More cooking adventures with an 11 year old...

Nick has been busting to help me bake again this week. Its Kims 14th birthday tomorrow so we have done a few nice things.

Cherry blondie cake adapted from the www.taste.com.au website, topped with white chocolate dipped cherries. Recipe as follows

Ingredients
• 100g butter, chopped
• 180g white chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ½ cups plain flour, sifted with 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (175g) frozen pitted cherries
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease an 18cm x 28cm (base) rectangular slice pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides. Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
2. Add sugar, eggs and flours to pan. Stir to combine. Spread into prepared pan. Press cherries into mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until edges are firm and top golden. Cool in pan. Serve.

Photos to come tomorrow after we have Kims birthday.

Nick and I also made a half and half jam drops and choc chip cookies for school morning teas this week. Simple batch using the basic butter cookie recipe from Food Ideas magazine.

Ingredients

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon milk

Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla and egg. Fold in dry ingredients. Mix is too stiff for my mixer so fold with a metal spoon.

At this stage you can add choc bits or sultanas or whatever you like, or roll and make into jam drops.

Walnut size balls take approx 12 mins at 180degC.