When in doubt bake Cookies

My blogging has been neglected a lot lately, we have been so busy this past month.  With Joan visiting and soccer training starting, lots of ups and downs in between and I haven't been able to keep up with all of the photo's I've taken or writing about our life in general.  I have had a sick child, a child with a worry, a sister who is far away and in need of our love, I've been to high tea at the QVB (absolutely scrumptious) I've been to a 50th Birthday where we played bongo drums and ate fantastic food, I've been teaching sharing time in Primary at church and helping with the Primary Activity.  Some of the absolute fun stuff I never even had the camera with me, some of the worrying stuff I wouldn't want to share for privacy's sake.  

So to take the easy way out I've decided to share another of my favourite recipes.  This one comes from a cook book that Donald and I got as a wedding present.  It has been one of the most useful recipe books I own.  Thanks to Kim, Donald's cousin we are the proud owners of one "Mrs Fields Cookie Book" and we just loooove it.

So the recipe I'm going to share today is based on Mrs Fields Suprise-Filled Cookies, but I've added a little custard powder to make them taste smoother.  Bascially they're jam drop cookies.

Jam Drop Cookies

2 1/4 cups plain flour

1/4 cup custard powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup salted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

your favourite jam for the filling

Preheat oven to 150° C/300° F

In a medium bowl combine flour, custard powder and baking powder.  Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a medium bowl cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed until combined.  The dough will be firm.

Scoop teaspoonfuls of dough, roll into balls about 2 cm diameter and place on ungreased baking sheets or baking paper about 2 1/2 cm's apart, they will spread as they cook.  Use your thumb to depress the middle of the cookie ball and make a little well, but not too hard that you make a hole in the bottom.  Using a teaspoon drop a little of your jam to fill the well, not too much as it will spill over while it cooks.

Bake for 22-24 minutes until very lightly golden yellow.  Remember the jam will be stinking hot when they come out so wait till they cool a little before munching into them.

I tried to make my jam drops egg shaped for the school easter picnic tomorrow, but I forgot how much they expand when they cooked, They are more like well rounded squares but they were still yummy.