Time to play dress up and invite everyone around to mine for a vintage tea party! I’m excited! I like nothing more than to trawl the internet and watch video after video of vintage hair and make-up tutorials… not to mention rooting out my best vintage frock for such an occasion. Ok so I’ll look the part.. Now to consider what I might serve at my retro rendezvous? If you know me (which you might) I don’t deal well with cooking and baking… the kitchen is a foreign place to me and the microwave is my go to meal maker. So… I was thinking of buying in some goodies… but I decided that’s out of the question! I will be a vintage goddess and bake my own sweets to serve! Now to find the EASIEST recipe. In my internet findings I come across ‘crunchy cookies’ – not many ingredients and only a short preparation time…perfect for a first time baker like me! A lady does not want to be kept in her kitchen to long… especially when she doesn’t own an apron. I made a practice batch. They tasted…fine… but needed something else. Something that wouldn’t take hours and would taste fantastic. Impossible!? Never! I root through my presses to find the lazy gal, crowd pleaser that is… chocolate spread! Hooray… It was now time (in good vintage goddess fashion) to get crafty with my easy treats. I melted the spread in my trusty microwave and proceeded to dunk, drizzle spread and dot my cookies.
Now for the taste test…. and who better to use? Work colleagues! Well I got lots of compliments on my baking, but really, who isn’t glad when they get a treat at work!? 😉 they did finish them all and asked if I could make more! that’s a good sign then…So now I’m on my way to the perfect tea party. What’s next, soufflé? Homemade meringues?! We’ll see. Must ask my grandmother if I can borrow her lace doilies. Any who… I’m on my way to impressing through the belly…Until next time…
Oh and here’s the recipe, don’t forget the chocolate spread!
Ingredients:
225g/8oz Cream plain Flour
75g/3oz Porridge Oatflakes
200g/7oz Margarine (room temperature)
124g/4oz Icing Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
For Dusting
Caster Sugar
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a flat baking sheet.
- Put the margarine and icing sugar into a bowl and beat until creamy.
- Add vanilla essence and oatflakes and mix well.
- Finally add the flour and bring mixture together to form a dough.
- Knead on a lightly floured board. Shape into a sausage like roll about 2″ in diameter. Wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of an hour.
- Cut slices from roll and place on the prepared tin. Sprinkle with caster sugar and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until brown around the edges.
- Leave on baking sheet for a few minutes to “set” then transfer to a wire tray to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
