Afternoon Tea

I was totally inspired to bake last week but didn't really get much time. I managed to make a batch of white chocolate chip cookies but not just any cookies, cookies that taste like Millies Cookies. There's something about a half baked, sweet, cookie that makes you just feel complete inside and for me, this is the cookie. They were so flipping good that I've even baked off half the dough that I froze! You have to make these....
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I found this recipe online and I'm so glad that I did!

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Chocolate Chip Recipe:
Source: Laurens Recipe Book
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125g butter, softened
100g light brown soft sugar
125g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
200g chocolate chips
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1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.
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2. Cream butter and sugars, once creamed, combine in the egg and vanilla.
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3. Sift in the flour and salt, then the chocolate chips.
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4. Roll into walnut size balls, for a more homemade look, or roll into a long, thick sausage shape and slice to make neater looking cookies.
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5. Place on ungreased baking paper. If you want to have the real Millies experience then bake for just 7 minutes, till the cookies are just setting - the cookies will be really doughy and delicious. Otherwise cook for 10 minutes until just golden round the edges.
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6. Take out of the oven and leave to harden for a minute before transferring to a wire cooling rack. These are great warm, and they also store well, if they don't all get eaten straight away!
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Mrs Hackneys Notes:
*You can either ad din one flavour of chocolate chips or you can divide the batch in half and create 2 different types.
*They freeze well. Roll the dough into a sausage and cut into rounds. Freeze them in tupperware between sheets of grease proof paper then just pop them in the oven as required - they just need about 4 extra minutes! Remember to put a piece of paper in the tupperware box with the required oven temp and how long you need to need to bake them for in total as you may have forgotten by the time you come to bake them off. Although they are so good I don't think they'll last long in the freezer...
* I used the chocolate chips that Ena sent me.
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I decided to make afternoon tea on Sunday for Sharon, Dee and Suey. I made a selection of finger sandwiches, banana bread, cookies and scones. It was great to catch up with the girlies.
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Sandwiches:
Cheese & Onion
Tuna, Cucumber and Mayo
Egg Mayo
Cream cheese & Cucumber
Cucumber – you have to have some of these! If they’re good enough for the queen…

Don't forget to cut the crusts off the sandwiches. It's the law!

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I made Nigella banana Bread Recipe. I managed to get a huge bunch of bananas for £1 – you can’t say fairer than that!
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Banana Bread
Source: Nigella Lawson
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100g sultanas
75ml bourbon or dark rum
175g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g unsalted butter, melted
150g sugar
2 large eggs
4 small, very ripe bananas (about 300g weighed without skin), mashed
60g chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin, buttered and floured or with a paper insert
Serving Size : Makes 8–10 slices
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1. Put the sultanas and rum or bourbon in a smallish saucepan and bring to the boil.
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2. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour if you can, or until the sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.
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3. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3 and get started on the rest. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine well.
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4. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit. Scrape into the loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1–11/4 hours. When it’s ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish. Leave in the tin on a rack to cool, and eat thickly or thinly sliced, as you prefer.
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Mrs Hackneys Notes:
* I used my mini cake pan tray that my mum got me last Christmas. I filled up 4 holes and then added chopped walnuts and sultanas to the remaining batter to fill another 2 holes.
* Suey was in charge of mashing these bananas! This would also be a great job for any kids to do if you have any! Not that I’m saying Suey is a kid. Well….
* Use really good ripened bananas for this.
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I used Rachel Allens recipe for the scones and they were really light and lovely. This will definitely be my go to recipe for scones from now on.
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Light Sweet Scones Recipe
Source: Rachel Allen Bake
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500g light Italian or plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 heaped tsp Bicarbonate of soda
2 heaped tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp sea salt
125g chilled unsalted butter, cubed
25g caster sugar
1 Egg, beaten
275ml buttermilk or Milk, plus extra for the egg wash
50g caster or granulated sugar, (optional)
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1. Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7.

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2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and salt into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix well.

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3. Set aside about a third of the beaten egg and combine the rest with the buttermilk, then add to the flour mixture and mix briefly to combine into a moist dough. Place on a lightly floured work surface and knead ever so slightly to bring together, then press or roll out to a thickness of 2cm.

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4. Using a 6cm round cutter, cut out approximately 12 scones and place on a floured baking tray.

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5. Add about a teaspoon or so of buttermilk to the remainder of the beaten egg to make an egg wash. Brush the scones with the egg wash (and dip the tops in sugar if you wish) and bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve while hot.
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Mrs Hackneys Notes:
*I used a heart shaped scone cutter. Try not to handle the dough too much otherwise they get overworked and are not as light.
*I used milk for the recipe, not buttermilk.
I added a splash of milk into the remaining egg so that the scones didn’t go too brown on top.

* Serve with raspberry preserve and whipped cream. Yum.
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The girls were stuffed afterwards :-)

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Enjoy :-)