Small Households' Sweet & Sour Chicken Salad: easy,some prep-ahead, healthy, wallet-friendly, dairy-free option

Finding an exciting tasty not-too-difficult recipe for leftover chicken without buying lots more ingredients can be tricky.

But here's one that's got everything you could want...and more

This recipe, inspired by Waitrose Food magazine, is rather glorious: layered with fabulous flavours, attractive, part make-ahead and easily assembled.  It won't make a big dent in your weekly food budget.

67goingon50 has focused on small households - singletons, couples, pensioners - but the ingredients are easily doubled for 4 people.

Ingred:

50ml red wine vinegar

min1/3-max 1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp orange zest

1 bay leaf

equivalent shredded meat of at least 2 cooked chicken thighs 
25gms/4/5oz pine nuts (or seeds: sunflower, pumpkin or both)
60gm/2.1oz fresh or reconstituted cranberries or other dried fruit (medjool dates, raisons, apricots)

4-6 sunblush tomatoes, from supermarket or make-your-own (see  below)

10 gm fresh basil, torn OR 1/3 tsp dried basil

45gm/1.5oz rocket or slightly bitter leaves, rinsed 2-3 times, drained, dried 

2 tbsp virgin olive oil

zest and juice of 1/2 clementine

membrane-free segments of half a clementine  

2 tbsp dairy or plant Parmesan

salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Chinese New Year 2025: Jan 29: celebrate with easy make-at-home Chinese dishes: lower fat/ salt, wallet-friendly

Don't forget WELCOME TO THE BLOG (nav bar, above)

for the latest food news and bargains.

Courtesy of iStock licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

The qualities of the Year of the Snake (starting January 29) are Challenge and Opportunity for growth, we're told.  Adapatability, learning and patience are needed but unexpectedly there is a biological dimension!  Males apparently find the year exciting while females are urged to develop collaborative abilities with supportive colleagues.  

None of that applies to the Chinese food found in many Chinese homes during the two week celebration, and year-round.  Most of the recipes here are easy-peasy, wallet friendly and lower calorie.

                                 Un-fried Rice

Cleaner', 'skinnier', gorgeously plumped-up version of Fried Rice

Better for your health: all the ingredients without the fat; soft, easily digested base for Oriental dishes 

           

HOT CHOW MEIN NOODLES

Think Chow Mein is boring?  Think again. This recipe is absolutely moreishly delicious.  It's also budget-friendly and easy, and especially for those not used to Cooking Chinese, includes lots of pictures!

As good as Chinese take-away but much much healthier & cheaper

  

Chinese Ramen Noodles:

Quick, frugal & healthy, a bowl of noodles, protein, veg and rich broth is hard to beat...Triple Duty; suits carnivores and vegetarians/vegans 

With rising food prices, this delicious and satisfying budget bowl doesn't sacrifice flavour or good health 

Chicken Thighs in Simple Sherry & Soy Sauce  

Easy Chinese comfort food for nutritionally deficient pensioners that pleases the rest of the family, too; wallet-friendly,

Almost-Instant Crispy Noodles with protein, chilli, veg & gravy 

(the chinese equivalent of Sunday lunch?)  Just Wow! Restaurant quality but cooked frugally at home.

Salmon & Chinese Cabbage with Garlic Honey Sauce

Sensationally delicious easy meal for frigid weather::

  low-fat, health giving & satisfying; from pot to table, 15 mins 

Seriously good one-pot dinner is great for singletons or families, especially in cold, damp weather 

                          Vegan Tofu with Chillis & Broccoli 
               Colourful and appetising with chicken option

If you like a little heat, you'll love this!

                        Jasmine Mint Tea 

Restorative, cleansing, sugar-free, possibly fat-busting 

Oriental tea with Mid-Eastern twist

 

These recipes have been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.  

How to.. Chinese Cabbage/Leaves :low fat & carb, vegan wallet friendly, easy, high fibre

Both  Photos from Stock

Chinese Lettuce (also known as Napa Cabbage) is a lettuce-like leaf with a hard base and core which keeps well in cold temperatures.  It's like a cross between lettuce and celery, and adds plenty of fresh healthy fibre to your winter diet. 

The leaves are pale and tightly wrapped; they have crisp, broad, white ribs lined with frilly tops and edges that reduce in size as you get closer to the centre. Both ribs and frills are succulent with a delicate, mild, sweet flavour and they are equally good stir-fried, steamed or raw in a salad.

They're highly recommended.

Chinese Leaves are about the same price as romaine lettuce but go much further.  Chinatowns are the freshest source; the price of a large Chinese Cabbage will come in at about £3 -- it keeps well but not forever.  If your household is small, 67 recommends going halvsies with another singleton or couple.  

UK supermarkets M&S, Waitrose and Sainsbury's stock Chinese Leaves but their offerings are smaller though lower priced. 

  

Prep is easy peasy.  Remove bottom 1.5 inches; separate leaves; blanche in a 9:1 solution of water and vinegar.  This step can be done up to 3 times.  Flatten the frilly bits to make sure the water gets at them.  After 20 mins, drain and rub the inner white core lightly with a damp paper towel.  Keep refrigerated wrapped in paper towels in a plastic bag until ready to use.

Separate the frilly bit from the core; shred the frilly bits and finely slice the core.  To cook, add to a hot lightly oiled pan and stir fry OR try the recently updated Salmon, Chinese Leaf, Chilli & Sweet Garlic Sauce.  

In summer, Chinese cabbage is ideal for make-ahead salads -- no sorry-looking wilted specimens here.  Prep as for cooked leaves;  add cucumber and a simple vinaigrette or a creamy yoghurt-y dressing for a tasty side, OR use as a base for something more complicated.  Nuts, seeds and fruit (fresh or reconstituted dried) provide something texturally stunning. 

Please leave a comment in the box below

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission. 

 

LEMON MINT ANGEL CAKES: VEGAN, indulgence, butter-free, fresh fruit; wallet friendly

Sensational lemon mini-cakes perfect for a (long awaited) spring...

Think they look boring?  Just take a bite and prepare to be blown away!

These gorgeous little mini-angel food cakes are inspired by the beautiful Italian-American chef Giada De Laurentis.

The ingredients for her Lemon Mint Cake are hers; the presentation and a few alterations are 67goingon50's.

67 needed small hand-held treats for political volunteers canvassing in hilly Hampstead.  

But the Blogger was wary of turning a delicate cake into cupcakes.  There was no need to worry.  The results were great:  the interioir was as tender and fluffy as could be expected (in fact, to die for!) with a top unexpectedly deliciously crackly.  

Think they look a bit boring?  Take a bite.

The lemon mint flavours are strong and punchy; 67's glaze - applied with a brush as soon as the cakes come out of the oven - penetrates the interior exquisitely.

The recipe is easy to follow but has a few steps.  A bright tweenager could make them, or act as sous chef. 

Trust 67; the recipe is more than worth it.

And they are not going to cost the earth, in money or fuel.

Cost: £2.75 (5/23)

Makes: 24 mini-cakes; 12 normal cupcakes

Ingreds:

Three eggs whites (yolks will be used later) 
1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

(further) 1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

3 egg yolks

Eight medium mint leaves, veins removed & finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

One cup sifted all-purpose flour 

Glaze:

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2-3/4 cup icing sugar

Equipment:

2x12 hole mini muffin/cupcake moulds or tins, holes 3/4 inch/2cm deep (67 used silicone moulds)

small cupcake liners

Method:

BRAISED BEEF & POTATO STEW, UKRAINIAN STYLE: wallet-friendly, low fat, high fibre, easily digested

A Ukranian stew stuffed with cheaper flavourful cuts of beef and potatoes is classic comfort food wherever you are...  

Thick & unctous Ukranian Beef & Potato Stew, with root & frozen veg

It seems that the classic Ukranian Beef & Potato stew - wallet-friendly comfort food par excellence - has as many variations as American meatloaves and English fruit crumbles.

Some recipes call for small pieces of beef, while others recommend 1inch cubes or slim fingers of beef.  Paprika and cream are added in some; tomatoes and/or root or frozen veg in others.  Potatoes are added at the beginning of the cooking process or near the final stages. 

Ukranian Beef Stew can be cooked on the stove or in a slow cooker.   

67goingon50 combined several recipes and took the all-in-one slow-cooker route (while still struggling with the tail-end of flu).  See Tips for untested stovetop method below.

Don't be put off by the cost of beef; it's on special this week and the recipe makes a great deal of stew with plenty of leftovers to freeze for other meals. 

Stewing beef (£5.75 per 500g/17.6 oz at M&S; lower prices elsewhere) is ideal but bone-in beef, chicken or pork can also be used.

Reader, the result is fantastic.  Richly flavoured, the meat was fork tender, the root vegetables soft and easily digested; the potatoes soaked with gravy yet holding their shape.  The addition of frozen peas and fresh corn niblets add texture and colour.

The stew suits all ages and fits any budget.  Beef (or other chosen protein), potato, onion & carrot are the basics but using up the remnants of your veg drawer adds interest and layers of flavour.  

Cost: £5-7

Feeds: a crowd

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil
500g/17.6oz stewing beef, gristle removed, in 3cm/ 3/4inch cubes

1 med-to-large onion, diced
2 med carrots, quartered vertically & sliced
1 medium parsnipo (opt) in the same size slices as carrots
1 stick celery, sliced (opt)
1/2 large bell pepper in cubes (opt)

3 cups warm water
2 beef stock cubes or 3 tsp stock granules
60gm/2 generous oz  tomato paste

1 tin tomatoes, juice included
1 tbsp smoked paprika (opt)
5-6 shots Worcestershire sauce (opt)

2-3 tsp salt, to taste (67 used 2 tsp)
1 tsp pepper
3 bay leaves

2-3 large potatoes, in large cubes

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cut corn niblets (opt)

Method:

SMALL HOUSEHOLDS' TIME-SAVER BOLOGNAISE SAUCE, using pre-cooked freezer sauce & mince

Simple Bolognaise for singletons/twosomes, prepped ahead...

Quick & easy bolognaise with the help of freezer friends.
'So nice after a hard day at the coal face and so easy to prepare!'

This recipe is perfect for weeknight pasta dish when the body is screaming for protein and a vegetarian sauce and cheese just won't cut it

67 has already posted a recipe for making and freezing an easy rich, savoury Italian Marina Sauce.  

But pre-cooking mince or meatballs and freezing them is also a 'thing' in chefs' kitchens.  

TV chef Tom Kerridge swears by his method of pre-roasting mince until it is golden & crisp, then adding it to sauces (fresh & defrosted) when needed. 

67 tested it on a 500g/17oz package of 20%-fat beef mince from Waitrose. The   edges of Kerridge's mince were too crisp for 67's liking and appeared to defeat the purpose of being quickly incorporated into a sauce.  

Two other 67goingon50 methods were more successful: 

PENSIONERS DELIGHT: SIMPLE MUSTARD MAPLE ROAST CHICKEN for a Fiver, low-fat; incl pricing for other courses

Don't forget to have a look at Welcome to the Blog

for tips on turning economy food into tasty satisfying dishes

Turn a supermarket chicken into something special...

Chicken with Mustard & Maple Sauce (half a chicken for 2): 
'a lot easier & quicker than the original recipe; the chicken was juicy and very flavourful' Tester

Despite the Government's welcome help, feeding the household is still a big worry and many have had to bite the bullet and lower standards a little, cooking standard chicken instead of free-range.

But they're discovering that treated properly, supermarket meats can be nearly as good as free-range.  

And supermarket meat prices/bargains are very good.

At M&S, a small chicken big enough for 4 is selling for £3.50 (as of 27/5/22).  A extra-small bird big enough for 2 adults & 2 children was only £2.70 at Sainsburys. (Their chicken has always been a surprise - in a good way -  for flavour and texture - when tested by 67 in the past.) 

(See this week's post  NAVIGATING THE FOOD JUNGLE IN A COST OF LIVING CRISIS...)

This simple recipe for Chicken with Mustard and Maple Syrup turns supermarket chooks into star.   

The recipe is a simplified version of the original recipe which poached the chicken before roasting.  This version instead places a tin of water in the bottom of the oven/air fryer to ensure it stays moist and firm.

Cost: £4 or under (around £5-6 with carb, salad & dessert)

Feeds: 4 or makes 2 meals for 2

Ingreds:

One small chicken

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons maple syrup OR honey

small clove garlic, grated (opt)

Garnish: couple of spring onions 

Method:

SINGLETON CHEAT'S PRAWN SALAD: wallet-friendly, carb-free, low-fat, easy and wallet-friendly

Prawns may seem to be an indulgence out off the reach of ordinary budgets but this recipe makes them go further...

Wallet-friendly prawn & vegetable salad with the help of supermarket friends
'Really lovely and it's great to know there are prawns left for another meal.'

As well as being wallet-friendly, the salad is healthy: high protein, high fibre, carb-free and low fat/cholesterol.  And delicious, too, of course!

It's another of those super-meals put together quickly and easily with the help of supermarket friends.  Both prawns and (optional) artichoke hearts are often included in M&S's excellent 3-for-2 offers.   

If you're having an office day, the ingredients pack inside a mason jar or plastic container with a well-fitting lid.   

Cost: £3'ish, depending on salad ingredients/leftovers at home (2022)

Feeds: 1

Ingreds:

2 mugs salad leaves: romaine, baby gems, iceberg, lamb's lettuce

herbs (opt): parsley, cress

generous handful of artichoke hearts, fronds removed (opt)

2/3 mug cucumber in thumb size pieces

2-3 tomatoes, in bite-size chunks

handful of leftover veg: cauliflower and/or broccoli florets or green beans or mange tout or asparagus OR freshly cooked and cooled veg in thumb-size pieces

one half a 140gm/5 oz container prawns in paprika or sriracha sauce, including sauce

4 tbsp thick 0-fat yoghurt OR a 50-50 mix of yoghurt & mayo

          pepper & salt

       squeeze of lemon juice (opt)

Method:

WALLET-FRIENDLY EXOTIC ASIAN BEEF: easy meal in minutes after some prep ahead, alcohol

Don't forget to have a look at

Welcome to the Blog, with more tips and recipes

Taste the plains of Mongolia and the 'Stans in this rich, exotic cross between a stir-fry and a casserole...

Great for dinner with friends: rich, aromatic and exotic,
slices of ultra-tender beef in a thick unctuous gravy

We're all worried about the cost of food and it's a delight to discover a supermarket bargain that doesn't involve chicken.

Approaching Easter holiday, at least 2 supermarkets were focusing on beef in addition to classic lamb and other traditional proteins.  And it was beef in steak form rather than cuts for casseroles.

In search of an advertised special on rump steaks in Sainsbury's, 67 stumbled on a very good looking slab of skirt steak.  Cleaned of fat & gristle, lean and plump, it was only £4 for 450gm/15.8oz.    

Skirt steak is one of the tougher cuts of steak;  it comes from the belly of a cow and is flat and long in shape.  It requires careful cooking but has fabulous flavour.

Normally, long slow cooking is the key to tenderising skirt steak.  But 67's recipe involves marinading the meat for a few hours; once cooking starts, it's ready for the table in just 20 minutes.   

Served with wholemeal noodles (as in the photo), rice or potatoes plus a few colourful quick cooking veg, it becomes a mouthwatering colourful feast.  

Note: the dish is strongly flavoured and is probably not for kids; maybe they could just be given the meat without the gravy?

Cost: £6.50

Feeds: 4-5

Ingred:
   1 x 500-750 gm/18-26 oz skirt or hanger steak

Marinade: 

   2 inch/4cm piece of ginger, finely grated or 1.5 tsp powdered ginger

   2 garlic cloves, peeled & grated
   4 tbsp 25-30% salt-reduced soy sauce
   1 tbsp 5-spice powder
   150 ml rice wine/dry sherry/white wine or grape juice OR
   100 ml good meat stock plus 50 ml rice wine/dry sherry/white wine/white grape juice ((67 used stock & sherry) 
   1 small red chilli, de-seeded, or 1/3 tsp chilli flakes or dash of **Chiu Chow Chilli oil
   1/2 tsp cinnamon
   1 star anise (opt)

   2 dried Chinese mushrooms reconstituted in water (opt)

1 tbsp corn or rice flour

1 tbsp cold water

1 noodle nest or equiv per person

easy cook vegetables: tenderstem broccoli, carrot matchsticks, thinly sliced red pepper, water chestnuts (opt)

Garnish: thinly sliced spring onions, green & white

             sesame seeds

             served on the side Chiu Chow Chilli Oil 

Method:

ORANGE LOAF: fat-free, wallet-friendly

Deliciously scented, subtly flavoured cake for Breakfast or Afternoon Tea...

Rustic but light; gorgeous texture despite lack of fat

This lovely loaf cake, adapted from Sky McAlpine, is a cross between one of those fine crumbed, light-as-air tender cakes and one of those unsophisticated rustic jobs which might bounce off the wall if you threw it.  

It's easy to make, high in good fibre and more importantly when sunflower oil is disappearing fast from supermarket shelves, FAT-FREE!

The texture is just right: with enough heft to make it a substantial mouthful and enough air-iness to make it slightly dreamy. 

And the flavour!  The orange is just sublime.  Enhanced by essence of orange along with the fresh fruit, tasters stop and marvel after the first bite.  

It's the kind of thing that guys like and women enjoy because it's so different from the usual.  It's sturdy enough to pack in a tin to slice at will during a long journey OR serve on arrival as the first holiday treat.

But wherever and whenever it's eaten, 67 promises the cake will be unforgettable.  In the best way.  

Cost: £1.50

Makes: 1 good-sized loaf

Ingreds:

3 eggs

120g/4.2 oz sugar

zest & juice of 1 orange

1 tsp orange essence (near the vanilla)

100g/3.6oz self-raising flour (80g white; 20g brown*)

  90g/3.2oz ground almonds

  10g/1/3oz shredded unsweetened coconut 

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardamum (or ginger)

generous pinch of salt

Decorate with:

generous dusting of icing sugar OR

orange flavoured buttercream with or without finely chopped orange bits

 

Method:

PASTA WITH CREAMY TOMATO BRANDY SAUCE & VEGGIE FRANKFURTERS: Vegetarian with vegan option

Don't forget to have a look at  Welcome to the Blog, 

with advice, info & photos, on the Nav Bar above.

A delicious end-of-the week pasta dish with complex flavours and plenty of healthy  elements... 

Pasta with Brandy Cream Tomato Sauce, Vegetarian Frankfurters, peas, peppers and parmesan

This recipe is a delight for small households at the end of the week, the fridges of which often contain foods too good to throw away but not in large enough quantities to make a main course.

It is also a great choice for vegetarians or vegans.   

If you're in the habit of cooking up a big batch of tomato sauce, bagging it up and freezing them, well done.  (Freezer bags of Italian Tomato Sauce are 67's favourite lifesaver.). Prep will be very simple.  If you don't have homemade sauce in your freezer a jar of ready-made will do but will obviously increase costs.

Cost: £2.50

Feeds: 2-3

Ingreds:

1.5 cups tomato sauce

1/8 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp cayenne

3-4 tbsp brandy

1/4 cup dairy or plant double cream

2-3 portions pasta of choice

 

3 vegetarian frankfurters

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 sweet red pepper, thinly sliced and sautéed in oil till al dente (opt)

Garnish (opt): shaved parmesan 

Method:

FILIPINO ADOBO PORK WITH PINEAPPLE: lower-fat, wallet-friendly, make-ahead; fresh fruit, some prep-ahead, slow cooker

Impressive South East Asian flavours score highly on western taste-o-meters...

5-star Pork & Pineapple in Filipino Adobo Sauce 

If you've grown up on Chinese food, you're not likely to be fazed by unfamiliar Oriental ingredients.  But 67 has to admit some hesitation when it came to the Phillipino dish - adobo.  

Adobo is considered the Philippines' unofficial national dish.  It's indigenous to the Philippines, developing earlier than the spicier Spanish/Latin American adobo.  Philippine adobo tends to be tangy, with sweet overtones.  

The main component of adobo is vinegar, used to preserve meat in the hot climate.  Gradually, garlic, soy sauce, peppercorns and bay leaves were added for flavour and transformed into a braising liquid/sauce for meat, fish or vegetables.  Unlike Spanish adobe, it does not contain tomatoes or paprika.

It was the amount of vinegar in the recipe* that made 67 hang back.  But a Filipino colleague who spoke often and longingly of his mother's Adobe stews encouraged 67 onward.  Plus the recipe being considered*    included one of 67's favourite fruits - pineapple. 

Reader,  the stew was astonishingly delicious - not too acidic, not too salty, with a gentle undertone of sweetness.  It was a  glorious amalgam of subtly unfamiliar flavours.  So different from western and Chinese cuisines to reward oneself for being a little with adventurous.  In a good - and very satisfactory - way.

67 chose pork as the main ingredient to help bump up deficient Vitamin D levels and improve immunity.   

Pork is also quite wallet-friendly.  A kilo of casserole pork or pork shoulder costs about £5 in Morrisons and even less at Sainsbury's.  Casserole Pork and pork shoulder are higher in fat than leaner cuts like tenderloin or chops but the cooking method means any fat is easily removed.  

Chicken will work just as well and will only need 45-50 mins of cooking on top of the stove. (see tips below) 

As for fresh pineapple, many supermarkets have plentiful supplies at a just s£1 each; fresh produces best results.  But if you really really must, tinned pineapple in juice - not syrup - will do. 

67 recommends this recipe though maybe not so much for small children.  Golden oldies, however, can enjoy its savouriness knowing they are not overdoing salt.   

Start cooking the day before needed.

Cost: min £6

Serves: 6

Ingreds:

One large ripe pineapple

2 tbsp +2 teaspoons veg oil

1 kg boneless pork shoulder (fat removed) or casserole pork in 1.5 inch cubes

One half white onion, thinly sliced

Six garlic clothes thinly sliced 

2/3 cup vinegar (plain, white wine or cider)

1/3 cup reduced-salt soy sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon peppercorns +

Five bay leaves (tied in a muslim bag or clean j cloth)

          Salt and pepper 

steamed white rice

Garnish: chopped spring onions

Method:

BOTTOM-OF-THE-BARREL SHORTBREAD: easy, wallet-friendly singleton's indulgence, dairy-free option, egg-free

Scottish Shortbread: a blissful wallet-friendly treat prepped in minutes

Really, really easy but absolutely delightful Crunchy Shortbread cookies
'Very crispy and easy to eat. Loved them.' 'A godsend!' Tasters

These lovely biscuits are not just the 'will-do' type of biscuit made when the budget is tight or the cupboard is bare. It comes in standard 'roll-em-into-a-ball-and-squash-thembiscuits or roll the dough and cut outs shapes.   

They are actually rather scrumptious treats, a backbone of Scottish baking.  But it does just so happen that this first-class shortbread needs only four ingredients: butter, sugar, flour and flavouring. And you can leave out the flavouring!  When shopping is a problem, you could do a lot worse. 

The Bottom-of-the-Barrel version uses conventional sugar, not icing sugar, producing a more crunchy, hardier biscuit which can be dunked without losing crumble-ability.  

They are not remotely healthy but 67 added brown flour and sugar for extra fibre. 

Like all shortbreads, it's really easy to make; an older child can handle it without problems.   There's also a mocha version below.  

The amount is for a small household but multiples easily.

Cost: £1.35 (6/23)

Makes: 8'ish biscuits

Ingredients:

  100gm/3.5oz soft salted dairy or plant butter

             25gm/oz white sugar

         12gm/scant 1/2oz brown sugar OR 40 gms/1.4oz white sugar

         1/2 tsp vanilla

     

         110gm/3.8oz plain white flour +

         25gm/4/5 oz wholemeal 

               OR 140gm/5oz white

         generous handful chocolate chips (opt)

     

Method:

1. Whip butter until structure breaks down (a few seconds);  beat in sugar until pale & fluffy - a few minutes; blend in vanilla
2. Add flour; mix until soft dough forms; stir in chocolate chips if using, distribute evenly.  
3. Form into a ball, wrap in cling; refrigerate 1 hour
4. Preheat oven to 180c/350f
5. The biscuits can be any size really but 67 formed 8 equal sized ping pong balls of dough, placed them with plenty of space in between on a tray lined with greaseproof paper and flattened them with the base of a glass lightly dipped in flour
6. They were baked 10-12 mins, removed from oven and the oven turned off.  After resting 10 mins, the cookies were returned to the cold oven 15 mins
7. For cut-out biscuits, see below
8. Serve plain, or drizzled with or partially dipped in melted white, milk or dark chocolate, or drizzle with flowing butter-cream icing (start with 1/3 cup icing sugar mixed with 1/3 tsp milk or cream)
9. Store cookies in an airtight container

Cut-out biscuits: 

Roll out dough between two lightly floured pieces of greaseproof paper to the width of a one-pound coin.  Cut out biscuits with a floured cookie cutter, saving scraps.  Lift the cookies onto the cooking tray with a lightly floured fish slice. Bake 8-10 mins or until brown at the edges.  Repeat with scraps. There is no need to return the cookies to a cold oven.

• 
  

*adapted from Rock Recipes 

Comments:

• 'I had the thin ones and loved them. They were very crispy & easy to eat and digest.' 67's general handy-man 
• 'The plate of biscuits with fresh raspberries were heavenly; I could have eaten them all day!' Young carer for retired Priest.
• 'Lovely soft crunchy texture, whether solid or thin.  The recipe's a god-send when bakery cupboards are bare. '  Blogger

Tips:

• Mocha variation: replace 20gm/3/4 oz white flour with 20gm/3/4oz cocoa powder; replace 1/2tsp vanilla with 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules mixed with 1/2tsp hot water.  Roll out the biscuits.
• dairy butter gives best flavour but margarine or vegan butter will do
• wholemeal flour and brown sugar can be replaced with white
• if using chocolate chips, divide dough in half and add only to one half   
• wholemeal flour is more dense and absorbs /3/4 more liquid than white flour 

Please leave a comment in the box below



This recipe has been adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be used commercially without the author's written permission.