Biscuits

• Cream butter and sugar
• Add dry ingredients and mix well
• Roll into small balls and flatten with a fork or spoon
• Bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes
• Cool on the tray
• Melt the chocolate and sandwich the biscuits with melted chocolate

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Beat the sugars, butter, vanilla and egg
• Add dry ingredients and mix well
• Add nuts and choc chips
• Spoon onto a baking tray (lined) leaving lots of space between to allow spreading
• Bake for about 10 minutes, the cookies won't be crisp when then are removed from the oven
• Leave to cool on tray

• Preheat oven to 160°Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Add the flour and salt and work the mixture to form a soft dough.
• Chill the mixture until firm.
• Roll our dough between two plastic sheets and cut out shapes.
• Place on a greased or lined baking sheet and bake at 160°C until firm to the touch.

• Butter and flour a 23cm square cake tin.
• Preheat the oven to 150°C.
• In a glass or ceramic bowl mix the butter, chocolate, vanilla and coffee. Heat this in the microwave until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and castor sugar together. Fold in the self raising flour.
• To this mixture add the melted chocolate and butter, and mix well. Then fold in the chocolate chips and pecan nuts.
• Pour all this into the baking tin and bang a few times on the counter top to dislodge any large air bubbles.
• Bake in a slow oven for about 40 minutes. The mixture should have a defined crust on top and should not be wobbly, but it will still be slightly soft to the touch and a skewer will NOT come out clean.
• Remove from the oven and leave until completely cold (preferably over night) before cutting. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.

• Roughly chop the dates (to check that there are no pips), and place in a saucepan with the butter
• Bring to the boil and using a wooden spoon mash up the dates until they are well mixed
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg, mixing well
• Add the crushed marie biscuits and set aside to cool for a few minutes
• Roll into balls (as big or small as you want them) and roll in the coconut
• Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks

• Grease a large metal oven tray well or you can use two loaf tins. Preheat oven to 180°C
• In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Mix the melted butter, eggs and buttermilk. Mix everything together.
• Pour into greased tray and bake for about 1 hour until cooked through. Test that it is cooked by inserting a knife or skewer into the middle, when it comes out clean remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool.
• Once cool cut into rusks and lay out on oven trays or cooling racks. Keep your sizes even, so that they dry evenly and leave space between the rusks so that the air can circulate. Dry in a cool oven (100°C) for about 4 hours. Check that the rusks are dried through before turning off the heat. Leave to cool and pack in airtight containers.

• Grease a large black oven tray well (or use two large loaf tins) and preheat the oven to 180°C
• Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Feel free to play with the additions. Leave out or use up what you have at hand.
• Mix the zest (if using) butter, buttermilk and eggs and add to the dry ingredients

  Add in milk as needed to make it easier to mix (it can be VERY stiff depending on what you add).
• Place the mixture into your prepared tin and bake at 180°C for about an hour. A skewer or knife inserted into the middle should come away clean. Once it is cooked through, remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool
• Once cool cut into rusks and lay on an oven tray or cooling rack and place in a cool oven (100°C) for about 4 hours to dry. Check that they are dry before removing from the oven. The larger your slices are the longer it takes to dry. Try to keep your slices even so that they all dry at the same rate.
• Store in an airtight container.

• Preheat the oven to 180°C, and prepare a baking tray by lining with baking paper or silicone mat.
• In a small pot, melt the butter, add the sugar and heat until bubbling.
• Remove from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Place teaspoonfuls on the baking tray leaving lots of space for spreading (maximum of 6 per tray).
• Bake for 8 minutes, until the mix has spread. Remove the tray from the oven and immediately use a round cookie cutter to pull the edges in and create a perfect circle. I use an 8cm one but could be larger or smaller depending on your preference
• Leave to cool completely on the baking paper (or silicone mat).
• Meanwhile melt the chocolate. Dip each biscuit into the chocolate and set back on the non-stick mat to set. Store in an airtight container.

Microwave method

• Melt the butter and marshmallows in a large microwave safe bowl for 3 minutes on full power, stirring after 2 minutes. Once the marshmallows have completely melted, add the Rice Krispies and stir well.

Stove top method

• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat and add the marshmallows, stirring constantly until they are completely melted.  Remove the mixture from the heat and add the Rice Krispies and stir well. 
• Press the mixture into a greased 30cm square tin and set aside to cool.  This mixture can also be shaped and modeled while it is still warm.  Coat hands with butter to make it easier to work with.

• Preheat your oven to 130°C. Prepare your baking tray, by covering it with rice paper or baking paper.
• In a clean, dry, glass bowl beat (with a whisk or electric mixer) the egg white until it is foamy. Add the cream of tartar (the acidity of which will help to create a stable foam in the meringue). Continue beating until the egg whites have reached the stiff peak consistency.
• They should be firm enough that the bowl can be tipped upside down without them moving.
• Adding a little at a time, beat in the sugar, a little at a time. The mixture should become even thicker and should start to have a gloss to it.
• Spoon or pipe the mixture onto the prepared tray in the desired shape.
• Place the baking tray in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, then reduce the heat of the oven to 100°C, and bake for a further 2 hours. If they come away easily from the tray they are cooked. If very large or the weather is humid, leave for longer.