Baking today is Narelle from Cook Clean Craft. Before blogging, Narelle was an Engineer just like I was! It sure feels like a lifetime ago for me. Last year I participated in Boy’s Own Style Month on Narelle’s blog. Now she’s returning the favour and testing out the Australian Women’s Weekly: Cakes Biscuits and Slices. Take it away Narelle!

I love to bake – maybe it’s in my genes since my maiden name is Baker. Unfortunately, trying to hold the post-baby weight under control means I don’t indulge in making sweet treats as often as I’d like. When I do, I often turn to my Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks. They are always reliable, with the same recipes my Mum used when growing up.

When I first moved out of home, I made frangipane jam drops, but my size control was a little out of whack. My biscuits were huge and I didn’t cook them anywhere near long enough. Not a good result (but I still ate them!).

For this challenge, it was time to give them another go. I showed much more restraint in creating my dough balls and they turned out much better (funny about that!).

Jam drops are an elegant cookie to serve with afternoon tea – very lady-like, don’t you think? I can’t eat too many at once since the jam is a little sickly sweet – not a bad thing. Here’s the recipe from Australian Women’s Weekly Cakes, Biscuits and Slices

Frangipane Jam Drops

125g butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup almond meal
1 egg
2/3 cup plain (all purpose) flour
2 tablespoons jam (we used strawberry)

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)

Beat together butter, sugar, vanilla extract and almond meal until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until just combined. Then, stir in the plain flour.

Place level tablespoons (or heaped teaspoons) of mixture onto a greased oven tray, leaving 5cm (2”) space between them. Make a small hole in the top of each biscuit and fill with approximately 1/4 teaspoon of jam.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until golden. Cool on their trays.

Great minds think alike, and Abby and I are having similar cookbook challenges this year. My goal is to cook three things from all my cookbooks by the end of the year. Read all about the challenge here.

Thanks Narelle! We’re all big sweet tooths in this family so I don’t think they’d last 5 minutes. I also love anything almond flavoured, so I’m sold! Thanks for participating in Cooking the Books.