Kylie’s Chai Latte Cookies

Ingredients
2 x sachets of Instant Chai Latte
1 tbsp boiling water
125g butter, softened
165g brown sugar
1 egg
225g plain flour
 
Directions
1) Blend contents of latte sachets with boiling water
2) Beat butter, sugar, egg and latte paste with an electric mixer until combined
3) Stir in sifted flours in 2 batches
4) Knead dough on floured surface until smooth
5) Roll dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick
6) Slide onto tray keeping between the baking paper, cover with a tea towel, and refrigerate for 30 minutes
7) Preheat oven to 180° (160° fan forced)
8) Cut dough into squares with a knife (can use cookie cutters if you like)
9) Bake 12-15 minutes (mine took 14 mins in a fan forced oven)
10) Cool on wire racks
11) Eat & Enjoy!

Polka Dot Cookies

Ingredients
250g butter, softened
165g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
335g plain flour, sifted
Smarties or M&M’s to decorate
 
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 180° (170° fan forced)
2) Place butter and sugar in a bowl and mix with electric mixer until pale & creamy
3) Add the vanilla and egg yolk and beat until well combined
4) Add the flour and mix until a smooth dough forms
5) Roll 1 tbsp of dough at a time into balls and place on prepared baking tray, allowing room to spread
6) Flatten slightly and press smarties/M&M’s into each cookie (Smarties lose their colour and the M&M's crack, so it is up to you which you use)
7) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until light golden (mine took 14 minutes in fan forced)
8) Cool on wire racks
9) Eat & Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Choc Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup (260g) crunchy peanut butter
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (185g) dark choc bits
 
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 200°C
2) Combine peanut butter, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and egg in a bowl.
3) Stir in choc bits.
4) Roll teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place on the prepared tray. Press lightly with a fork.
5) Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden (watch this as my oven only took 7 minutes)
6) Leave to cool on the trays then place into an airtight container.
7) Eat & Enjoy!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
500 g unsalted butter
125g good quality dark cooking chocolate
2 cups icing sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
4.25 cups flour
½ cup white sugar (in a separate bowl for later)
 
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 165 degrees
2) Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly
3) Once melted, stir smooth and transfer to a large mixing bowl
4) Add the powdered and white sugar and stir thoroughly. Set aside to cool
5) When the mixture is cool enough that it won’t cook the egg, add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition (you can use the electric mixer for this part)
6) Mix in the vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
7) Add flour 1 cup at a time mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon
8) Once dough is completely mixed through, roll in dough balls of approx 2.5 cms
9) Dip the balls into the bowl of white sugar and coat
10) Place dough balls on baking tray and flatten slightly with your hand - even though they are small only put 12 to a tray as they will spread out
11) Bake for 10- 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine took about 13 minutes
12) Allow to cool on a wire rack
13) Eat & Enjoy!

NOTES:
- This recipe makes between 8 and 10 dozen cookies, depending on the size, so allow a lot of cooking time
- for added chocolate flavour remove 1 Tbsp of flour and replace with 1 Tbsp of powdered cocoa
- mix through a handful of chopped nuts for that extra crunch

Chocolate Shortbread

Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar
1.5 cups butter, softened
3 cups flour
0.75 cups baking cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla
125g milk cooking chocolate, melted & cooled
 
Directions
1) Heat oven to 160°
2) Beat powdered sugar & butter in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light & fluffy
3) Stir in flour, cocoa & vanilla
4) Roll half of dough at a time, 1cm thick on a lightly floured surface
5) Cut into shapes using cookie cutters
6) Place 5cms apart on an ungreased baking tray
7) Bake 11-14 mins or until firm (cookies should not be dark brown)
8) Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack, cool completely
9) Melt chocolate and allow to cool while preparing the frosting
10) Prepare creamy frosting (instructions below)
11) Spread each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of frosting
12) Immediately drizzle straight lines of chocolate across the frosting then pull a wooden toothpick back & forth across the lines
13) Let stand until chocolate is firm
14) Eat & Enjoy!

Creamy Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

1) Mix powdered sugar & butter in a medium bowl.
2) Stir in vanilla & milk
3) Beat with spoon until smooth & spreadable

Almond Biscotti

Ingredients

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
150g whole almonds (skin on)

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 170°C.
2) Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
3) Place sugar, eggs and grated lemon rind in a large bowl. Beat with electric beaters until pale and thick.
4) Fold in sifted flour, baking powder and almonds, then use your hands to lightly knead dough on a floured work surface until the dough is smooth.
5) Divide the mixture in half. Form 2 long logs about 25cm long x 5cm wide and place on prepared baking tray, leaving space between logs.
6) Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is firm to the touch and slightly golden.
7) Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely (about an hour).
8) Preheat the oven to 140°C.
9) Once dough is cool, use a small serrated knife to cut each log on the diagonal in 0.5cm slices.
10) Lay slices flat on the baking tray and return to oven for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until completely dried out.
11) Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
12) Store in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks.
13) Eat & Enjoy!

Mega Choc Chunk Cookie

Ingredients
1.5 cups butter, softened
1.25 cups white sugar
1.25 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
0.5 teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped mixed nuts
750g milk chocolate buttons
 
Directions
1) Heat oven to 190°
2) Beat butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed.
3) Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt (dough will be stiff)
4) Stir in nuts and choc chips
5) Drop dough by ¼ cup fulls about 5cms apart onto an ungreased baking tray. (Ice cream scoop is perfect for this). Flatten slightly with a fork.
6) Bake for approx 15-18 minutes, or until light brown (centres will be soft)
7) Cool for a couple of minutes then move to wire rack to finish cooling.
8) Eat & Enjoy!

Butterscotch Shortbread

Ingredients

0.5 cup butter
0.5 cup margarine
0.5 cup brown sugar
0.25 cup white sugar
2.25 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
 
Directions

1) Heat oven to 150°
2) Beat butter, margarine and sugars in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed
3) Stir in flour and salt (Dough will be dry & crumbly, use hands to mix completely
4) Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface
5) Cut into squares or use cookie cutters
6) Place about 3 cms apart on an ungreased baking tray
7) Bake for about 22-25 minutes, or until set. (These cookies brown very little and the shape does not change)
8) Cool on a wire rack.
9) Ice if desired
10) Eat & Enjoy!

Fudgy Macadamia Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
0.5 cups butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
60g dark cooking chocolate, melted & cooled
1 egg
1 cup flour
0.5 teaspoon baking powder
0.5 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped macadamias
 
Directions
1) Heat oven to 180°
2) Beat sugar, butter, vanilla, chocolate, and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed
3) Stir in fours, baking powder & salt
4) Stir in nuts
5) Drop rounded tablespoons of dough about 5cms apart onto an ungreased baking tray
6) Bake 12-14 minutes, or until almost no indentation remains when touched in the centre (remember, the bigger you make the cookies the longer cooking time they will need)
7) Cool for 3-4 minutes then move to wire rack to finish cooling
8) Eat & Enjoy!

Note: For an added flavour kick use ½ cup of macadamias and ½ cup of hazelnuts

Giant Honey & Oat Cookies

Ingredients

1.5 cups sugar

0.75 cups butter, softened

2/3 cup honey

3 egg whites

4 cups oats

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
0.5 teaspoon salt

 

Directions

1) Heat oven to 180°

2) Grease baking tray

3) Beat sugar, butter, honey & eggwhites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed.

4) Stir in remaining ingredients

5) Drop dough by ¼ cupfuls onto baking tray, about 7cms apart
6) Bake 18-20 minutes, or until edges are light brown (centres will be soft)
7) Cool for 5-6 minutes, then move to wire rack to finish cooling

8) Eat & Enjoy!

Note: Add a cup or 2 of almond slivers if you want a little something extra