PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

260 grams smooth peanut butter
200 grams caster sugar
1 egg

choc bits if desired*


preheat oven to 180 c.
line baking trays with baking paper.

mix all ingredients together until combined.

roll into walnut sized balls.
(mix dries out quickly, if  it starts to get crumbly, just knead it a bit
until it rolls into a ball).

place balls on trays and flatten  lightly with a fork.

cook 8 - 10 minutes until just brown.

cool on trays.

*I divided the mix in half and just threw a handful of choc bits into 1/2 the mix.

these are also gluten free.

STAINED GLASS CHEESECAKE SQUARES

5 packets different flavoured jelly
5 cups boiling water

300 ml condensed milk
250 grams cream cheese, softened
6 teaspoons strawberry essence (or to taste)
300 ml thickened cream
28 grams gelatin
1 cup boiling water


place each packet of jelly in a separate square/oblong bowl
and mix each with 1 cup of boiling water.
refrigerate overnight or until set.


line a 9 x 13 cm. dish with baking paper.

cut all the jelly into cubes and spread across the bottom
of the dish.

mix the gelatin with the boiling water. stir till dissolved. put aside.

using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, strawberry essence and condensed milk together
until smooth.

beat in the cream then the gelatin. beat till well combined. cool.

when cool, pour over the jelly cubes.

refrigerate till set.

cut into squares to serve.

MELTING MOMENTS

250 grams butter, softened
80 grams icing sugar
220 grams cornflour
180 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

preheat oven to 170 c.  line baking trays with baking paper.

using an electric mixer, beat the butter till creamy. beat in icing sugar and vanilla.

combine the flours and stir into butter mix.

roll into walnut sized balls (I weighed mine at 15 grams each).

place on trays.

cook for 12 - 15 mins.  should be just brown on bottoms.

cool on trays.

dust with snow powder.

I also piped strawberry flavoured icing on some and sprinkled with
pink decorating sugar.

SNOW POWDER

3 tablespoons icing sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornflour sifted
together.

STRAWBERRY ICING

1 cup icing sugar
strawberry essence to taste
cream

mix the icing sugar and essence together with enough cream to make
spreadable or thin enough to pipe.

LEMON DESSERT SAUCE

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour

2 teaspoons lemon juice, extra
2 drops yellow food colour gel

in a medium sized saucepan, bring lemon rind, lemon juice, sugar, and cornflour to a boil  over medium heat.
stir constantly.

reduce heat to simmer and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is thick.

remove from heat and stir in the extra juice and food colour.

pour into a glass jug. cool.

cover and store in fridge till needed.

serve warm.( microwave in covered jug for approx. 30 seconds)

refrigerate up to 1 week.

LEMON CHIFFON CAKE

7 egg yolks
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons canola oil
finely grated rind 2 medium sized lemons
4 tablespoons lemon juice
110 grams self-raising flour, sifted

7 Egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup caster sugar




preheat oven to 170 c. use 24cm springform tin, line bottom of tin with baking
paper. leave the rest ungreased. If you have a tube tin use it instead.

using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks with sugar till pale, then add in salt and oil.
beat for 2 minutes.

add in rind and juice and mix well. Fold in flour until just combined. put aside.

using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

gradually add in sugar, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form.

gently fold egg white into egg yolk batter in 3 batches, until fully combined. (do not overmix)

pour batter into UNGREASED  tin. tap the tin a few times on table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.

cook for 50-60 minutes or until cooked. (When lightly pressed, the cake will spring back)

immediately upon removing the cake from the oven, place a wire rack on top of the tin and turn so the tin is now upside down.

let the cake cool completely in the upside down tin .

to remove cake from pan, run a thin bladed knife or a palette knife around the side of the tin.

dust with snow powder.

SNOW POWDER

3 tablespoons or icing sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour

sift both together. store leftover snow in a container.

keeps like icing sugar.

I served this cake as a dessert with cream, mixed berries and lemon sauce.

RAINBOW CHEESECAKE
(strawberry flavoured)

250 grams milk arrowroot biscuits
120 grams butter, melted
1 cup bright sprinkles

2  x 250 gram blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups thickened cream
3 teaspoons gelatin
1/4 cup boiling water
6 teaspoons strawberry essence or to taste

pink, yellow, green and blue, food coloring gel
combine 1 drop of red and 3 drops yellow to make orange


line bottom and grease sides of 24 cm. spring form tin.

blitz or finely crush the biscuits.  add the sprinkles and the melted butter.
stir till well combined.  press across the bottom and 1/2 way
up the sides of the spring form tin.  refrigerate while making filling.

mix the gelatin with the water until dissoved. put aside.

using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

add cream, essence and gelatin. beat until thickened and well combined.

divide mixture among 5 small bowls (or one bowl for each color you're using) and add a couple
drops of a different food coloring gel to each bowl. stir to combine.

place spoonfuls of the  cheesecake mixture onto the biscuit crust, alternating colors until
you’ve used up all the mixture.

refrigerate till set, at least 6 hours or overnight.

top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

keep refrigerated.

ORANGE BUTTER CAKE

3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
227 grams butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla
finely grated rind 2 oranges



Preheat oven to 180 c. line bottom and grease sides of 30 x 24 cm baking tin.

sift flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt together. put aside.

using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar.

beat in eggs, orange rind and vanilla.

beat in 1/2 the flour then 1/2 the buttermilk then the rest of the flour then the
rest of the buttermilk.

pour into tin and cook 45 - 50 minutes until golden on top and a skewer comes out clean.


cool in tin for 10 minutes then remove to wire tray.  cool completely.

ice.

ICING

4 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons butter
orange juice
1 drop red gel food colour, optional
3 drops yellow gel food colour, optional

mix the icing sugar and butter together with enough orange juice to
make a spreadable paste. add colour if desired.

spread over cold cake.

*make your own buttermilk by putting 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in
a measuring jug and making up to 1 cup with milk.