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Hot Cross Cookies

Preparation 15 Minutes

Cook 15 - 17 minutes Minutes

Serves 24

Method
Ingredients

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line cookie trays with baking paper.
Beat butter, vanilla, sugars and egg in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in sifted flour and bicarb soda, in two batches. Stir in fruit, nuts & chocolate.
Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls; place 5cm apart on trays.
Bake cookies 15 minutes or until golden; cool on trays.
Once cookies are cooled, pipe cross with melted white chocolate.

Notes: Each cookie weighed 50g before cooking to make 24. Keep a few extra currants and choc chips to add to cookies when removed from oven to decorate top.

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar

3/4 cup (165g) firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 1/4 cup (335g) plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp Cinnamon

200g White Choc Chips

1/2 cup (70g) Sunbeam Macadamia

1/2 cup (85g) Sunbeam Currants

Extra white chocolate to pipe cross

Recipe Collection

Golden Fruit Cake

Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. In a large bowl add Sunbeam Almond Meal, sugar the butter and egg and combine until a breadcrumb texture. Spoon into a greased 23cm (base measurement) fluted loose base tart tin. Press mixture to line the base and sides of the tin. Making sure you have made even base and sides, the palm of your hand for the base. Freeze for 15 minutes. Place the tart shell on a baking tray and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool.

Custard-stuffed Hot Cross Doughnuts

Place the water, sultanas, currants, cinnamon, vanilla bean and honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer to cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Liqueur 43 (if using). Set aside for 30 minutes to steep and cool. Discard the vanilla bean and cinnamon quill. Drain through a sieve set over a jug, reserving the steeping liquid. Set aside.

To make the custard, place custard powder in a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and mix until smooth and well combined. Stir in the remaining milk, then add the cream. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until smooth. Set aside to cool. Spoon into a piping bag and place in the fridge until required.

Place the warmed milk in a jug. Add the yeast and 3 tablespoons of reserved steeping liquid to the warm milk. Set aside in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes until foaming. Place flour, mixed spice and butter into the bowl of a large food processor (your processor needs to be at least 12 cups). Process until butter is incorporated. With the motor running, pour the milk mixture and egg. Process for 1-2 minutes or until dough has formed a ball and is smooth and elastic. If the dough is a bit to sticky, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it is the right consistency. Add drained sultanas and pulse to combine. Turn onto a floured surface and bring the dough together. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl. cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour or until mixture has doubled in size.

Line two trays with baking paper. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes, knocking the air out. Cut the dough into 16 even portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place on the lined tray and flatten slightly, allowing a little room between each to expand. Cover with a tea towel and set aside for 30 minutes to prove.

Place 4 doughnuts in the wire basket of an air fryer and brush with melted butter. Air fry at 180°C for 8 minutes or until crisp and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts. (Alternatively, heat a saucepan of vegetable oil to 160°C and deep-fry doughnuts, turning halfway through, for 2-3 minutes or until golden and cooked through).

Cut a small slit into the base of each doughnut. Pipe custard into the slit on the base of each doughnut. Return to the rack, cut side down.Step 7

Brush the doughnuts with the remaining reserved steeping liquid and set aside for 5 minutes to set.

Place the melted white chocolate melts into a piping bag. Snip the corner and pipe a cross over each doughnut. Set aside for 5 minutes to set.

Lemon Date Slice with Cream Cheese Frosting

Line a 20 x 20cm slice tray. Place dates and 100g of the cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until a paste has formed. Add oats, coconut and lemon rind. Pulse until smooth. Remove to a bowl and fold in blueberries. Press into prepared tray and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.
For frosting, whisk together the remaining cream cheese, icing sugar, juice and lemon rind. Spread over slice and sprinkle with pepitas, refrigerate until required and cut into squares.

Nutty Barramundi with Coconut Greens

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Place macadamia nuts, almonds, ginger and rind in a food processor; pulse until mixture forms a chunky paste.
Place fillets on an oven tray; season with salt and pepper.
Press nut mixture evenly on each fillet.
Bake fish for 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Meanwhile, place sugar snap peas and beans in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain well; refresh under cold running water.
Combine all coconut ingredients in a small jar. Shake.
Serve fillets topped with micro herbs and dressing, sugar snap peas and beans.

Honey Roast Chicken with Nutty Stuffing

Preheat the oven to 220c on fan-forced.

Combine stuffing ingredients in a food processor until roughly chopped.

Remove stems from rosemary and combine with honey, olive oil in a small bowl.

Fill chicken with nutty stuffing and roast chicken for 20 mins.

Remove chicken after 20 mins and cover outside with honey glaze, season with salt.

Cook for a further 25 mins on 180c until golden

Easter Fruit Loaf

Preheat oven to 180°C

Dough:

Sift self raising flour, bi-carb soda, mixed spice and castor sugar into a large bowl. Pour in buttermilk and mix with a butter knife to combine. Tip onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Roll out to a 40cm x 30cm rectangle.
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Thinly spread creamed butter mix over dough and sprinkle evenly with almond meal. Combine all the fruit in a small bowl and spread on top of the almond meal.
Roll into a loaf, place on a greased paper lined oven tray and set aside for 15 minutes to allow dough to rise.
Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. When cool, ice and sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds.

Icing:

Combine sifted icing sugar with boiling water.

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