Coconut Cookies

These make a tasty treat at teatime. They are a coconut lovers dream!. I like to make them smaller – they last longer that way.

Ingredients:
Cookies:
250g Margarine/Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Egg Whites
3 Cups desiccated coconut
3 Cups cake flour
½ Cup of sprinkle nuts (optional)
2ml grated lemon rind (optional)
Topping:
1 Lightly beaten egg white
½ Cup desiccated coconut
5 tbsp Castor Sugar

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar together. The egg whites must be beaten until stiff. Fold the coconut, nuts and lemon rind (I find the lemon rind gives the cookies a sour taste so I don’t use it) into the egg whites. Add the creamed sugar and butter. Sift the flour into the mixture and mix until stiff. Make sausages about 3cm wide and place in the fridge until cold. While cooling, in a separate bowl, make the topping by adding the coconut and castor sugar to the stiff egg white and mixing.

Once cold brush the “sausages” with the topping mixture. Cut the “sausages into slices of about ½ cm thick and place on a greased baking tray. Bake for about 15 minutes at 180°C.

Allow to cool on a rack. Put the kettle on and by the time your tea is made you have great cookies to enjoy.

I normally get about 100 cookies per batch.

Carrot Cake icing

This icing is for carrot cake, but be careful not to put too much on or you will ruin the tender carrot cake taste!


Ingredients:

¼ Cup butter/Margarine
¼ Cup smooth unflavoured cottage cheese
1 Cup icing sugar
1 tsp Lemon juice

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together on a high speed until there are no lumps or bits of powder left. Spread onto each loaf once cooled completely. Decorate with 2 or 3 grated slices of carrot.

Carrot Cake

Light, delicious and really easy to make.


Ingredients:

4 Eggs
1 ½ Cups Castor sugar
1 Cup Cooking oil
2 Cups Cake Flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp Ginger
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp bicarbonate of Soda
3 Cups grated carrots
½ Cup raisins (optional)
½ Cup Chopped Pecan nuts (optional)

Method:


Preheat oven to 180°C.
First beat the eggs and sugar together until frothy. Add the oil and beat well. Sift all the dry ingredients together and add them to the egg mixture. Lastly fold in the carrots (and if you like the nuts and raisins). Pour the mixture into 2 well greased loaf pans and bake for about 45 minutes or until a test knife come out clean. Leave the cakes in the tins for about 5 minutes after you take them out of the oven then remove from tins leave to cool on a wire cooling racks.
I find carrot cake best un-iced but if you really enjoy icing see the next post.

Creamed Spinach

I always bought this ready made, frozen in a box. Reheat and we’re good to go. But today I decided to try the good old fashioned way…turns out it not only looks better it tastes great too. The biggest surprise was that it took no longer than the reheat stuff and the best part was that it cost a third of the price!


Ingredients:
350g Fresh or frozen spinach
1 Tbsp cake flour
150ml Milk
1 ½ Cups finely grated cheese
250ml boiling water
2 x Pinch of salt

Method:
If you are using fresh spinach slice it into cubes roughly 1cm square. If you are using frozen do not defrost before cooking. Place the chopped spinach together with the salt in a strained balanced over a pot with the boiling water. Steam for 3 – 5 minutes or until soft.

Place a separate small pot on a medium heat. Put the flour in the pot and slowly add the milk stirring continuously to make a roux and slowly adding more to make a thick sauce. Once the sauce is thick but still able to be poured fold in the cheese with a pinch of salt.

Place the spinach in a serving bowl, fold in the cheese sauce and serve!