X'mas Gift- Bake A Difference

Host by Penny 

Organise by CSR

All donations goes to Mission Australia

After all the baking, slicing and dipping, it's time to pack and share it with all the lovely friends around us. I popped into the local $2 shop and manage to grab a roll of cellophane and few rolls of beautiful, Xmas theme ribbons. I would love to pop into the op shops and try find some jars/container/plates/bowls but due to my poor time management, I just got to make do with what I have on hand. Hopefully next year I will get my head around it earlier.

1st, I make cellophane bag using the cellophane sheet and some sticky tapes.
Pop in some biscotti and seal it with ribbon.


Next, I cut the big sheet of cellophane into big square shape. Layer the cookies into a cone shape and place in the the middle of the square shaped cellophane. Gather and secure all the edges using ribbon.


All the biscuits are all ready to be deliver.


I would have got around baking more if I got more time and also manage to figure out how to get them deliver fast. I always believe it taste the best when it's fresh.

Almond and Pistachio Bread

Decided to try a Margaret Fulton's recipe while I'm having trays of Chocolate Mocha Cookies lining up waiting for their turn into the oven.

I heard about Margaret Fulton but didn't own any of her cookbooks. When I came upon her X'mas Iphone application, I decided to download. It's not expensive and it's a good guide for me what her recipes are like. I find them really easy, simple with very minimum ingredients required.

Although there aren't a lot of recipes on the application but there's quite a few I would love to try. Just the X'mas treats category, I'm already having hard time which to chose.

6 ingredients are required for this recipe.

3 egg whites
1tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup whole almond
1 cup plain flour (sifted)
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup pistachios (shelled)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees
Grease a small non-stick loaf bin
Beat egg whites until stiff without being dry, then gradually beat in the caster sugar
Continue beating until mixture is thick and glossy
Fold in the rest of ingredients, mixing well
Turn the mixture into prepared tin
Bake for about 30mins until pale golden and firm to touch



Leave to cool in the tin then turn out wrap in foil
Place in refrigerator and leave overnight. This helps to cut thin, even slices
Cut into thin slices and place on an ungreased baking tray



Bake in a preheated 180 degrees oven, until pale golden and crisp



These are very addictive! Super crispy/crunchy because I sliced it very thinly. Over baked the 1st batch therefore a bit too brown. But the subsequence trays were a lot better.

This is my 2nd entry for Bake A Difference event. More information can be found from blog Jeroxie.

Chocolate Mocha Cookies

My very lovely minister bought me 2 toys for the past 2 months. 1st was a Iphone4. I being using company provided mobile even since I stepped into Melbourne. The pro is I don't have to worry about mobile bills. Cons is I can't really sms oversea especially when it cost $0.50 for each sms on telstra. Getting my own mobile line means I can contact with my oversea family members, friends without needing to think 3 times! I started to play with my Iphone quite a bit and had a page with all the food related application. This is where I came upon this recipe.

The 2nd toy was my birthday present. It's a KitchenAid Standing Mixer!!! I have being eyeing it for ages!!!! But as all the housewives know, it's a pretty expensive tools to have in the kitchen. I'm always itchy to play with my toy. Constantly thinking what can I bake with the limited time I time which I will be free at night.

Came upon this event "Bake a Difference" few weeks ago while surfing Penny Jeroxie blog and signed up. I almost forgot about due date till other bloggers started submitting their entries and mention it on twitter.

After work 1 evening, alone at home and craving to bake. I decided on Chocolate Mocha Cookies to give it a try. It was already 10pm when I switched on my KA and started putting the ingredients together.

Creaming 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar

While KA is doing it job, I was busy mixing 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules (I used a bit more and pounded into powder), 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt together.

Add in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 egg once mixture is light and fluffy.


Add in the flour mixture after egg is well blended into the mixture.


Divide the dough into 2, wrapped with waxed paper and chill until firm. I chilled mine till the next day as it was getting too late to bake.


The next evening once I got home from work, I took the dough out from the fridge. Found it a bit too hard to roll therefore left it on the bench top for it to soften before rolling it and cut with my X'mas theme cookies cutter.


Popped them into the pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 10mins and it's all done. The whole house was filled with nice coffee fragrance during the time.


As you can see on the 2 previous photos. The recipe dough actually holds it's shape really well. There isn't much different comparing the unbaked and baked cookies.

Did find the cookies a bit too plain looking. Plus don't think Chocolate Mocha Cookies are really X'mas treats. I was lazy and sucks at decorating using icing. Therefore decided to try dipping them into white chocolate. I always have the tendency to link white colour with X'mas. Guess that's because of snow :)