I baked!

These days it often feels like a minor victory if I manage to eat lunch before it's time for dinner, let alone do anything 'extra', like bake or patchwork. Last week, however, I carved out a bit of time to make cookies for a gathering of friends, and, oh, was I happy I did!


These were good... very, very good! A basic, buttery biscuit dough chock full of white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and chopped pistachios. They disappeared within minutes to appreciative oohs and ahs. An obvious hit! And, the best part was, they fit perfectly around the various demands of a four and a half month old baby. In fact, I mixed up the dough while Baby G played happily in her Bumbo seat; rolled the dough into a cylinder and refrigerated it for a few hours when it became clear that Baby G was done with baking for the day; and finished everything off in the evening once I got the kiddo to sleep. Perfect!

Although the original recipe on which these biscuits were based (the same one I use for chocolate chip cookies) calls for refrigeration of the dough before baking, I hardly ever bother, mainly because when I want biscuits, I generally want them sooner rather than later. This time, though, I was delighted I did, not just because it suited Baby G's demands, but also because cutting the chilled dough into slices was so much easier than spooning it out and, moreover, resulted in beautifully uniform, perfectly chewy-crispy cookies. Yum!!

White Chocolate, Cranberry, and Pistachio Cookies
Adapted from Avoca Cafe Cookbook 2

225g butter
225g caster sugar (or a mix of caster sugar and soft brown sugar, depending on what you have in the house)
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla essence
250g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
125g white chocolate chips/chunks
75g pistachios, chopped
50g dried cranberries

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Add in the egg yolk and vanilla essence, then sift in the flour and soda, mixing until everything is well incorporated. Stir in the white chocolate chips, pistachios and cranberries. Roll the dough into a fat cigar, wrap tightly in cling film, and refrigerate for an hour or more. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 170°C. Cut the cookie dough log into 1/4in slices and place on baking sheets, leaving a good bit of room between each cookie to allow for spread. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Makes one large stack of buttery, white-chocolate-y deliciousness! (The original recipe records a yield of 14 biscuits, but I usually get at least double or triple that, with the cookies still a very substantial size.)

Enjoy!

xx Tina



Comments

  1. They look yummy! Life seems to be busy for you. Di x

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  2. They sound and look divine! Jxo

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  3. Delish! Glad you are finding a way to work around your beautiful little one. It's possible, just takes a bit of creativity in itself!!

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  4. You've been pinned for future baking. Thanks!

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