batter onto the baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden and just set to the touch. Cool on wire racks then store in an airtight container.

Easy Almond Cake

This cake is a jot to make and simply divine to eat. Soften the marzipan in the microwave for a few seconds to make it easier to incorporate into the batter.

1 cup plus 2 tbs. softened,, unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 tbs. softened marzipan
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1 cup self-rising cake flour (or 1 cup self-rising flour….remove 2 tbs. and add 2 tbs. cornstarch)

Heat the oven to 350°F and butter, then flour a 10″ springform tube pan.

Chop the butter and marzipan, then put them along with the sugar in the food processor. Whizz until combined and fairly smooth. Add the almond and vanilla extracts, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the flour and pour into the prepared tin.

Bake for 50 minutes, but check after 40. The cake should be golden and a cake tester should come out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.

Serves 10-12

Snickerdoodles

More cake-like and less sweet than the American version, these are easy to make and even easier to eat.

1 2/3 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 2 tbs. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbs. cinnamon

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the flour, nutmeg, baking powder and salt, then set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until light in texture and pale in color. Beat together the egg and vanilla, then stir into the butter mixture. Add the dry ingredients. Roll into walnut-sized balls.

Combine the cinnamon and remaining sugar in a small bowl. Roll the balls in this, then place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to sit on the baking sheets for 1 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 2 dozen