S'more Cookies

If you have had a look at my other blog “experiences living abroad” then you will know that I was lucky enough to live in a few different countries when I was growing up.  I got to spend time both in Canada and in the United States… and while there I discovered S’mores.  Like most people that had never heard of them the first question is…. What’s a S’more?  A S’more is two graham crackers with a chunk of chocolate and a campfire roasted marshmallow in between…and they are called S’mores because you always want some-more!

I was looking through some cooking recipes to make for my husband and the guys he works with…and when I discovered a recipe for S’more cookies I had to try them!  This recipe will make a dozen large cookies or two dozen small-regular sized cookies…and they are truly delicious!

Ingredients:

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup graham cracker (smashed)

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup mini-marshmallows

Method:

Preheat oven to 175 Celcius / 350 Fahrenheit.

Line cookie sheet with aluminium foil (I butter it so I know they won’t stick) in preparation for the cookies.

Cream the butter and sugars till they are light and fluffy… the original recipe said this would take about 4 minutes and I am guessing this meant they assumed that everyone would have an electric mixer.  If you don’t have an electric mixer; get ready for an arm workout.

Add the egg and vanilla and mix until they are smooth – again if you don’t have a mixer this could take a while.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, graham crackers) gradually.  I put about 4 large graham crackers into a ziplock bag and hit them with the heel of my hand till I thought they were sufficiently broken up.  Don't go crazy with the mixing here…just so it’s all mixed through.

Fold in the marshmallows and choc chips and when it’s all combined you can start moulding them into balls of cookie goodness.  You will need to form the balls, approximately 1 inch around, by hand.  My hands are always really hot and this is not good for the cookie mix – if you are the same run your hands under cold water for a while before you get started – you want the mix to stay firm while you are getting them on the cookie tray and if your hands are hot they will start to melt.

Gently press each ball to flatten slightly if you like a flatter cookie (I do… the really high ones are hard to eat!) Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes; or until the cookies are a golden-brown colour.

As soon as you get them out the oven place them on a wire rack to cool…then enjoy!

Notes:

Original recipe from: http://sugarcrafter.net/2012/04/26/smores-cookies/

I changed it just a little here and there….

Moist Banana Cake / Banana Loaf

Ingredients:

125g Butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 Egg
2 Ripe Banana's mashed (if they are small use 3)
1 1/2 Cups Self Raising Flour
1/4 Cup Milk







Method:

This recipe is a little different to any that I have made before in the order in which things are done...but it works and tastes great so who am I to argue!

Melt the butter in  small saucepan / pot.  When it is melted slowly add the sugar while mixing to make sure it is thoroughly soaked.  Add the Vanilla essence and stir.  Don't expect the sugar to become completely liquid - it's a lot of sugar in a little butter and if you cook it too much, or too hot, then it will start to caramelize. Remove it from heat when it's all wet and mixed through.

Mash the banana's in a large mixing bowl.  Add the sugar-butter mix to the mashed banana's and mix through well.  Add the egg and mix again - I do this all fairly quickly because the butter mix is still warm and I don't want it to start cooking the egg.

Add the flour into the mix slowly - mixing as you go so that it doesn't become lumpy.  Once it's well mixed slowly add the milk and just stir through.

Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for approximately 40 minutes or until the loaf springs back when touched.






Notes: 

*125g is equal to 1/2 cup + 1Tbs
**Regular Flour is fine but you need to add 1 tsp of baking powder for each cup of flour used.
***170 degrees Celsius is equal to 338 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cheesy Bacon & Mushroom Pasta

This sauce is good over any kind of pasta though I particularly like it with Penne.  It serves two, if one is a hungry man, otherwise it would feed 3 pretty easily; especially if you added an appetizer or a side salad.  This is another one of those recipe’s adapted from something mum always used to make – all of the basics come from endless hours of watching her cooking.  The first time I tried to make this I realised that though I had never seen a recipe or actually cooked it myself I seemed to know what to do!

Ingredients:

1 cup mushrooms - chopped

¼ Onion - finely chopped

3-4 Rashers of Bacon - chopped

1 ½ Cups Milk

2 Tbs Flour

3 Tbs Butter

1 heaped tsp crushed garlic

¾ Cup of Cheese – grated

Salt & Pepper

1 ½ Cups Pasta Shells (or equivalent depending on if you are using fresh pasta)

Method:

The first thing I do is put the pasta shells into water in a large pot & set it on the element on a low heat.  It takes a while to make sure it’s soft so this can be on and bubbling away gently while you make the sauce – you can’t really hurt it as long as it’s on a low heat & you mixt it around once or twice to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Then add 2 Tbs butter to a pot and heat it until it is melted, then add the flour and mix, it should clump into a paste meaning that all the flour should be mixed into the butter and not dry.  Then begin to add the milk slowly – being sure to mix it well with the paste – lumpy bits are bad.  Once all the milk has been added and it is all mixed in it should be quite a bit thicker.  At this point I leave it on a low heat to reduce while I prepare my other ingredients. Stir it occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Add the last Tbs of butter to a pan and melt.  Then put the mushrooms in, mixing them to coat them in the butter, and then add the garlic.  I like to start browning the mushrooms before I add the onion so that they get a bit more cooked – and I still like there to be a bit of a crunch in the onion.  Once the mushrooms are lightly browned add the chopped onion.  When the onion goes clear it is cooked – but you can cook this to your own preference.

Put the chopped bacon in a separate pan (or take the mushroom & onion out & use the same one because the flavour won’t hurt it.) I tend to cook the bacon at the same time as the mushroom so that all my ingredients are hot when they are added to the sauce.

Now that the milk has been reduced and the mixture is looking a bit thicker add the cheese & stir.  Again…Lumps are bad. Once mixed through you can add the mushroom & onion mix and the bacon.  Add salt & pepper to taste and then again stir until it is well mixed through.  The sauce is now ready to be added to the pasta – make sure the pasta is soft by trying a bit…this is one of the benefits of being the chef…you get to sample along the way!

Pikelets

This was probably one of the first things I learned to cook and so I thought it was fitting that it should be one of the first things I post.  I got the recipe from my lovely mum, who used to stand in the kitchen cooking these on weekend mornings, as I ate them as soon as they were out of the pan smothered in butter.  They are great either hot with butter or cold with jam and whipped cream.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 x Egg

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp oil

1 tsp vinegar (brown / white)

3/4 Cup Milk

Method:

Combine Flour, Sugar and baking powder. Break egg into mix and begin to combine with milk a little at a time. When mixture is the right consistency (not too runny!) add the oil and vinegar.

Use a tablespoon to measure the right amount of mix and pour onto a fry pan at a medium temperature. Slightly cooler is better than too hot. The mix should begin to bubble on the top indicating that the other side is the right colour. Flip and cook the other side – takes less time to cook so watch carefully.

Keep covered after cooking (tea-towel is best) to ensure they keep their moisture and don’t dry out.

Enjoy!