Shamrock Cookies

A short blog post to wish my readers, especially those of Irish ancestry and heritage a Happy St Patricks Day.  And to all the Irish people in my life, some of whom I am still very much in touch with and some I have lost touch with over time.  I hope wherever you are - your all well.

I made these Shamrock shaped cookies on Thursday evening to take into work on Friday for colleagues to enjoy.  Shamrock is St Patrick's symbol, he used it to explain the concept of Trinity. 

The Roll and Cut Sugar Cookies recipe for these comes from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, my only addition was smothering it in green sugar and using my shamrock cookie cutter.  The recipe from made a lot, three dozen in fact. I decided to drop some off at a friends house who has little ones.  She was very appreciative. They proved quite successful with my work colleagues too. 

Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies For Nephews and Nieces

I am very fortunate to have a bunch of nephews and nieces who are genuinely nice to their Aunt and Uncle.  I am really very fond of them all.  Now and again, I like to treat them to something sweet, they have been having their fair share of homemade and shop bought cakes recently, so for a change I decided to make them some cookies.  

Ordinarily they would have some vegetables in them, yes cookies with vegetables such as these Parsnip and Date Cookies, Celery Cookies and Carrot Biscuits or Cookies  - but I didn't want them to think I was a vegetable freak, but nor was I going to spoil them with chocolate chip ones, so I did a sneaky and made them all some super giant Peanut Butter vegan cookies.  So many children these days have nut allergies, I am really pleased to report that none of my nephews and nieces have any allergens.  

By the way, I did keep back a couple of cookies for myself and the big kid that is D.  

The recipe for these comes from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.  If you don't have the book, then here is a link to the recipe.  The only part I skipped was the additional chopped peanut coating.  I think the peanut butter flavour came through strong, so it was not necessary unless of course it was for visual reasons.  And in case your wondering what the dark brown splodges are on the cookies, its just baked brown sugar that I did not blend well. 

Soft Centred Celery Cookies

These soft centred celery cookies come from a cookbook on my shelf called Vegetable Desserts: Beyond Carrot Cake and Pumpkin Pie by Elizabeth Schafer and Jeanette L Miller (1998).

I was so pleased to rediscover it snuggled between Vegetable Heaven by Catherine Mason and Secrets from Vegetarian Kitchen by Nadine Abensur.  Vegetable Desserts: Beyond Carrot Cake and Pumpkin Pie Thanks to Dom for his Random Recipes Challenge this month.  D got it for me a while back.  I loved it when I unpacked it for my Birthday a long while back.  It appealed to me for loads of reasons, but mostly because I liked to throw vegetables into everything I made. Those of you who have been reading my blog since its inception will vouch for this, and the reason this blog was originally called allotment2kitchen, making the most of my home grown seasonal vegetables. Remember my Sweet Parsnip and Rosemary tart, Beetroot and chocolate waffles with Beetroot cream and Carrot Cake ice-cream and these are just a handful of sweet dishes featured on my much  neglected blog.

Well this book is so much more than I could ever imagine.  So much vegetable inspiration, and I am not talking about savoury dishes here, but sweet bakes and cakes!  Much more than carrot cake for sure - a cake called Web of Intrigue described as a beetroot cheesecake.   Rutabuga which is swede for those of us in the U.K, I can see that working similar to parsnip or sweet potatoes. There is also turnip, jicama  and cabbage in cookies and pies.   Greens such as cucumber and peas, as well spinach, nettle and turnip greens in sweet cakes, and much much more.  Its not often obvious by the names of the recipes to what vegetable they have in them, such as Orange Drop cookies and a Mystery Pie which both have beetroot as an ingredient; or Davids Pleasure, a lemony cake which has spinach and turnip greens as the unique ingredient.  Other unusual ingredients in sweet cakes and bakes are tomatoes, onion, peppers and  honey and garlic ice-cream.  And that is not all, the cookbook also contains recipes made with lentils and beans!

This cookbook has been a wonderful rediscovery  for me, thanks to Dom of Belleau Kitchen .   Dom has set the challenge for the 40th Anniversary of Random Recipes - 40th book on your bookshelf, 40th recipe and (as in my case) if there isn't a page on the 40th page, then go to the next page.  Page 40 was blank and page 41 and 42 has a little background about the celery.  The original recipe appears on page 43. 

Celery is often overlooked as an ingredient in its own right, but her it is giving a starring role, In Vegetable Desserts the writers call these by the name 'Celery Doodles': a delicately browned and less sweet cookie; and instructed that they be the size of a sliver dollar.  First I have no idea what a 'doodle' is , and secondly, I have absolutely no idea of the size of silver dollar.  But still I made these, they were not what we would call cookies or biscuits in the U.K, they reminded me more of drop scones only these were baked.  

These soft centred celery cookies were utterly  gorgeous.  They were soft, light and crumbly .  You could not taste the celery, not like it was disguised as you could see the light green specks dotted here and there,  None of my family members detected this hidden vegetable and scoffed them all down in a day or two.  

Vegan Parsnip and Date Cookies

Early this week, I had made some Parsnip and Date Cakes, I had grated way too much parsnip. Instead of scraping the excess parsnip into the vegetable compost bin, I decided to try my hand at experimenting and making some Parsnip Cookies.  I knew they would be fine, in the same vain as the Carrot Cookies, but I wasn't expecting the textual thing going on in my mouth.  They were truly lovely.

Vegan Carrot Biscuits or Cookies

I was conversing with my good blogger friend at Poppycock and other creative nonsense.  She informed me that she was making some Carrot and Orange soup.  I responded back that I had a load of carrots and was unsure what I was going to do with them. I have to be honest I am not quite ready for soup yet.  

Well in a bid to use up 500g carrots, yesterday afternoon I hit the kitchen.  I made not one, not two, not three dishes, but five carrot infused dishes, of which two were sweet .   I also made  a coleslaw without mayonnaise, instead it was perked up with other flavours.

I will share some of the other carrot injected dishes with you in the next few days, but today I share with you these vegan carrot biscuits OR carrot cookies.  

Cinnamon Apple Shortcakes

I've still to share with you the Apple Cider Cake I made for D,  but that's been pushed to the back as I wanted to share these fancy Apple Shortcakes. 

I've never had a Apple Shortcake. let alone made one.  I did some research and they seem to be quite popular in Australia; and its not a surprise that this recipe is adapted from an Australian cookbook on my shelf.  The apple shortcake is like shortbread, apple pie and and apple crumble rolled into one.

These Apple Shortcakes are not made in a jiffy.  They take time and a little love in the kitchen as there are a few stages: the base, the filling and then the topping.  But the final burnished golden result on your plate is really worth it, the gentle waft of the cinnamon and then the texture and flavours come into their own.    

These Apple Shortcakes have a toothsome shortbread base, that are covered with soft sweet cinnamon apples and then garnished with a golden puffy streusel topping. The only thing missing is perhaps a drizzle of toffee or caramel sauce. 

Of course these can be made in deep egg rings, but having a apple shaped cookie cutter, of course I had to use it.  I will be sharing some of these autumnal apple goodnesses with Ruth from the The Pink Whisk who has just started a monthly challenge and this months theme is - Apples;

as well as Sweet Tooth Friday hosted by Alli n Son; Foodie Fridays hosted by Designs by Gollum; Fat Camp Friday # 48 hosted by Mangoes and Chutney; Potluck Friday #54 hosted by EKats Kitchen; and finally Friday Food at Mom Trends.
Cinnamon Apple Shortcakes
Makes 6
Ingredients
Shortcake Base
90g golden aster sugar
185g plain flour
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
125g butter, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Apple filling
65g butter
2 large cooking apples, peeled and cute into cubes
65g golden caster sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Streusel Topping
25g golden caster sugar
35g butter
50g plain flour
Optional: Thin slice of eating apple
Method 
Set the oven to gas mark 4.  Place 6 deep egg rings on a baking tray lined with baking paper. 
For the base, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and gently rub with your fingertips until the dough just comes together.  Divide the mixture into 6 and place in the egg rings.  Push the mixture down flat.  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until just brown around the edges.  Leave to one side.
For the apple filling, melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the apple, sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine.  Spread the mixture in a baking tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until just tender. 
For the topping, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs.
To assemble, spoon the apple filling onto the bases and sprinkle lumps of the topping.  Top with apple slice if using.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.  Adapted from Manna From Heaven by Rachel Grisewood.

Savoury Sage 'Frog' Biscuits

Not literally sage-green frogs!

But homemade edible biscuity ones.

With the sage herb thriving in my garden plot, I was encouraged to cook with it a little more than I have done so in the past.  As well as making a 'sage split pea soup', I decided to make some savoury sage biscuits to accompany the soup instead of chunky bread or croutons.  Of course, having a large collection of cookie/biscuit cutters, I was tempted to play with one of them and the froggy one was the first to come to hand.  It made me smile reminding me of a scene from the movie Magnolia when it starts raining frogs and toads literally.  It just seemed appropriate with it typically raining outside here too.   Here's the link to the scene of the frogstorm if you've not seen the movie.

Well these savoury sage biscuits were delicate releasing a lovely light herby aroma when you bit into it.  I've also recently read that they are good for improving the memory.  I am submitting this to I am submitting this recipe to Simona of Briciole for this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) #300 . WHB is overseen by Haalo from Cook Almost Anything.

Sage Biscuits
Makes about 12
Ingredients
260g plain flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
90ml vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten or flax 'eggs'
125ml milk or soy milk
1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
Method
Preheat gas mark 9.
Sift the flour, baking powder and alt and place in a large bowl.  Combine the egg, oil, milk and sage, then make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid.  Combine with a fork, until just mixed (Please note, you may not need to use all the liquid).
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured board and roll out.  Then cut into rounds or whatever shape you wish with a cookie cutter.
Bake on a non stick baking sheet for 8 - 12 minutes on the top shelf, until the bottoms are browned.  Adapted very slightly from The Tassajara Recipe Book.

Black Pepper Oatcakes

Its Friday night and tonight's light nibbles are 'black pepper oatcakes', (not all of them of course!).

It's virtually the same recipe for the wild garlic oatcakes, but in place of the wild garlic I've got freshly ground black pepper to pack a sobering punch.

I have to admit I was in bit of a daze and my first attempt at making these 'Black Pepper Oatcakes' totally bombed.  Not only did they not firm up, they didn't want  to stick.  So I had to chuck the whole mix in the bin and start again, before trying for a second time it dawned on me that I was using the wrong oatmeal.  I was using pinhead oats.  These were swelling and retained some bite that would make those of us with fillings a little nervous.  They would have been perfect for Scottish cranachan, but not so good for my homely oatcakes.  As soon as I noted my error, I replaced the pinhead oats with medium oatmeal and they worked like a well oiled sewing machine.  If you had been in the kitchen, you would have heard my sigh of relief.

Well I am off to enjoy some of these oatmeal bites with some cheese.  I bid you all: old and new readers, and those just passing by a good Friday night.

Black Pepper Oatcakes
Makes about 12
Ingredients
2 tablespoon butter
140ml boiling water
225g medium oatmeal, plus extra for rolling
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Generous grinding of freshly ground black pepper or to taste
Method
Preheat oven to Gas mark 5.
In a measuring jug, add the butter, minced wild garlic and boiling water. Allow the butter to melt into the hot water.
Whilst the butter is melting, put the oatmeal, baking powder, salt and black pepper into a bowl, mix together and make a well in the centre. Pour the warm liquid into the well and mix together with a knife. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes for the water to thicken the oatmeal.
Then divide the mixture into two and lightly knead each piece on a board sprinkled with oatmeal. Roll out each and cut into 5 – 6 pieces. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp and lightly golden. Best eaten within a day or two.

Wild Garlic Oatcakes

I was never much of an Oatcake nibbler until I made Scotland my home.

For those of you not familiar with Oatcakes, they are a Scottish flat biscuit traditionally made on a griddle (girdle in Scotland). They are made from oatmeal and tend to be shaped round, but you can also find them in triangular shapes.

Traditional Oatcakes are quite plain in taste, but its up to you to enhance them further. Plain Oatcakes serve as a firm base - Imagine pizza base - its what you put on that brings them up a notch or two, and for this reason they are versatile. Oatcakes can be served as a sweet with jam; as a savoury with cheese, chutney and a glass of wine; or simply with a little butter.

I've made a savoury version of the Scottish Oatcakes.  These Wild Garlic Oatcakes were inspired by Welsh Laverbread Oatcakes given to me by nephew early this year. 

This was my first attempt at making oatcakes, and I wondered to myself why I had never made them before as they are quite a doddle to make.  These were crisp-dry, crumbly and the flavour of the wild garlic actually came through good and true.

Wild Garlic Oatcakes
Makes about 12
Ingredients
1 tablespoon wild garlic, washed, blanched and then thoroughly minced
2 tablespoon butter or vegan margarine
140ml boiling water
225g medium oatmeal, plus extra for rolling
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Method
Preheat oven to Gas mark 5.
In a measuring jug, add the butter or margine, minced wild garlic and boiling water. Allow the butter to melt into the hot water and the wild garlic to infuse the butter-water liquid.
Whilst the butter is melting, put the oatmeal, baking powder and salt into a bowl, mix together and make a well in the centre. Pour the warm liquid into the well and mix together with a knife. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes for the water to thicken the oatmeal.
Then divide the mixture into two and lightly knead each piece on a board sprinkled with oatmeal. Roll out each and cut into 5 – 6 pieces. The edges will be jagged, but idon’t mind that. If you wish you can neaten them.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp and lightly golden.
Best eaten within a day or two.

Red Dragon Chilli Shortbread

Well, I have to admit, I was rather taken aback with the positive responses to the Welsh Dragon Leek soup, but more so towards the Welsh Dragon savoury shortbread.

So may I present to you this Savoury shortbread in its own right. This savoury shortbread made from scratch with sharp cheddar cheese and chilli flakes, then cut in the shape of a Welsh Dragon.
The Welsh Dragon Cookie or biscuit cutter I used for here is perhaps the most expensive one I own. It cost about a £5.00. I actually purchased them on-line as I could not find any every time I went to Wales to visit family, none of the specialist cook shops or souvenir shops had any. My nephew recently notified me that there is a large cookware shop in Cardiff that now sells them for about the same price.

This Welsh dragon cutter is much more intricate in detail than the others I own and its is one that doesn’t come out that often, except perhaps around St Davids Day, but recently with my nephew up, I was reminded of home - rainy Wales. I wanted to make some Welsh recipes with a South Asian touch, but the Welsh boyo (my nephew) said he lives in Wales and the last thing he wants to do whilst visiting his number one Aunt in Scotland was eat Welsh inspired fare, so other than the Welsh Vegetarian Burger, I did not get to make any other others until now.
Ideally, I know these should have been made with a Welsh cheese such as Caerphilly or , but I’ve mentioned before that I do struggle to find good Welsh cheese in Scotland, so Cheddar it had to be. I am not one to boast, but these savoury shortbread biscuits are exceptionally good and wonderfully flaky. The cheddar flavour comes through rather strongly. Some of you will know that I served them with the 'Leek, potato and chilli soup' as a generous crouton, but they are fine to eat on their own as nibbles or served with some good chutney.

Of course being in the shape of a Red Dragon in Welsh Y Ddraig Goch, this savoury shortbread had to have an element of red running through it, hence the chilli flakes for colour and a little fire for flavour, after all we cannot have such a fantastical creature not breathing fire. The chilli kick is there, just not overly spicy. I recommend eating these fresh on the day, a day or two later and they lose that crisp freshness.
I made these in a food processor, but I am sure you can also do them by hand.
Red Dragon Chilli Shortbread
Makes 6 Welsh dragon or about 16 - 18 other shapes, a chilli pepper would be excellent.
Also you can double the quantity below if you want to make a lot more.
Ingredients
150g sharp cheddar cheese, grated
40g unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
130g plain white flour
1 - 2 teaspoons cold water (may not be necessary)
Method
Preheat oven to Gas mark 6.
In a food processor, blend together the cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the flour with the chilli flakes and mix thoroughly. You may or may not need it, so check and then add a teaspoon of water at a time to form a dough. If necessary, squeeze together with your hands to form the dough into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with your chosen cookie cutter and place on an un-oiled baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges and bottom. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Recipe adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates.

A review of sorts

I don’t often do reviews namely because I am quite up-front with my opinion and don’t want to fib by being coaxed with financial rewards, I see enough of that hypocrisy on TV with certain chefs promoting products and brands, that you know they don’t believe in. However, when I saw volunteers were being sought to review these cookies and the allure was free cookies. I admit I was tempted. I know how terrible of me to be tempted by some cookies – I’m easy that way, or am I greedy?!. Well, some of you will be rather surprised to learn that I am actually a poor biscuit and cookie baker. There has always been something wrong with my biscuits and cookies, and for me a cookie or a biscuit should have some bite and chew.

Off the topic a little, I was quite curious about two things about Byron Bay Cookie Company. First the cookies, although very popular in the U.K, cookies are not very British are they?!. However they are exceptionally good with a cup of tea, a mug of coffee and even milk; and secondly the name of the company, made me question whether these cookies were imported. In which case, I would think twice before purchasing them for personal consumption, as I do my utmost to buy and eat biscuits and cookies that primarily source some the ingredients from the U.K. A gander on the website confirmed that these cookies were originally being made by hand at a bakehouse in Byron Bay, Australia. They are now being baked in the UK: some of the ingredients are local such as free range eggs, others of course have to be imported, like chocolate and nuts. The whole range has been approved by the Vegetarian Society and the gluten-free range is approved by the Coeliac Society.

Another thing I noted and all this before even tasting one was the fact that the cookies are individually wrapped. Part of me likes this, I mean how many times have you opened a packets of cookies or biscuits and only managed to eat/share half the packet, later you discover the rest have all gone stale; but part of me what unhappy – the packaging did not appear to be recyclable.

The cookies themselves in size are rather substantial. In fact they reminded me of my schools shortbread, even Empire biscuits still found in some local bakeries. To the foodie in me the flavours on offering sounded rather appealing such as Reduced fat Fig and Pecan. On tasting, I have to admit I could not taste the pecan nuts but the figgy flavours and its seeds came through rather strong. I also liked the sound of the sticky date and ginger with walnut. It was everything it said on the packet ‘moist chewy cookie spiced with dates, walnuts and ginger’. The gingery flavour lingered in my mouth for awhile and it was not so crumbly or soft as the others. It would be the one I choose if given the choice. I found texture of the other cookies just too soft for my liking. As mentioned earlier, I like my cookies to have some bite. There were a couple of gluten free cookies that I found very crumbly too. I found the White chocolate and macadamia nut just too sweet for me. There is also ‘Dotty’ with smarties, these don’t appeal to me at all, but may appeal to other big and small kids. The question now is would I pick one of these up if at a cafe that sold them? Honestly - for those of you who have got to know me through my blog, will know that I am more of a muffin girl. So a muffin will always come first.

This review is based on my honest opinion of the cookies and the whole packaging.

Cranberry (belly) Robin biscuits

I have to admit I have never made Christmas biscuits before, but recently the little home cook in me thought why not after all it is the festive season. So I decided upon making some 'robin biscuits' with the ingredient of the moment, the seasonal cranberry.

Cranberries are deep crimson in colour and are related to the blueberry, but unlike its cousin the cranberry is quite a tart and sharp tasting berry, so it is not to everyones taste. Cranberries have always been valued, but it only over the past ten years, the cranberry has gained worldwide popularity, particularly for its juice. There are a number of health claims which suggest that it can help to prevent urinary-tract infections, gum disease and stomach ulcers, and may even help to protect against heart disease and cancer.

Unlike other berries such as the strawberry and raspberry, the cranberry is quite robust and can last in the fridge for at least two weeks. The reason it is long lasting is because the berries contain large amounts of benzoic acid, a natural preservative. As cranberries are a seasonal berry and only available during the winter season, I would recommend to anyone to freeze some as they will keep up to nine months. Then they can be used directly in recipes without thawing. Cranberries make delicious muffins.Now back to my biscuits, although I have a lot of biscuit and cookie cutters, including Christmassy themes ones, I did not have a robin one, so in the style of a 'Blue Peter' child I made a template of rocking robin from an old Christmas card, cut it out and then used it to carefully to cut around the rolled out dough.
I know these are not the most professional looking of Christmas biscuits, but as a home cook I am pretty chuffed with them. In the future, I think I would stud the belly of the robin with a mix of white chocolate chips and chips; or even coat the whole robin biscuit all in dark chocolate and then stud the belly with cranberries.

As you can see below I originally submitted this recipe to the Weekend Herb Blogging event, but I have been encouraged by Nicisme of Cherrapeno who is hosting the December Sugar High Friday (an event created by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess) to submit it as the theme of Holiday Sweet Treats.
I am submitting this recipe to the lovely Haalo who is hosting this weeks Weekend Herb Blogging#214. WHB is a weekly food blog event showcases information and recipes about herbs, vegetables, fruits and other plant ingredients. WHB was initiated 4 years ago by Kalyn's Kitchen, it is now organized by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once. Please note that Weekend Herb Blogging will be taking a break for Christmas and the New Year and will resume on January 4th 2010 when Haalo will be hosting again.
Finally, please remember to feed and water the 'real' birds over the winter season.

Cranberry (belly) Robin biscuits
Find a reliable biscuit recipe and make according to instructions, use a robin biscuit/cookie cutter and cut out required number. Then stud the eye and belly with fresh cranberries that have been cut in half and bake according to recipe instructions.

White chocolate chip and squash cookies

Most bloggers are making Christmas cookies and I will too, but at the moment I am still trying to find ways to use my sweet autumnal 'golden apple' squashes, so have ended up making some Misshapen White chocolate chip and squash cookies.

but they tasted good and were rather moreish. I am giving you the recipe below, but the ingredeint quantities are not exact, as I had to add a little extra flour here and a bit of this there. No matter how they turn out, please note that they will be edible.

White chocolate chip and squash cookies
Makes about 36
Ingredients
340g of plain flour
1 teaspoon each of baking soda; baking powder; cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of nutmeg
¾ teaspoon salt
80g butter
170g dark brown sugar
200g of squash puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g white chocolate chips
Optional ½ cup of pecan shells
Method
Preheat oven gas mark 5. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs ad vanilla. Stir in puree. In another bowl combine the flour, all of the spices and salt, stir in the puree and fold in the chocolate and pecans if using. Drop generous spoonfuls onto lightly greased trays about 2 inches apart. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes. Allow to cool and firm up.

ultimate dunkable carrot biscuit

Carrots - Bugs Bunny’s favourite food hardly needs an introduction as it is well known by even the smallest child. The health benefits of carrots are also legendary. Many of us have been told that eating carrots would keep your eyesight bright and allow you to see better in the dark.

Carrots belong to the Umbelliferae family, named after the umbrella like flower clusters that plants in this family produce. Carrots are related to other vegetables such as parsnips and fennel; and herbs such as caraway, cumin and dill. The carrot is a plant with a thick and fleshy root. It grows underground and has feathery fern like green leaves that emerge above ground making it easy for one to pull out with ease. There are over 100 different varieties of carrots that vary in size, flavour and colour. While we usually associate carrots with the colour orange, in fact, carrots grow in various colours including white, yellow, red and purple, the latter being the original colour. This year I have grown: Kuttiger; Autumn King; Baby; Chatenay, Rainbow, Yellowstone, Purple Haze and Resistafly.

Over the past few months I have eaten carrots in a variety of ways: simply shredded raw in salads, as a nutritious soup, as crudités and even in recipes such as mosaic carrot and green bean pie, courgette, baby carrot and mint flan, carrot and runner bean flan, and even a rainbow carrot cake, some of which I would encourage you to try. This time however, I decided to make some biscuits with a purple haze carrot (which was orange on the inside), as well as turn them into carrot shapes. Well how else was I going to get your attention?! I think even Bugs Bunny would approve!
I am submitting these to Weekend Herb Blogging#208 or WHB as it is fondly known by. The weekly event was originally founded by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and now coordinated by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything. Haalo is also our host this week. This week there 's a bit of difference too as Weekend Herb Blogging celebrates its 4th birthday (Hip hip hooray) and with that it gets a brand new logo, which I will soon be showcasing in my sidebar. I am so grateful to WHB as it gives me the opportunity to showcase my food made with my home-grown produce. Thank you WHB.
So why carrot shapes, some of you may be asking or maybe not, but I am going to tell you anyway. I am not a tweeter, my life is pretty uneventful to sign up to that, plus I can barely text (really). But I do like reading other food blogs, bloggers comments and exchanging ideas. It was a comment by a fellow blogger on my lavender scones, that prompted me to make squash scones in the shape of pumpkins, which then made me think even more creatively when I came to make these carrot biscuits, hence the carrot shape (made without a cookie cutter). I do enjoy reading your comments, so please do continue share your thoughts and inspire.

Apple and Carrot Biscuits

Makes about 12 - 16

Ingredients

225g plain flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

150g unsalted butter

100g golden caster sugar

50g carrots, grated (I used purple haze)

25g eating apple, grated (I used British Spartan)

Method

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the grated carrot and apple into the flour mixture, then fold into the creamed butter. Knead to a soft dough. Rest for half an hour in the fridge. When you are ready to cook the biscuits, roll out into 1/2 thick and mark into wedges or use a cookie cutter. Fork over the dough and bake on a non-stick surface for about 15 minutes. Leave to cool before cutting.

I have seen various carrot and apple shortbread recipes recently, but I originally came across this culinary combination a few good years ago in Tamasin Day-Lewis (yes Daniel Day-Lewis’s sister) cook book Good Tempered Food on which my recipe is based. These were not so much as shortbread, but more biscuity and crumbly nonetheless.

Delicious Oaty Biscuits

I am not a person who eats biscuits, I'm a muffin or a flapjack kinda girl, but I wanted to try these for two reasons. One it was straightforward to make, no cookie cutters required and secondly, I had a load of rolled oats sitting in a jar. I am so glad I did. These for me were absolutely delicious, really. This recipe for Oaty biscuits comes from I'm not a Tree. From April 2009 until April 2010, I'm not a Tree (sorry I don't know what her name is) has made the decision 'Not buy things she doesn't need for one year'. She writes 'since when did life become one long episode of Supermarket Sweep?! So I'm stopping. Waving goodbye to my consumerist self and welcoming the Slower, more conscious me. It's a two fingers up to manipulative, greedy, ruthless, very clever indeed, corporate capitalism. For one year. I'm going to be that person annoying friends with homemade biscuits and handmade cards'. I think its a excellent idea as it gets you to reflect on your behaviour as a consumerist, but also makes you think do you need this, I mean really need it.

Do check out her blog in which she records her daily account of how she spends her time and money over the next year.
I'm not a Tree Oaty Biscuits

Makes about 16

Ingredients

150g plain flour

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

175g rolled oats

125g butter

100g light brown sugar

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 tablespoon water

Optional extras

Handful of raisins, peanuts, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, about an inch of ginger root, peeled and grated to taste.

Method

Preheat oven 180º Grease 2 baking trays

Sieve plain flour and bicarbonate of soda into bowl. Mix in the rolled aats and the extras you want. Mix thoroughly in the bowl

In a small saucepan add butter, sugar, syrup and 1 tablespoon of water and gently heat until they're combined together.

Add to the dry ingredients in the bowl and stir until well mixed.

From the bowl pick up some of the mix and form into little balls about the size of a walnut.

Put the balls of mix onto the baking trays and put in oven for 16 -18 minutes.

Take out of oven when they're a medium toasted colour and leave on trays or wire rack to cool down. Then transfer to an airtight container.

I'm not a tree recommends melting a bar of dairy milk chocolate to give the biscuits. Next time I think I will.