Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Spice crisps


I wanted to make some cookies for my colleagues at my secondment job last week, but needed something no fuss, as it was late at night and I wasn't in the mood for making masterpieces.

Flipping through Ladies A Plate, a baking book by New Zealand author Alexa Johnston, I found the perfect recipe - for spice crisps, a type of gingernut cookie. However, unlike store-bought gingernuts, these cookies are relatively soft.

These cookies are very tasty - Alexa herself says that if you only make one recipe out of her book, you should make these. I actually ate 3 of them myself - unheard of for me, as (a) I am not a huge cookie fan, and (b) I would normally resist in a bid to curb my expanding backside.

My friend Tammy has also just posted about these - you can see her version and get the recipe here. I used the original treacle in the recipe (Tammy used golden syrup).



On the same day as I made these cookies, my wonderful Mum sent me some flowers at work to cheer me up:



Well, she actually sent two bunches by mistake:



Thanks Mum! We don't always see eye to eye, but she can sometimes be a gem.


18 comments:

♥Rosie♥ said...

Your cookies sound and look so scrumtious!! I have never heard of this book before -one to look uo ;0)

Your flowers are beautiful from your mum and I hope it did the trick in cheering you up...

Rosie x

Anonymous said...

I was just talking to Tammy about that cookbook! These look delicious, I'd love to get a hold of that cookbook :)

Finla said...

Wow it is so sweet of yourmom to send flowers to your office to cheer you up and then by mistake 2.

Anonymous said...

awww, nice flowers, Cakelaw :)
What a nice mum too!

A_and_N said...

That is one loving mom you've got :) And sometimes, the deliciousness (not sure if that is a word!) of simple, non-fussy things are masterpieces in themselves ;)

A_and_N said...

And I was really impressed with the way Aussies thrashed the Proteas after what happened in Australia. I must confess that I dont like Ponting very much but he delivers when it matters...

Sara said...

I love spice cookies, especially when they're covered in sugar! The flowers are so pretty.

adele said...

Mmm... warm gingernuts...

Ivy said...

Cake, you should quit the law firm and become a confectioner. I imagine what you would make if you liked cookies. Lucky colleagues of yours.

Cakelaw said...

Hi Rosie, this is a great book full of old fashioned favourites - and it is so pretty too!

Hi Lorraine, you need this book! I bought it direct from Penguin in Oz.

Hi Happy Cook, I know - isn't she great?

Thanks Maryann :)

Hi A&N, the simple things are often the best. Ricky is a "larrikin" made good. The glory days of Oz cricket for me were the 70's when they all had mos and wore gold chains - my Mum used to watch the cricket all the time, and I was a kid, hence the fond association with that time.

Cakelaw said...

Sara, these are melt-in-your-mouth devine - I highly recommend them. And they smell so good while baking ...

I'm with you Adele - mmmm...

LOL Ivy - I almost fear it would take the joy out of it if I did it for a living. So my colleagues will be kept in free treats for a while to come.

Gloria Baker said...

These cookies look wonderful Cakelaw, look really nice, xxGloria

Unknown said...

awwwwww... spices are friends of mine hehehe... look so good!

Anonymous said...

Those cookies look delicious! And how sweet is your mom!?

The Blonde Duck said...

I hope you're feeling better and all cheered up! Have some more spice cookies!

Pamela said...

Those flowers are so pretty! I especially love the second bunch. The cookies look yummy, and I hope you are a bit cheered up now!

Cakelaw said...

Thanks Gloria - if you like spice cookies, I can recommend these.

Arfi, you'd love 'em - and make them so well!

Thanks Teanna. Yes, my Mum can be great sometimes.

Thanks Duckie, I am - and I will ;)

Thanks Pamela. Yes, I am cheered up now - am in acceptance mode.

Tammy said...

I loved those cookies as well. There are so many great recipes in that book!