Giant Cookies

If you’re looking for a fun, easy, and delicious activity to do with your kids, baking giant cookies is the perfect solution. My kids absolutely love making and eating these oversized treats, and the best part is that they can get as creative as they want with the toppings. Whether you choose Smarties, sprinkles, or chocolate chips, the options are endless, making this a versatile and exciting baking project.

Giant cookies are a hit for several reasons:

Size: There’s something inherently fun about baking a cookie that's as big as your face. The sheer size adds a wow factor that regular-sized cookies just can’t match.

Customization: Kids love having the freedom to choose their toppings. Whether it’s colorful Smarties, fun sprinkles, or gooey chocolate chips, they can personalize their cookie just the way they like it.

Simplicity: The recipe is straightforward, making it an ideal project for little hands. Plus, the quick baking time means they won’t have to wait long to enjoy their creation.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

1t baking soda (bicarb of soda)

1tbs milk

2tbs corn flour

1/2t salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

2. Cream butter and sugar.

3. Add the egg and beat well.

4. Dissolve the bicarb in the milk and add to the mixture.

5. Mix the flour, corn flour and salt.

6. Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

7. Add your desired topping and mix.

8. Press into a solid ball, then divide into equal sized balls, as big as you want them to be. 

9. Flatten and bake for about 10 minutes, or until done. 

Topping ideas:

- Smarties

- Sprinkles

- Chocolate chips

- Mini marshmallows

- Chopped nuts

- Dried fruit

Tips

1. We found that placing the balls on wax paper, then covering with wax paper and then using a plate to flatten, works the simplest way, with the least amount of effort.

2. Place on a sheet, not straight onto the wire rack in the oven... it sags in between the wires... we learnt from experience!!

Yours in butter and sugar

Risch

Jam Tartlets

 Sometimes you just want something fairly quick and fairly simple to make, something sweet, something tangy... these cute little jam tartlets ticks all those boxes! Soft dough envelopes the jam of your choice, with a little extra taste and texture of shredded coconut added in. 

Simple, easy... with the only drawback being that you're probably not going to be able to make enough! I made a batch, got about 50 (3 sizes: small, medium and large), and before I knew what hit me, there's 10 left!!

So, I don't know how many people you have to feed, but my 3 kids gobbled it up.

Ingredients

Dough

2 1/4 c    flour

1t salt

1c cold butter

1/3c cold water

1 egg + cold water for brushing

Filling

Jam - apricot, strawberry

Shredded coconut

Method

1. Mix flour and salt

2. Grate the butter and rub into the flour until well incorporated. Or put it in the blender and whizz, but don't over mix.

3. Add the 1/3 cup of cold water and gently mix, just bringing it all together.

4. Wrap it up in clingwrap and let it rest in the fridge for 30 min or more

5. Once the dough has rested, roll it out and cut out circles.

6. I used these little tartlet makers I bought in a cheap shop and it works really great.

7. Scoop a little jam into the centre - but not too much, otherwise it will cook out

8. Add a little coconut over the jam

9. Brush the outer circle of the dough circle with water to act as glue

10. Close up the tartlet and press the edges together firmly.

11. Mix the egg and a little cold water and whisk with a fork

12. Brush the tartlets with the egg wash

13. Poke a hole or two with a fork into the dough to let out steam

14. Bake in the oven @ 180degrees Celsius for 10 - 15 minutes

15. Remove and let it cool 

16. Enjoy!!

Yours in butter and sugar

Risch

Homemade buns

I love myself some buns, plain buns, portuguese rolls, cheese buns... but the ones from the shop is pure air... it is not filling. These buns, however, is super delicious and very, very filling indeed. 

These buns are perfect with real butter, as simple and as plain as that. For me, that is food fit for a king. Or a queen...

Ingredients

3½ cups flour

1t salt

¼ cup sugar

2tbs instant yeast

1 cups warm water

⅓ cup oil

1 egg

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 200 Celsius.

2. Check the instructions on the yeast you use. I use the yeast that should be added directly to the flour, not be bloomed first

3. Mix the water, oil and egg and beat well. 

4. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt.

5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix into a stiff ball.

6. Knead the dough for a minimum of 7 minutes - NOT NEGOTIABLE!

7. Cover with a wet cloth and let it rise for min 30 min, until double in size.

8. Knead down, and form into equal balls. Best is to weigh the dough and divide by the number of buns you want to make, so as to make the balls equal in size. This makes baking it better and more uniform.  

9. Cover and let it rise for another 30 minutes.

10. You can brush the buns with egg wash prior to baking, this will help with the browning.

11. After 30min, put the buns into the oven and bake for 10min, until golden.

Optional: Sprinkle with sesame seeds after brushing with egg wash.

Enjoy with butter, cheese, syrup. Or use for homemade hamburgers. 

Yours in oil and veggies,

Risch

For a printable PDF version of the recipe, click here: Homemade Buns PDF

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

For a quick and easy meal, this is perfect. Especially if you're not that hungry. But make no mistake, just because it is so simple, it does not mean that it compromised on taste... 

This is comfort food, with class.

Ingredients

500g spaghetti

2L         water

2t         salt, or to taste

120g margarine

2t         whole black pepper corns

½ cup chunky cottage cheese

300g bacon (optional)

250g mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1         onion, diced (optional)

2t         garlic, crushed (optional)

⅛t     nutmeg

parmesan to taste

Method

1 Let the water come to a boil, add the salt and spaghetti and cook to al dente. Strain, but keep the water.

2 Fry the bacon in 30g margarine until crispy. Set aside.

3 Fry the mushrooms (and garlic if you want) in 30g margarine until browned. Set aside.

4 Fry the onion in 30g margarine until lightly browned. Set aside.

5 Melt 30g margarine in a small saucepan and add the pepper corns. Toast for about 1 min (you should smell the pepper toasting), then grind with a mortar & pestle. Add the other peppers and nutmeg, if you want to. Set aside.

6 Mix the bacon, mushrooms, onion and pepper. Add it to the spaghetti with the cottage cheese and mix well.

7 Serve with grated parmesan as garnish and enjoy!

Notes: - ground black pepper and/or ground white pepper can also be added, just keep in mind that the intensity of the pepper increases as it cooks and stands.

- Only add the nutmeg if you use mushrooms

For a printable PDF version of the recipe, click here: Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Asparagus Frittata

 Breakfast can be quite challenging... especially on weekends... when you're not in the mood for toast or porridge, the kids are nagging, and you are not in the mood for hours in front of the stove or even 30 minutes of hard work. 

That's what I love about Frittatas. It's filling, easy to make, little effort and healthy! Plus, you can make it with almost anything you have on hand. The possibilities are endless. Basically if you have cheese and eggs, you're halfway there. 

I've had this tin of asparagus in my cupboard for ages, wanting to make a quiche. But this morning I decided to make the frittata instead. 

This is very delicious and I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine did.

Ingredients

8 Eggs

1 Onion

1 tin Asparagus, 430g

100g Cheddar Cheese

1 rind Plain feta cheese

2tbs Plain yogurt

2tbs Mayonnaise

50g Butter / Margarine

½ t salt

¼ t ground black pepper

¼ t dried origanum

½ t dried thyme

¼ red pepper

¼ yellow pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C

2. Chop the onion, yellow & red peppers and cut the feta cheese into blocks

3. Melt the butter and fry the onion and peppers lightly, doesn't need to brown

4. Open the tin of asparagus, drain very well and add to the onion and peppers.

5. Continue to fry on medium heat, stirring regularly

6. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk well.

7. Add the herbs, salt and pepper and whisk.

8. Add the mayonnaise and yogurt and whisk.

9. Grate the cheese and add to the egg mixture. Mix well.

10. Level the onion mixture in the pan, and add the egg mixture.

11. Dot the mixture with feta cheese and put in the oven.

12. Bake for 15-20 min until it is set and the sides are beginning to brown.

13. Remove from the oven and cut like a pizza.

Serve warm with coffee, or orange juice or milk and enjoy an amazing breakfast!

For a printable PDF version of the recipe, click here: Asparagus Frittata

Yours in oil and Veggies

Risch