Chocolate Fruit & Oat Cookies

This recipe is as a result of a recent Miele Cooking Class after purchasing new ovens for home

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15
Freezing: Haven’t tried
Makes: Approx 20


Ingredients
125 g unsalted butter
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup golden syrup
1/3 cup sultanas
1/3* cup sliced dried apricots
1/3 cup slivered almonds
¾ cup self raising flour
1 cup rolled oats

Method
1. In a small saucepan combine butter, sugar & golden syrup. Stir over medium heat to dissolve sugar. Set aside to cool
2. Pre-heat oven to 180° C (conventional) or if using Fan Plus, then 160°.
3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
4. Pour the butter mixture over dry ingredients, stir to combine.
5. Spoon mixture onto trays, leaving room for cookies to spread.
6. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

Cool on trays.

Note:  After my first attempt wherein the cookies were a little dry, and after noticing that the teacher had arrived at class with a pre-prepared dough, I let the mixture rest for an hour before cooking them to give the rolled oats time to absorb the moisture from the liquid with which it was mixed.  This is NOT a necessary step.
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* The Miele recipe from which this comes uses chopped dates.

Bread & Butter Pudding with Prunes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes, plus soaking
Cooking Time: 1-1/4 hours
Freezing: Not recommended but has been done
Serves: 6-8 depending on serving size

Ingredients
25 g (1 oz) butter
6 slices sourdough rye fruit bread (or similar) – about 150g (5 oz)
3 eggs
25 g (1 oz) caster sugar
150 ml (5 fl oz) single cream
450 ml (15 fl oz) skimmed milk (approx – enough to cover bread)
30 ml (2 tbsp) brandy
125 g (4 oz) pitted, no-soak prunes, finely chopped
25 ml (½ tsp) ground cinnamon
25 g (1 oz) demerara sugar – approx.

Method
1. Lightly butter a 7.5 cm (3 inch) deep 1.1 litre (2 pint) ovenproof dish.
2. Spread one side of the bread with butter
3. Line bottom of dish with bread, then scatter ½ the prunes on the bread.
4. Put a second layer of bread on top of these prunes and then scatter the balance of the prunes on top. Finish with a final layer of bread, cutting bread to fit corners of dish.
5. Whisk together eggs, sugar, cream, milk and brandy.
6. Pour egg mixture over.
7. Leave to soak for about 40 minutes, lightly pressing bread into the egg mixture. (Weigh down if necessary by placing a small plate with weight on top of the bread mixture)
8. Place the dish in a roasting tin with enough warm water to come up about 2.5 cm (1 inch) up the side of the dish.
9. Cook at 170°C (325°F) for about 1-1¼ hours or until the pudding is lightly set.

Serve with a good vanilla bean ice-cream.