Cookimisu

This recipe is from Emelia Jackson's book Some of my best friends are Cookies.  Emelia was first on Masterchef in 2014, and ended up winning Masterchef Australia in 2020.  She has made a success in the culinary world over the years since then, including writing two fabulous baking books (I have both of them).  

Emelia says these biscuits "rival the best tiramisu".  They are delicious, I know that for sure.  I made them for one of the cookbook clubs I am in - can't remember which one!  On a side note, I have just found out that tartaric acid and cream of tartar are not the same thing!  So I guess I've been using tartaric acid all along instead of ...  Oh well, we haven't died yet!  And I couldn't tell the difference in the taste or texture of my bakes.    

sooooo delicious!

Makes 12:

ingredients:

1 Tbs instant coffee powder   see Notes

1 Tbs warm water

120g./4.25 oz butter, softened (not melted)  see Notes

200g./7 oz brown sugar

2 large eggs 

1 tsp vanilla paste or extract

210g./7.5 oz plain flour

1/2 tsp bi-carb (baking) soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp sea salt flakes (or regular salt)

Coffee Sugar:

100g./3.5 oz caster sugar

1 heaped Tablespoon of instant coffee powder

Mascarpone Swirl:

300g./10.5 oz mascarpone

140g./5 oz icing sugar

2 tsp vanilla paste or extract

cocoa powder, for dusting over the tops

c. Sherry M.

coffee!

c. Sherry M.

Method:

Turn on your oven to heat at 180C/350F

Grab a couple of baking trays, and line 'em with baking paper

Mix the coffee powder into the warm water, till dissolved

Into a medium or large mixing bowl, place the butter, brown sugar and eggs, and mix with your electric hand beaters (or your stand mixer) till you have a lighter colour - don't go too wild!

In go the coffee mixture and the vanilla, and give it a good mix

Add the flour, bi-carb, cream of tartar and salt - and mix 'em in!

Now you make the coffee sugar - grab a small bowl, and mix the coffee powder and sugar together  (duh, so simple)

And then you roll or scoop the dough into balls - I made them into 50g./1.8 oz balls, though Emelia makes hers into 30g./1 oz balls, so make 'em as big or as small as you fancy   see Notes

Have fun rolling them in the coffee sugar!

On to the baking trays they go, leaving lots of space for spreading

Bake for 10-12 minutes (she says) though mine took 14!

And now they sit on the trays, quietly sighing and settling down into a cold state of trance (whoops, getting a bit lyrical there)

But what about the mascarpone swirl?  Yep, grab a small bowl, throw in the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla and stir till smooth

Of course, Emelia wants to be fancy here, so she says to pipe on the creamy topping, but being a non-piper kind of gal, I just swirled it on top of the biscuits with a spoon!  And then dusted them with cocoa (I think I might have added some drinking chocolate powder as well!)

Eat them on the day you make them - not that that will be a problem

vanilla      

Notes:

I bought Italian freeze-dried 100% Arabica instant coffee powder

Emelia says to use unsalted butter, but that's the Devil's work, my friends

She says to "roll the dough", but mine was way too soft, so I used spoons and fingers

ingredients gathered

beating butter, brown sugar and eggs

and adding the coffee and vanilla

add the flour, bi-carb, cream of tartar and salt

stir the coffee and sugar together

ready for baking after rolling in the coffee sugar!

looking delicious!

mascarpone?  Oh yes please!

sprinkled with cocoa powder

Crispy Potato Gem and Cucumber Salad

Crikey!  I first made a version of this recipe in December last year!  And now I've made this recipe, which we both preferred.  Potato Gems are not a product we normally have in our freezer, but I bought them just for this.  (And I do like 'em, now and then.)  

This recipe comes from Mingle, the Aussie company which sells "No Nasties" seasonings, condiments and spices.  (Nope, not an ad; in fact I'm not a huge fan of their products.)  So I made their recipe, but used my fave seasonings.  I added a hot-smoked salmon and chickpea salad to add protein, and make it into a more substantial dinner.

They were a wee bit sparing in the details of the recipe, so I've had to make do.  I think I've done a fair job of it.  They said to bake the Gems at 180C, which took over an hour!  So I've definitely upped the baking temp. here, and made a few changes.  (Measurements devised by moi.)

crunchy, cuke-y, salty, seedy - all the good stuff!

Serves 3 as a main, or 4 as an (Aussie) entrée:

ingredients:

500g./18 oz of Potato Gems (frozen)   see Notes 

2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled (or not, as you prefer) and sliced thinly

260g./1 cup/9 oz Greek (plain) yoghurt

1/2 red onion, finely sliced:  = around 100g./3.5 oz

1 Tbs capers

1/4 cup of parsley, chopped

juice of half a lemon

1-2 spring onions/scallions, finely sliced (optional)

seasonings of your choice - I used 1 Tbs (Bush Tucker) dukkah, some sea salt and black pepper, Aleppo pepper (maybe 1 tsp), and a good sprinkling of dried onion flakes, dried garlic granules, and dried chives (1-2 tsp of each)

Sherry's Pickings recipe:

For the salmon salad:

1 tin of chickpeas - 400g./14 oz, drained

150g./5.3 oz hot-smoked salmon, flaked and skin removed

herbs and seasonings of your choice - I used salt and pepper, dried chives and fresh parsley

1 Tbs EV olive oil

1-2 Tbs Kewpie mayonnaise or Greek yoghurt (optional)

2 spring onions/scallions, finely sliced (optional)

cukes!

you guessed it!

Method:

Whack on your oven to 210C/410F to heat up

Place the Gems on a large, lined baking tray in a single layer, and bake for 20 minutes

Take the tray out of the oven, throw on the seasonings, flatten them with the base of a glass, and back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes - or till golden brown and crunchy  see Notes

While that's happening, slice the cukes finely, (and the red onion), and place them into a large salad bowl with the yoghurt, capers, parsley, lemon juice, spring onions and the seasonings

Give it a firm, but loving stir till just combined

Place the Gems over the top of the salad, throw on some more parsley if you like, and serve with the salmon salad - the ingredients of which have just been stirred gently together in a medium bowl

This can be an entrée for several people, or a main meal for 3

Notes:

The Mingle recipe doesn't give the quantity for the Potato Gems, so I just guesstimated it at 500 grams - you could use more, if you please

Oh yes, I forgot to say that they are called Tater Tots in the U.S.!

I ended up adding 1.5 Tbs of lemon juice to each of the salads

Crank up the heat to 220C/430F for 5-10 minutes at the end, if they still won't go nicely golden and crunchy

and you guessed it again :=)

ingredients gathered

toss 'em in the herbs and spices

baked and squished

cukes and yoghurt almost ready for their blanket of Potato Gems :=)

on they go

salmon salad ready for mixing

and mixed!

even Winnie-the-Pooh approves :=)

As a side note, the recipe I first made in December 2024 (from Better Homes and Gardens mag.) had no cukes, but instead added 2 garlic cloves, 2 rashers of fried bacon, 1/4 cup mayo and 1/4 cup sour cream, herbs and seasonings - we found all this way too rich!  It also had 3 gherkins and 2 Tbs of the pickling juice, plus fresh dill.  We preferred this simpler, (maybe) healthier dish from Mingle.  And my salmon salad really filled out the meal.

ingredients for the BH&G recipe

which I served with chicken kebabs

Just a little side story to our week - it was a Public Holiday on the Wednesday for the Royal Agricultural Show here in Brisbane.  Other areas have a different day for it, so we headed out a bit west to the Scenic Rim for a country drive.  We picked up a desk lamp that Mr P. had commissioned from an artist who uses recycled items to make her fabulous artworks.  This lamp is made from a (handmade) staircase banister (or is it a newel post?), a carpenter's plane (watch out for the sharp blade), and a very old spirit level - so gorgeous!  I love that the spirit level is still in working order.  

handmade desk lamp by Terina Smith Recycling Artist

Vegemite and Cheese Scones

Apparently, this recipe hit the charts quite some years ago - 2013, maybe?  It's from Julie Goodwin, the very first winner of Masterchef Australia back in 2009.  This is from her Essential Cookbook, first published in 2017, but I am assuming she must have published this recipe in a prior book or online as I have seen it in blog posts earlier than that.

This recipe is given in cup measurements (not my fave), but I have worked out the grammage (hehehe) as well.  Baking needs measurements, my friends!  I found a couple of errors in her recipe, but I managed to do just fine, anyway.  These turned out very well, and I would happily make them again.  

cheesy and full of umami Vegemite flavour

Makes 12:

ingredients:

300g./10.5 oz/2 cups self-raising flour

1/4 tsp sea salt flakes

a big pinch of cream of tartar (optional)  see Notes

2 Tbs/40g./1.4 oz butter, melted

250 mL/8 oz milk

2 Tbs/40g./1.4 oz Vegemite or Marmite   see Notes

80g./1 cup/2.5 oz tasty/vintage cheese, grated   see Notes

Method:

On goes your oven to 220C/430F to heat up, while you line a large baking tray with baking paper

Grab a large mixing bowl, and sift or whisk the flour and salt together - in the bowl, of course :=)

Melt your butter, let it cool for a minute, then stir it into the milk

Now make a well in the centre of your flour, and pour in the melted butter and milk mixture

With a butter knife, you give it all a firm mixing till nicely combined - but don't go wild

You can knead it in the bowl, just a few times to get it together, then tip out onto a floured bench/surface and press out the dough (using just my hands worked fine for me - no need for a rolling pin) till it's about 1.5 cm (about half an inch) thick

Then you spread half the Vegemite over half the dough, and then scatter half the cheese over the Vegemite

Now fold the naked half over the cheesy half of the dough, and the other halves of the Vegemite and then the cheese go over the top of the dough, so you end up with a cheesy bundle - I actually had to square the dough out a bit here, as it was quite small, and no way would I have been able to get 12 scones out of it, using a 5cm/2 inch cutter

I decided to cut my dough into 12 shapes and plonk 'em on the lined tray, just touching each other

Julie says to bake for 10-12 minutes, but mine took about 14-15 mins.  They should be golden on top, and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom

So tender and tasty, you don't even need to spread 'em with butter!

Vegemite - every Aussie kid's fave on toast :=)

cheese please!

Notes:

As my self-raising flour was a tad old, I added a pinch of cream of tartar, which makes your scones light and fluffy apparently

There doesn't seem to be an equivalent ingredient for Vegemite, and Mr. Google has no idea - sorry to my American friends!

Also, Mr P. strongly suggested to me to use a wee bit less of it in these scones, so maybe try 30 grams rather than 40g.

I used Strong and Bitey Vintage Cheese, but use your fave - I replaced some of the Vintage cheese with freshly-grated Parmesan to add some oomph!

ingredients gathered

butter and milk go into the flour

knead then pat out your dough to 1.5cm thickness

spread on half the Vegemite and half the cheese over half the dough

the final scattering of cheese

Okay I confess: I put ALL the Vegemite in the middle rather than half, but not my fault.  Julie left out the word 'half' when she tells us to spread on the good stuff over the dough, before folding

and cut into 12 shapes

ready for baking at 220C/430F for about 12-15 mins.

see that oozy, salty Vegemite?

cheesy with a tender, fluffy inside

makes a fab morning tea!

I am adding this recipe post to Tandy's post (on her Lavender and Lime blog) for International Scone Week 2025 #ISW2025.  Once a year in August, bloggers everywhere put up a scone recipe (or two) of their choice, so feel free to join in with your delicious recipe!  See her post 31 July 2025 to get the details.  Thanks Tandy for hosting! 

And I am also submitting this post for BKD Cookbook Club, hosted by Jo Tracey.  This month's theme is a cookbook first published in your own country, so I picked (Aussie) Julie Goodwin's Essential Cookbook. So thanks to you too Jo for hosting!

Chocolate Slab/Sheet Cake - a là Nigella Lawson

How handy is a slab/sheet cake when you have to feed a crowd?  Very, of course :=)  I have made two recently - one for the 125th anniversary of our Historical Society building (which used to be the Chermside State School), and one for our local indie bookshop The Quick Brown Fox for their third birthday.  

This is a Nigella Lawson recipe; I have all her cookbooks, and have made many of her recipes over and over.  Apparently, there used to be a website which detailed all the "errors" in her recipes; oddly I have found very few, if any, over the years.  Anyway, this one is a beauty and feeds a crowd; these moist, chocolatey cakes went down well with both sets of guests!

the more bling the merrier!

Serves a crowd (from 12 big 'uns to 48 wee bites):

ingredients:

125 mL/4 oz milk (full-fat or your choice)

2 tsp white wine or apple cider vinegar

250 mL/8 oz water

200g./7 oz butter, at room temp. and chopped into chunks

20g./0.7 oz cocoa powder (the good stuff 'cos that's your chocolate flavouring)

200g./7 oz caster sugar

1 tsp bi-carb soda

a pinch of sea salt 

300g./10.5 oz plain flour

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

For the icing:

50g./1.8 oz butter, at room temp. (unsalted if you fancy - I don't!)

3 Tbs milk

2 Tbs cocoa powder

150g./5.3 oz icing sugar (sifted)

1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

And lots of sprinkles to decorate!!

Method:

Whack on your oven to 180C/350F to heat up

Grease and line your shallow 33cm x 23cm (13 x 9 inch) baking dish with baking paper

Grab a large jug, pour in the milk and the vinegar, give it a good stir, and set aside while you make the cake batter

And into your heavy-based saucepan, you pour in the water, add the chopped-up butter, and the cocoa powder, and place over a medium heat - give it a stir now and then till everything is well-combined and the butter melted in - and then put aside to cool slightly

Now your sugar, bi-carb, salt and flour go into a medium-sized bowl, and you whisk/fork it to combine

The eggs and vanilla go in with the milk in its jug, and you whisk very well to get it beautifully combined - no eggy bits lurking, please

Tip the dry stuff (sugar, flour etc) into your chocolatey saucepan, and beat well!

Then add the wet stuff :=), and beat again till you have a lovely, smooth batter

Pour into your prepared baking tin, and whack it into your pre-heated oven on the middle rack

While the cake is baking, get your icing ingredients together, so you can pour it over the cake once it comes out of the oven - you want the cake to still be warm

Check your cake after 17 minutes; both times my cake was ready then, but give it the whole 20 if needed

Icing: butter, milk and cocoa into a medium saucepan over low-medium heat; stir/whisk till smooth and combined (don't boil)

Then tip in the icing sugar and vanilla, and whisk away till well-combined

Your slightly-cooled cake (which you took out once your cake skewer was poked into its chocolatey heart and came out clean) is ready for the icing, so pour it over the cake sitting happily in its baking tin

And throw on that bling!  As much as you like!

Let it all cool and settle down in the tin, then cut up into the required-size pieces

I put mine into the fridge overnight, as it helped set the icing, and let it all relax into its cakey deliciousness (and you can store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, says Nigella)

eggs and milk

vanilla paste

Notes:

Nigella says you can freeze this for up to 3 months.  But who would? :=); it's not going to last in my house or at any event

I accidentally typed coffee instead of cocoa powder into the icing mix, and I am actually thinking a teaspoon or 2 of coffee powder would probably go down really well in the icing.  I might try that next time, as we all know coffee enhances the flavour of chocolate!

Had a bit of a discussion recently about what is a wet or a dry ingredient; I think most Aussie cooks would call sugar a 'dry', but it seems that (some?) American cooks call it a 'wet' - interesting ...

Also had a discussion about using a cake skewer rather than toothpicks as (it seems) American cooks do.  As well as being efficient (and lasts forever), it is so much more environmentally-friendly than using wooden picks.  So please let me suggest you buy a cake skewer, friends!

yep, vinegar

bi-carb (baking) soda

ingredients gathered

getting the batter together

ready for the dry and the wet :=)

dry in; ready for the (extra) wet stuff

getting the icing together

baked and blinged!

And I hotfooted it down to the bookshop, so they could stash it away in their fridge for the celebrations the next day.

Theresa, co-owner (with her SIL Anna) of the bookshop, at the birthday celebrations,
(with my cake)

(This is a photo from Instagram, so the comments came along too.)  

And let's not forget this building/event (Mr P. is the President and I am the Vice President of the Society).

the Chermside & Districts Historical Society building

(Sorry for the dodgy photo; the sun was in the wrong place.  Winter sun, building facing the west ... )

I didn't make the top one :)

We had over 80 people for the Historical Society event, so the pieces of cake were very tiny :=)  Everyone had a fabulous day at this event.  Many past students of the school caught up after decades!