I took a bit of a break from the dairy free experiments this weekend at Struan Farm to test out two more conventional recipes. I usually bake cookies or some sort of treat for arriving farmstay guests, so decided to kill two birds with one stone.
Peanut butter cookies, from David Lebovitz' "Ready for Dessert." I'm a huge fan of his ice cream book, and have been testing out recipes from his blog, most recently "Pain d'amande," or "Crispy Almond Biscuits" as Ella and Livvy have christened them.
These are a traditional American thing, the type of cookie I grew up on, even down to the cross-hatches made on top with a fork. Very easy to make and "moreish." John and I had to restrain ourselves by hiding them in the pantry. Interestingly, Lebovitz advises not to use a gourmet or natural peanut butter, which cause the cookie to be too crumbly. Just use basic, smooth, off-the-shelf stuff.
I look forward to working my way through this book!
Next I tested out "Lazy Lady's Loaf," which I'd read about in a recent issue of "Nourish" (the Australian one, not the NZ magazine with the same name). This is a very simple crusty ciabatta loaf, made with unbleached white flour, salt and yeast. It proofs in the fridge overnight before being brought back to room temperature, shaped into a loaf on a baking tray, and baked. We couldn't stop eating it warm out of the oven, so much for that healthy chicken salad I'd made for lunch! I managed to find the recipe here.
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