The first cookies were the Giant Double Chocolate Cookies from My Baking Addiction. I changed the recipe a little and used white choc chips for a colour contrast.

The second cookies I made were Chocolate Chip Cookies from Annie’s Eats. I thought I had a pretty good Choc Chip recipe before I made these but these cookies pretty much knocked the old recipe out of the park. Needless to say I have a new favourite cookie recipe.

The third batch of cookies were Giant Snickerdoodles using the same recipe for the snickerdoodles I’d made a few weeks ago.

And finally as the main colours of the event were purple and yellow, I decided to make Spiral Cookies again using these colours for the dough.

Unfortunately the cookies didn’t sell that well on the night, but they definitely helped us get through the exhaustion that set in at around 3am. Nonetheless our team still managed to raise over $1000 for the cause and the whole event raised over $28000 to help support those with cancer.

Spaghetti Bolognaise (Serves 6)

Ingredients

500g premium beef mince

1 large onion, diced

2 small or 1 large carrot, grated

1 medium zucchini, grated

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 400g tin diced tomatoes

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tb oregano/mixed herbs, dried or fresh

400g dried pasta

Method

Heat a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Fry onions, carrots and zucchini for 2 minutes. Add beef mince and garlic, cook for 5 min. Mix in tin tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30min or until vegetables have almost disappeared. Once sauce is almost cooked, stir through herbs.

While meat is simmering, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Serve with sauce.

Nutritional Information (per serve)

Energy: 1538 kJ (368 Cal)

Protein: 25.3 g

Fat: 6.6 g

Saturated Fat: 2.4 g

Carbohydrate: 48.0 g

Sugars: 8.1 g

Sodium: 493 mg

Dietary Fibre: 6.4 g

Macarons

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (Convection oven: 160°C). Stack two or three baking trays together. Line the top tray with non-stick baking paper.

Process the almond meal and icing sugar at high speed to achieve a fine powder. Sift (or whisk the powder by hand) to break up any lumps of powder.

In a clean bowl, beat the room-temperature egg whites until foamy and just at soft peaks. Gradually beat in the castor sugar, adding a little at a time. Beat on medium speed for a number of minutes until you have a firm, glossy and compact meringue.

Sprinkle half of the dry mixture over the meringue and fold in with a spatula using a circular motion around the bowl and under the batter. Repeat with the remaining powder. You don’t need to be gentle, but the goal is to incorporate the dry ingredients quickly to avoid overmixing. It’s better to undermix than overmix. You can add colourings or flavourings during this mixing.

The final batter should be the colour of pale ivory (if you haven’t coloured it) and smooth and thick but flowing. A ribbon of batter dropped from a spoon onto the top of the remaining batter should take about 30 seconds to disappear.

Dab a little batter under each corner of the baking paper on the tray to anchor it (otherwise it’ll slip).

Spoon the batter into a piping bag/gun with a 8-10 mm nozzle and pipe evenly onto the baking paper. Mild peaks should settle back into the batter eventually. If they don’t disappear, tap the tray repeatedly on a table until the peaks have largely disappeared. Usually the batter will spread a little and any bumps will disappear. Sometimes the batter is quite runny and will rapidly flatten out. (It might be overmixed.) This consistency will often yield irregular shells. If the batter never stops spreading then you should probably scrape it all back into a bowl, gently add some more almond meal and try again.

If you want, you can leave the piped batter to dry for anywhere between 20 mins and two hours.

Place the tray in the oven. If you’re using a conventional oven, cook as normal for two mins and then open the oven door about 2.5 cm and place a wooden spoon between the door and the jamb to permit hot air to escape for the rest of the cooking time. (Your spoon might get a bit singed, so soaking it in water briefly beforehand is a good idea.) For a convection oven, you will need to experiment a little, possibly leaving the door ajar for the whole time.

At the 5 minute mark the shells should have lifted and developed ‘feet’. At the 6-7 minute mark they should be starting to colour just slightly. Rotate the baking sheet if the colouring is uneven. The outermost shells often have to be sacrificed in order for the centre ones to be cooked, but the majority should be no more than the palest cream colour. They are probably ready if a shell moves only reluctantly on its foot when you lightly nudge it with a finger.

Remove from the oven and leave on the tray for a minute or two. Gently try to lift one of the outermost shells. A slight twisting motion or a peeling motion can help. If the shells stick badly, but are firm, try spraying or brushing a little water under the baking paper. This will moisten the paper and soften any stuck bits after 1-2 minutes. Don’t use too much water or the shells may start to dissolve around the edges. Remove each shell by gently peeling away the baking paper or with the aid of a thin palette or paring knife. Another solution to the sticking problem can be to place the paper or Silpat (with stuck macarons) in the freezer for a while.

Once removed from the sheet, leave the shells to cool on a wire rack, face up.

If you haven’t already made a filling, do so now. A simple chocolate ganache is one of the easiest quick fillings. (Break 50 gm dark chocolate into a bowl. Bring 60 gm cream to a gentle simmer and then pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand for two minutes, then mix together with a spatula. Allow to cool slowly, stirring occasionally. When completely cool, apply a small blob to the underside of one shell and gently press another shell on top. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours if you are the patient type.

The plain shells can be frozen for a few weeks quite well. Complete macarons store well in the fridge for two to three days. After that they become softer. Eat macarons at room temperature.

Eggless Butterless Apple Raisin Muffins (makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

½ cup Water

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup castor sugar

¼ cup raisins

2 medium apples, grated

½ tsp cinnamon

2 cups self raising flour

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line muffin tray with muffin pans. Combine water, sugar,  raisins, grated apples and cinnamon in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.

Sift flour into a bowl. Add the cooled apple mixture to this and mix until blended well.

If the batter is too dry, add more liquid (Milk, water, apple juice) until mixture is a good consistency. Pour the batter into each muffin pan.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in pans for 5 mins then remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Nutritional Information (per serve)

Energy: 558 kJ (133 Cal)

Protein: 2.5 g

Fat: 0.3 g

Saturated Fat: <0.1g

Carbohydrate: 29.7 g

Sugars: 13.1 g

Sodium: 164 mg

Dietary Fibre: 1.5 g

Mint Cheesecake Brownies (Makes 16)

Ingredients:

200g cooking chocolate

120g unsalted butter, cut into quarters

3 tbsp cocoa powder

3 large eggs

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

1 cup plain flour

Cheesecake

500 g cream cheese

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla extract

Mint essence

Green food colour

Method

Preheat the oven to 175° C (350°F).  Line an 8-inch square baking dish with non stick baking paper.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth.  Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth.  Set aside to cool.

To make the cheesecake, in a separate bowl beat together the cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add in Mint essence and green colouring until desired flavour and colour.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds.  Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated.  Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. Remove 1/2 cup of the brownie batter and set it aside. Place the remainder of the brownie batter evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the brownie layer. Spoon small dollops of the reserved brownie batter evenly on top of the cream cheese filling. Then with a table knife or wooden skewer, swirl the two batters without mixing them.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and allow to pan to cool. Place into refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm enough to slice. Cut into 16 squares. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information (Per serve)

Energy: 1442 kJ (345 Cal)

Protein: 7.1 g

Fat: 20.0 g

Saturated Fat: 12.3 g

Carbohydrate: 35.4 g

Sugars: 27.6 g

Sodium: 221 mg

Dietary Fibre: 0.6 g

White Soda Bread (Makes 8 rolls)

Ingredients

4 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

400mL  buttermilk

Method

Preheat the oven to 210°C (425° F) degrees.  Line a baking tray with non stick baking paper.

In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough.  Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape).

Divide into smaller portions around 150g in weight. Place on tray and bake for 20 minutes until lightly brown and the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.

Nutritional Information (Per Serve)

Energy: 1164 kJ (278 Cal)

Protein: 9.7 g

Fat: 1.9 g

Saturated Fat: 0.8 g

Carbohydrate: 53.2 g

Sugars: 2.9 g

Sodium: 450 mg

Dietary Fibre: 2.7 g

Irish Stew (Serves 6)

Ingredients

¼ cup plain flour

500g stewing beef, cut into chunks

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces

500g desiree potatoes, peeled, cut into 3cm pieces

1 tablespoon beef stock powder

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

¼ cup cornflour

2 tb thyme, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

Method

Place flour and beef in a large snap-lock bag. Seal. Shake to coat. Heat a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and lightly coat with cooking oil spray. Cook onion, celery and carrot, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Transfer to a bowl.

Increase heat to high. Respray pan with oil. Cook half the beef for 4 minutes until browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chops. Layer half the beef, half the potato and half the onion mixture in pan. Repeat layers with remaining beef, potato and onion mixture. Sprinkle over stock powder. Add worcestershire sauce and 4 cups cold water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover. Cook for 1 ½ hours until beef is tender.

Combine cornflour and 1/4 cup cold water in a jug. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir cornflour mixture, thyme and peas into stew. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until gravy boils and thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Nutritional Information (Per Serve)

Energy: 1210 kJ (289 Cal)

Protein: 22.5 g

Fat: 9.1 g

Saturated Fat: 2.8 g

Carbohydrate: 26.8 g

Sugars: 4.4 g

Sodium: 621 mg

Dietary Fibre: 4.6 g

Green Spiral Cookies (Makes approx 25 cookies)

Ingredients

150 g butter, softened

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup castor sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

2 tb cocoa powder

Green food colouring

Method

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Tint one portion green. Stir cocoa into other portion. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap; chill for one hour.

For spiral cookies, roll out each portion between waxed paper into a 22.5 x 15 cm (9 x 6 inch) rectangle. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat for remaining portions. Remove waxed paper; place one green rectangle over a chocolate rectangle and trim if necessary. Roll up tightly jelly-roll style, starting with the long side. Wrap in plastic and chill for two hours.

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and line baking tray with non stick baking paper. Unwrap and cut spiral doughs into 1 cm slices. Place one inch apart on prepared trays. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Nutritional Information (Per cookie)

Energy: 478 kJ (114 Cal)

Protein: 1.6 g

Fat: 5.4 g

Saturated Fat: 3.4 g

Carbohydrate: 14.9 g

Sugars: 6.7 g

Sodium: 75 mg

Dietary Fibre: 0.5 g

Roast Vegetable Pasta (Serves 5)

Ingredients

1 large onion, cut into eighths

1 large carrot, sliced thickly

1 zucchini, sliced thickly

600g pumpkin, deseeded and cut into 2.5cm x 2.5cm (1 in x 1 in) pieces

1 cup frozen peas

250g uncooked pasta

300g skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillet, excess fat removed and cut into small pieces

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tb chopped fresh thyme

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C and line 2 trays with greaseproof baking paper. Arrange all vegetables (except peas) on trays and bake for 15-20min until cooked.

Place a large saucepan of water on high heat and bring to boil. Add pasta and cook. When about 5 minutes away from being cooked, add in frozen peas and finish  Drain and set aside. While pasta is cooking, in a medium non stick frypan, dry fry chicken until almost cooked, add in garlic and half the thyme and finish cooking.

Combine chicken, vegetables and thyme with pasta. Serve

Nutritional Information (per serve)

Energy: 1472 kJ (352 Cal)

Protein: 22.4 g

Fat: 5.7 g

Saturated Fat: 1.8 g

Carbohydrate: 48.7 g

Sugars: 9.2 g

Sodium: 76 mg

Dietary Fibre: 7.1 g

Oreo Truffles (makes approx 25 truffles)

Ingredients

10 Oreo cookies, crushed into small chunks

125g light cream cheese

5 oreo cookies, cream removed and finely processed into crumbs

Method

Combine cream cheese and cookie chunks. Place in refrigerator to allow mixture to firm a little. Place cookie crumbs into a shallow bowl. Using a ½ tb measuring spoon, roll mixture into balls and into cookie crumbs. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information (per truffle)

Energy: 157 kJ (38 Cal)

Protein: 0.8 g

Fat: 2.9 g

Saturated Fat: 1.3 g

Carbohydrate: 3.9 g

Sugars: 2.1 g

Sodium: 37 mg

Dietary Fibre: 0.1 g