Assam Tea with Chocolate Brazil Nut Brownies

Location: 'Tea', Paternoster Square, St Paul's, London

www.wearetea.com
Date: Fri 11 April 2008 5pm
Details: Two pots of Assam, milk and a chocolate brownie

Notes: The brownie was particularly delicious - squishy to the point of being sludgy, with big chunks of brazil nuts. All shared with my lovely brother John during a long chat, catching up with each other's lives. A perfect afternoon tea.

Recipe: Honey Crunch Creams

Honey Crunch Creams

Based on a Greek recipe. Tastier and better for you than shop-bought cream cookies!

Makes 100 single cookies (or 25 double, 50 single)

Preparation Time 30 mins

Cooking Time 10 mins

Ingredients

500g self-raising flour

3 tsp baking powder

100g caster sugar

250g margarine / butter

250g honey

25g chopped nuts

For the filling:

50g butter

100g icing sugar

1 tbsp honey

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line 3 baking sheets with baking parchment.



2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and sugar. Add the marg/butter and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.



3. Make a well and add the honey. (If you're using set honey, heat it gently in the microwave until it's runny.) Mix until it forms a firm (but sticky) dough. Separate the dough into halves.



4. Pull off blobs the size of a large marble. Roll into a ball in your palms and place on a baking sheet, spaced well apart. Flatten down with the back of a finger. If the dough is too sticky, dust your hands with flour. Bake in batches for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool and firm up slightly on the baking sheets and then transfer to a cooling rack.



5. Spread the chopped nuts out on a small plate. Repeat step 4 with the other half of the dough but this time roll into balls and then dip into the nuts. Flatten down on the baking sheets, nut side up. Bake and cool as before.



6. To make the filling, mix the butter, icing sugar and honey and beat until fluffy. Use a knife or spoon to spread a small blob of the filling over the base of a plain cookie. Sandwich it together with the base of a nut-topped cookie.

Notes

• I use half white SR flour, half wholemeal SR flour; golden caster sugar; Stork marg instead of butter, and 'chopped mixed nuts'.
• You can use syrup instead of honey.
• You could add the finely grated rind of one orange to make these cookies more authentically 'Greek'.
• Eat the cream sandwich cookies quickly because they go soggy after a couple of days. The single plain cookies will keep well for longer so you could make them ahead and then make up the icing and sandwich together on the day you want to serve them.

Green Tea with Honey Crunch Creams

Location: Home, Stratford-upon-Avon
Date: Wed 9 April 2008
Details: Pot of green tea with homemade honey crunch cream biscuits.

Notes: For recipe, see separate post: "Honey Crunch Creams" And please no sniggering at my teacosy - my late grandmother made it and I love it.