Cow Clear Chocolate Cashew Cookie

(fits in well with Cession – all the ccccccc’s that is;) )

1 cup dairy-free margarine
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chopped dairy-free chocolate (dark/bitter-sweet)
1 cup chopped cashew nuts

1 Preheat oven to 180`C. With an electric mixer, cream the margarine and both the sugars together until light and fluffy.
2 In a shaker or another bowl, mix the egg and vanilla essence, and then gradually beat into the margarine mixture. Sift over the flour, baking powder and salt and stir. Add the chocolate and cashew nuts, and mix to combine well.
3 Place heaped teaspoonfuls of the dough roughly 4 cm apart on baking trays. Bake in the oven until lightly coloured, about 10-15 minutes.

TIP
Don’t chop the chocolate and cashew nuts too fine – these taste great with big hunks of chocolate and nuts – MMMMMMM!!!

3.20pm (27th September 2006)
Name changed from "Best Ever Dairy-free Chocolate/Cashew Cookies" :- Thanks Jonathan for the idea - you win, you guessed it, a yummy cow clear chocolate cashew cookie as a prize.

Cake #4

Dairy version of cake #2 – We promised to take a cake in for Aimee to share with her class, and Aimee wanted it to look like last years cake (My Little Pony on a meadow of green grass). :)

The things we mum’s do for our kidlets!!!

Cake #3

This "cake" I am pleased to say, cos' it was so terrible, was not made by me.

After a morning of shopping we didn't have time to make one, and so it was off to the supermarket to get one. Not the nicest, but did the job, so that we could all sing "Happy Birthday" once again... :D And it put a lovely smile on the birthday girls face!

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY AIMEE!!!!

Aimee’s Birthday Cake #2

Aimee had her two “boyfriends” from school over for a play date to celebrate her birthday, and so another cake was in order. I needed to find a nice dairy-free chocolate cake and couldn’t find one – so, thanks to Alison Holst, I adapted one of hers (Kirsten’s Chocolate Cake, page 258, Alison Holst’s Good Food) – it was delicious!!! A real success!

Chocolate Cake (Dairy-free & Delicious)

125g margarine (dairy-free)
2 rounded household tablespoons golden syrup
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups soy milk

1. Put the margarine and golden syrup in a microwave dish and heat just until the margarine has melted. Stir to combine the two.

2. Put everything else in the food processor, with the eggs first and the soy milk last. Mix in brief busts, then add the golden syrup and margarine mixture, and process for two 30-second bursts, scraping down the sides of the food processor after the first burst.

3. Bake in two 20cm round tins for 25 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, or until the centre springs back and a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Eat within three days.

TIP
Line the cake tin with baking paper to avoid the cake sticking or overflowing during baking.

Chocolate Icing:
1 Tbsp margarine
2 Tbsp hot water
1 Tbsp cocoa
1 cup icing sugar

1. Heat together the margarine, water and cocoa in a small saucepan until the margarine has softened and all the ingredients are easily combined when stirring with a fork.

2. Add the sifted icing sugar and beat with a wooden spoon until it has been mixed in thoroughly, and the icing is smooth.

Aimee's Birthday Cake #1

We are having a weekend of birthday cake's because Aimee is turning 8!! Tonight we had pavlova with lashings of cream - YUM! Aimee's best friend, Ashlee, stayed the night to help us celebrate! My little girl is getting older...

Kudos to my wonderful hubby…

and friends...

My wonderful man knew I was having a hard day yesterday and so he spoiled me last night with a great meal, wine and flowers all presented with panache. It’s not something he ever does all that much (if ever!) and so I was shocked out of my funk and feel in the cloud of love now!! We had sirloin steak and a really nice red, and I didn’t have to lift a finger except to eat and enjoy it! Thanks Jonathan!

Also thanks to my good friends Vania and Jodee who have both helped me feel loved and cared for this week! I was momentarily feeling overwhelmed – and they made me realise the true value of friendship – thanks…