Apart from the burnt edges (stupid oven-from-hell), the biscuits were quite tasty.

Although, if it wasn’t for the whole kidlet-bonding-through-baking thing, I’d have handed over the meagre amount at Woolies for a packet of Arnott’s Premier Chocolate Chip Cookies. But then I’m getting very into throwing money at things to avoid effort at the moment.

For example, our drycleaner charges a mere $2 to wash and iron a business shirt! I’ve sent the horrid-to-iron shirts to them a few times (and they do a spectacular job). So, I’m thinking – why not send the rest of the shirts? I’d be saving myself a whole lot of time and … errr … supporting local small business. And I really want a cleaner (living in this suburb, I feel like I’m letting the side down by not having one), but I think that might be taking things a little too far.

If only I could pay someone to write this goshdarn report that I need to complete. Originally I was asked to “help” write it by Pommy Colleague, now the report writing [on a project where I had limited involvement] has somehow ended up on my performance plan – gaaahhhhhh.

Back to the baking, if you feel the need for some baking-type bonding, here is the Mrs Hardly short and sweet version of the recipe:

225g softened butter
1/2 cup sugar (I used caster sugar because I am lazy)
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup chocolate chips (or “bits” as evil Nestle refers to them)

Cream the butter and sugar.
Beat in the sweetened condensed milk until light and fluffy
Sift in the flour and baking powder.
Whack in the chocolate chips/bits¹ and stir.
Roll tablespoonsfuls (or whatever size you’d like) of mixture into balls.
Chuck them on a lined baking tray and squish them with a fork
Bake for 15 min in a 190^oC oven

Allegedly makes 30 (ours came out at somewhat less than 30)

We’ll be making more – because I have to do something with that remaining sweetened condensed milk.

Today, I’ve been spending much of my unwell-time browsing craft blogs:

angry chicken
molly chicken
all sorts
soulemama
and feeling terribly inferior as a consequence!

Fortunately, I have my lovely Bess to bolster my ego – she thinks I should be on Project Runway. Ah Bessy – so dreadfully cute, so dreadfully deluded.

¹ I chucked a handful of dessicated coconut (which was not called for) into the mix at this point, but that is because I have an irresistable urge to add dessicated coconut to everything.