101 FUSS-FREE BAKES
By Hilary Biller, Jenny Kay and Elinor Storkey

Hilary Biller and The Star's Angela Day are indivisible. Together with Jenny Kay and Elinor Storkey the team has devised fuss-free bakes, 101 tested simple recipes that you can enjoy for all seasons; muffins, scones, cakes, biscuits, rusks, loaves and tray bakes.

Showcook has chosen recipes which are fun to make over the festive period including a real Christmas Biscotti and Christmas Cookies among them. 

Bake away, fuss-free, for family and friends well in advance of the holiday season.

CHOCOALTE CHIP COOKIES

125 g butter
300 ml light brown sugar
1 extra-large egg
5 ml vanilla essence
350 ml cake flour
5 ml bicarbonate of soda
125 ml raisins
100 g pecan nuts, chopped
250 ml chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugar well. Beat in the egg and vanilla essence. Add the sifted flour and bicarbonate of soda and mix well. Sir in the raisins, nuts and chocolate chips. Place tablespoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and flatten slightly. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 – 20 minutes.

ESPRESSO BISCUITS

These biscuits have a rich coffee flavor

250 g butter
250 ml icing sugar
15 ml instant espresso coffee granules
30 ml ground espresso beans
30 ml hot water
625 ml cake flour 
melted chocolate to decorate
(Makes 36)

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and icing sugar. Dissolve the coffee granules and ground beans in the hot water and cool. Add to the creamed mixture together with the flour and mix well to form a dough. Roll out to about 5 mm thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out with a round 4 cm diameter biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 10 - 15 minutes until golden. When completely cool, drizzle with melted chocolate.

SHORTBREAD HEARTS

200 g butter
125 ml castor sugar
185 ml cornflour
375 ml cake flour
extra castor sugar
(Makes 24)

Cream the butter until soft. Add the castor sugar, cornflour and flour and mix until the dough forms a smooth ball. Roll out on a lightly floured surface and cut out with a heart-shaped cutter. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 – 20 minutes until pale gold in colour. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with extra castor sugar while still warm. 

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

250 g butter
300 ml light brown sugar
2 extra large eggs 
5 ml vanilla essence
600 ml cake flour
5 ml baking powder
5 ml bicarbonate of soda
10 ml ground cinnamon
10 ml mixed spice
125 ml glacé cherries, chopped 
250 ml dried fruitcake mix
50 g pecan nuts, chopped
(Makes 36)

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix well. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then add this to the creamed mixture. Mix in the cherries, fruit mix and nuts. Roll the dough into golf ball sized balls and place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Flatten slightly. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet, then store in an airtight container. If desired, drizzle the biscuits with glacé icing made from 250 ml icing sugar mixed with a little water to make a runny consistency.

CHRISTMAS BISCOTTI

Biscotti are the Italian word for biscuit. Great to dunk in coffee, here is a lovely fruit and nut variety

500 ml cake flour
300 ml castor sugar
10 ml baking powder
80 ml sultanas
80 ml glacé cherries, chopped
50 g dates, pitted and chopped
75 g pistachio nuts, shelled
100 g blanched almonds, roughly chopped 
grated rind of 1 lemon
3 extra-large eggs

Sift the flour, castor sugar and baking powder into a bowl. Add all the fruit, all the nuts and the lemon rind and mix well. Add the eggs and mix well. Using well floured hands, shape the mixture into two slightly flattened logs about 20 cm in length. Place on a paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 20 - 30 minutes. Remove and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Cut into 1 cm thick slices and return to the baking sheet. Reduce the oven temperature to 140ºC and bake for another 10 - 12 minutes, turning halfway through the baking time, until pale gold in colour. Remove and cool.

101 FUSS- FREE BAKES

By Hilary Biller, Jenny Kay and Elinor Storkey

Photography By Debbie Yazbek
Published By Struik

For more info see Cook's Corner