I really don't have much to show for my week. The days have evaporated between driving to swimming lessons that hadn't yet resumed and leaving the packing for our trip until the very last minute for maximum angst and anxiety. Luckily, I embraced underachievement a few years back.
My affection for "that'll do" is perhaps the reason that I love Sarah from Slapdash Mama's blog so much. She's on my mediocre wavelength.
Sarah was the winner of my Vignettes for the Unfashionable competition. Her hair accessory adorned fruit bowl could honestly be on my kitchen bench. Such is our connection.
When I started to think about which biscuits to bake for her, I knew instantly that rum monkeys would be the go. If Sarah was having a day like mine, any method of ingesting intoxicating liquor before the socially accepted time of five o'clock would be a bonus. If one can do it whilst sipping a cup of tea, all the better. O
rum monkeys
Ingredients:
250g self-raising flour
1 egg
1 dessert spoon cinnamon
155g butter
155g sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tbs currants
3 tbs sultanas
3 tbs raisins
1 tbs lemon zest
2 teaspoon spiced rum
Method:
Cream butter and sugar, add egg and beat well. Sift flour with spices added. Add flour to the butter mixture and work to a dough (you may need to add additional flour if the mixture is too wet). Roll the dough out thinly, cut into two sizes of rounds, one a little smaller than the other.
For the filling: combine dried fruit, lemon zest, rum and cinnamon/spice to taste. Put a teaspoon of filling on each of the larger rounds, place a smaller round on top, press the edges together. Bake at 180C for 25 minutes. You could decorate the top of each biscuit with an almond or something similar. I had totally intended decorating mine, but only remembered the plan after my rum monkeys were already in the oven.
After a little taste test, there was nothing to do but pack them as snuggly as possible and book them a first class ticket* to Sarah's house.
'fess up. what's your slapdash secret?
what treasures are hiding in your fruit bowl?
*The monkeys probably didn't fly first class. They more likely rode in the back of the Australia Post truck.
Jay @ Moodie Foodie (@moodiefoodiejay) says
Can we put more rum in? Or maybe I just need to have a glass while I'm cooking....
Amanda, Cooker and a Looker says
The more the merrier Jay! 😉
Sarah @ Slapdash Mama says
They were delicious! Delicious i tell you! And I am a high achiever in the mediocrity stakes! Or is that an oxymoron?
The Tunnel says
I love it that cookies are allowed on both your websites. Hopefully, Sarah, there will be some left for weekend visitors?
Have a laugh on me says
Sounds like the perfect fare for the lovely Sarah - and that fruit bowl is totally impressive that's for sure 🙂
Kim says
Would it be wrong to swig from the bottle while cooking these? Just found out I missed out in a much-wanted job. Or, perhaps, more appropriate to drink a Bloody Mary, to match my mood. These biscuits look fantasmsgorical. Sarah is one lucky slappy dashy lady. 😉
Sam Stone says
Yum, love the look of those biscuits.
I had to get rid of our fruit bowl because it held everything else but fruit!
Amanda, Cooker and a Looker says
We have more than one fruit bowl Sam - only one of which contains fruit! 😛
Author Bek Mugridge (@bekmugridge) says
Those biccies look fabulous! Loving their name too.
There is three girls in my house, 2 under 8 so these fruit bowls are hilarious and close to home for me too 🙂
Lisa@RandomActsOfZen says
Why is it always the fruit bowl?? I think I need these biccies for breakfast some days x
Amanda, Cooker and a Looker says
Only one thing better than biscuits for breakfast Lisa, and that's rum and biscuits for breakfast!
carmen@musingnmayhem (@Sp3llB1nd3r) says
Hopefully bananas and avocados this week. Yes, I'll admit to being rather umm... boring. Oops!
😉 xxx
Amanda, Cooker and a Looker says
Oh, you're one of those tidy types. I've heard about people like you Carmen! 😉
NewLifeOnTheRoad (@NewLifeOnRoad) says
Oh those look so yummy and sound so easy to make 🙂