Traditional Chinese Peanut Cookies (???) Adapted from Dodol & Mochi blog 600 g raw peanuts — preferably skinned 350 g sugar — separated * Sifted powdered sugar for a superfine, melt-in-your-mouth texture.* (A) 375 g all-purpose flour — sifted once ? ~ 1 tsp salt 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter *optional* Enough neutrally flavored oil * E.g. corn, sunflower-seed or rice-bran oil. Note: You’re going to need quite a fair amount of it. * Enough peanut halves — skinned (B) 1 egg — at room temperature *Pinch of salt 1. Instead of roasting them in a wok with all the constant stirring and “shoveling” for a good chunk of the hour, I toast the peanuts in baking sheet(s), in an oven of 180°C for 15 minutes. By then, they should smell nuttier and look somewhat toasted. Remove the nuts from the oven and set aside to cool in the sheet(s) completely before use. 2. In a food processor or coffee grinder, pulverize the toasted peanuts with about 60 g sugar until you get a finely ground texture, though, slightly larger bits here and there are inevitable. The cookies will turn out fine anyway. 3. Combine the ground peanuts with the remaining sugar and (A), then mix in the peanut butter until it is well dispersed in the mixture. 4. Mix in enough oil to the peanut-and-flour mixture, working it ever so slightly until you’ve gotten a dough that doesn’t fall apart and doesn’t stick to your hands badly. No fixed and fast rules here. Dough too wet and sticky? Mix in additional flour! Dough too dry and crumbly? Mix in more oil! 5. Divide the dough into walnut-sized portions — or slightly smaller, if that’s what you prefer. Roll each into a ball and place on parchment-lined baking sheet(s). Gently press a peanut half slightly in the center of each of them. 6. Lightly beat together (B) and apply this slightly salted egg wash on the shaped dough. 7. Bake at 180°C, for 20 ~ 25 minutes, until the cookies look golden brown and slightly crackled. Don’t fret! The cookies will “shrink” up a wee bit as they cool. 8. Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the baking sheet(s) for 5 minutes or so to set their underside. Then, carefully transfer the cookies to the cooling racks and let cool completely before storing airtight. These peanut cookies in fact taste better as they age.

115 g low-fat spread, margarine or butter 50 g sugar, granulated 75 g brown sugar 1 medium egg, beaten ? tsp vanilla extract 165 g rice flour 2 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened 2 tsp instant coffee granules ? tsp baking soda ? tsp baking powder 150 g dark chocolate & raspberry swirled nestle morsels conversion charts preheat oven: 180°C, fan 160°C, 350°F, Gas 4 1. Line baking sheets with non-stick baking paper. 2. Put fat and both sugars into a large mixing bowl and cream together, beating well until smooth. 3. Slowly beat in the egg and vanilla extract. The mix may start to curdle a bit but this will disappear when the dry ingredients are added. 4. Add the sifted flour, cocoa powder, coffee granules, baking soda and baking powder to the mix and then stir well to fully combine all of the ingredients. Finally add the chocolate chips and stir in gently. 5. Place teaspoonfuls of mixture onto the prepared baking trays. Ensure that the mixture is spaced out well as the cookies will spread during baking. 6. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, until firm to the touch. 7. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes then transfer to a wire baking rack to fully cool before storing in an airtight container. These cookies can be eaten slightly warm or cold. They keep well for 2 - 3 days in an airtight container.