Make with mother (or father) chocolate-chip cookies; simply retro fairy cakes; individual fruit jellies
MAKE-WITH-MOTHER (OR FATHER) CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES
Makes between 10 and 12 cookies
70g butter
70g soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g plain flour
½ tsp bread soda
50g chopped hazelnuts
100g chocolate (milk chocolate for kids, 70 per cent cocoa
solids for grown-ups)
1 large egg, beaten
Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Beat the butter and sugar together with the vanilla extract. You can use a food processor for this if you like. Add the flour and bread soda, then stir in the beaten egg. Chop the chocolate into smallish pieces and stir it into the cookie dough with the hazelnuts.
Butter some baking trays or line them with parchment paper. Spoon up to a dozen teaspoon-sized pieces of dough on to the baking trays, keeping them well spaced out so they don't melt together while cooking. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are golden on top. Cool on a wire tray and store in an airtight box.
SIMPLY RETRO FAIRY CAKES
These are just like mammy made, and as easy as falling off a spacehopper
175g self-raising flour
100g caster sugar
125g butter
2 eggs
2 tbsp orange juice
Paper cases (miniature or normal size)
Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Put all the ingredients into a mixer and blitz for a minute or two, until well mixed. Alternatively, you can beat the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon in a bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients. Spoon a good amount into each paper case. (If you can find them, try miniature sweet paper cases for really dinky ones that party girls will love for dolly high tea.) Bake for about 15 minutes, until the tops are golden.
If you don't feel like making a butter cream icing, you can cheat by topping the buns with chocolate spread or instant icing made with icing sugar and water.
INDIVIDUAL FRUITY JELLIES
Makes about 12 pots
2 packs of fruit jelly (lime and strawberry)
2 kiwi fruits
2 handfuls of raspberries
12 empty yogurt pots or small mounds
Chop the kiwis into small pieces and divide them evenly between half of the yogurt pots. Pop the raspberries into the other half. Make up the jellies in separate bowls according to the instructions (usually you use 450ml of water for each packet). When they have cooled, but before they harden, pour the jellies over the fruit. You can mix up the colours or keep red with red and green with green. Chill in the fridge until set.