Sweet sweet Friday: Biffo Biscuits

I've felt very out of sorts with the world this week. You'd think running 21.1km through the scenic Buller Gorge would have drained me of all aggression and anxiety, but apparently not. (It did leave me unable to move without wincing for a day or two, but that's different.)

So when I found a recipe for cookies that promised to help get rid of any excess anger, I couldn't wait to try it. Even if you don't make these you must read this fantastic post from the archives of Rhode Island blogger Lydia Walshin, who imagines the life of baking powder as an opera libretto. It's one of the funniest things I've read all week - and the fact that there's a cookie recipe at the end of it makes it all the better. When I emailed Lydia, who has a whole swag of blogs on the go, to ask if I could link to her post and adapt the recipe, she told me that "all recipes are meant to be played with". I think she's my new favourite person.

Biffo Biscuits
Do you know what biffo is? It's Antipodean slang for violence or bother, ie, you might come home with a black eye after getting into a bit of biffo at the pub.
The Small Girl and I made these yesterday after our usual Thursday visit to the supermarket (which is often full of people who look like they would love to give you a broken arm or two).
It was surprisingly therapeutic, partly because she had such a good time eating most of the mixture. We did have a bit of a fight at the end when I tried to get her to wash her hands, but there were no black eyes.

125g soft butter
120g soft brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp ground cloves
3/4tsp baking powder
80g wholemeal flour
100g rolled oats
60g whole oats

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until soft. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well, using a spoon and your fingers. It's especially good, messy fun to squelch the mixture through your hands. When you have played with it long enough, or your mother tells you that if you eat any more you won't eat your lunch, roll into small balls and place on the prepared tray. Press each one lightly - using a small fist or a fork - and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Leave on the tray for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Makes 16-20 small cookies, depending how much gets eaten/goes on the floor in the process.

Have a great weekend, everyone. The Boy Wonder has been doing a lot of cooking at our place recently so I've got some fun things to show you next week...