Mrs Claus’ secret cookie recipe

Hi friends!

What comes to mind when you think of Christmas? Is it the hum-dinger of a turkey browning in the oven? The fairy lights twinkling on your withering old tree? Or perhaps it’s the sweet marzipan icing on your Mother’s Christmas cake? To me, Christmas is many things…it’s the excitement of unwrapping mysterious packages, it’s the joy of pulling crackers and telling ridiculous jokes (and looking equally ridiculous in your paper hat) and it’s the wonderful blissful happiness of being surrounded by those you love the most.

Christmas certainly was different when I was a child…

We could never sleep on Christmas Eve due to the excitement of guessing what might be inside our stockings.

There was many a fight over who had more candy canes.

I would take down all the angel decorations and have delightful tea parties.

I could barely lift the massive tree into its’ rightful spot beside the fireplace.

We would eat all the chocolates on the table and have no room for dinner.

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Oh how things have changed…

Now it’s difficult to get so much as a Ho-Ho-Ho before 10 am.

Our grand majestic tree has shrunk and lost branches.

And candy canes hang jilted on the tree.

While the holidays may be different, one thing that always will remain is my love for Christmas baking. What other occasion are you allowed to pile plates full of pies, cookies and tartlets?

So, this is my ode to Christmas…and the cookies that shall remain no matter what age I shall become.

• 100 grams dark chocolate
• 80 grams butter
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp bicarb
• 2 Tbsp cocoa
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• decorative candy

Preheat your oven to 180C.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in the sugar, egg, flour, bicarb and cocoa.

Allow the dough to cool in the fridge for 20 minutes. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and coat in the icing sugar.

Pop on a candy if you like. Place them on a baking tray, at least 8cm apart. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

What I learnt this week:

Don’t be offended when people offer you advice. This is something I personally struggle with. I find that I am quick to snap or brush off what they have said. However, if you put your ego aside and just take a minute to consider what has been said you may find their advice useful.

It turns out I had been doing those hospital corners wrong. One of my colleagues kindly pointed that out and then showed me the correct way of doing them. At first I was embarrassed and a little put out, but then I realized that she was just trying to help me.

And that my friends is my advice for you! Put aside your feelings and take it on board…after all, I’m just trying to help!

M x