Pimp my dough

Totara Cottage know a thing or two about baking. They've been baking up a storm since 1996 and were the hosts of today's cookie making demonstration at Moore Wilson's, Pimp my dough - One mix, many variations. I've had mixed levels of success with baking biscuits and cookies but always console myself with the fact that even my cookie 'pancake' leftovers (read: failed to rise or hold their shape) still taste good. Now, I have a few more tools in my baking arsenal and am assured of future cookie baking success!

We were greeted with a recipe sheet and a sample of three biscuits: morning glory breakfast (with grated apple, carrot, sultanas and coconut), adult indulgence (triple chocolate with white chocolate raspberry filling) and chocolate chip. I munched on the morning glory breakfast as the demonstration was beginning. Its soft, cakey-type texture slightly resembled a muffin.

Cookies!

With one basic recipe mixed by hand, we saw how to vary things by adding a few extra ingredients. The great thing about this dough is that it can be frozen and cooked later, or you can just cook a whole batch of biscuits and freeze leftovers to reheat or recook - if there are any left. The scroggin biscuits with sunflower seeds, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, rolled oats and chocolate budlets caught my attention. They almost sound healthy. Almost.

We got to choose a lovely take home pack of ingredients to try baking at home. I went for the scroggin mix while my colleague chose chocolate and cranberry. We're going to make our batches at home this weekend and swap some with each other. I'm also thinking about making some of these recipes next time I am rostered on for Good Bitches Baking. They'd certainly make delicious  treats.

Scroggin biscuit mixture to make at home

Check out the Totara Cottage product range.

Totara Cottage product range

It looks like next week's demonstration still has some places available. I'd recommend it as a fun lunch time activity.

Jelly tip resurgence

New Zealand is currently experiencing a jelly tip resurgence. Although it has been a decade or threee since I've had a jelly tip ice cream, last month's rumours of a new Whittaker's chocolate flavour instantly spiked my sense of nostalgia. The much anticipated jelly tip block hit the shelves last week and almost immediately looks set to sell out by the end of this week. 850,000 bars in just two weeks? That's got to be some kind of record.

At the same time, Griffin's has also released a version of the classic ice cream in the form of jelly tip chocolate biscuits. Both products were made in collaboration with Tip Top and feature the same raspberry jelly filling on top.

A taste test was in order. Both products were procured last week and demolished in just a few short sittings. The verdict? Whittaker's Jelly Tip block is a clear winner. The combination of milk chocolate, white chocolate and sweet raspberry filling was just right, never quite spilling over into sickly sweet territory. Surprisingly delicious! The Griffins Jelly Tip biscuits were too sweet for even this sweet-toothed girl to handle. The biscuit base was nice but not enough to tip the balance from pleasantly sweet to sugar overload. It seems you can have too much of a good thing. I wouldn't buy the biscuits again.

Either way, these jelly tip products are a delightful way to reminisce a kiwi childhood. Try them while they last - but get in quick. My local supermarket has already run out of their jelly tip chocolate supply so I may need to do some shopping around later this week if we are to indulge one more time.

Hokey pokey chocolate chip biscuits

Visitors (and visiting) this weekend means I got to try out my new recipe book. Sweet treats to share is a compilation from several different recipes books published by New Zealand bakers.

These hokey pokey chocolate chip biscuits are based on a recipe by Alexa Johnston, whose contributions come from her Ladies, A Plate recipe book series. I've added a couple more steps to this recipe to stop the biscuits from spreading too much while baking. The biscuits don't long to make or require any special ingredients and taste absolutely delicious. Half of them will come visiting with us this afternoon and the others may end up in our cookie jar for treats during the week - if they last that long.

Hokey pokey chocolate chip biscuits

Ingredients

• 115 g butter, softened
• 115 g sugar
• 1 T milk
• 2 t golden syrup
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t vanilla essence
• 170 g plain flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method

1. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until just combined. Don't overmix as this will cause the biscuits to spread.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the milk and golden syrup to the boil over a medium heat until combined. Add the baking soda and stir quickly with a wooden spoon. When the mixture froths up, pour it onto butter and sugar and mix together.
4. Add the vanilla essence, sifted flour and chocolate chips. Stir until combined.
5. Roll teaspoonsful of mixture into a ball and place on prepared baking trays, allowing room between for spreading. Flatten lightly by gently pressing with a fork. Refrigerate trays for 15 minutes while preheating oven to 180°C. (This helps prevent the biscuits from spreading too much while cooking.)
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 24.

Hokey pokey chocolate chip biscuits