Caitríona Redmond: These make-ahead cookies are perfect for last-minute biscuits

Plus why I'm adding one or two extra things to my trolley each week

Make ahead cookies

It doesn’t feel very autumnal, does it? Yet the schools are back and the seasons move on. I am wary of mentioning that large celebration in December but when you are living on a budget planning ahead is always at the back of your mind.

With food prices climbing I’m mindful of my household's favourite food items that I try to have to hand in December; traditional foods that everyone in the house expects to enjoy during the season. They don’t need to be ‘special edition’ boxes or trays marked with printed red ribbons either. Foods like cereals, crisps, and biscuits have long shelf lives and therefore there’s no need to wait to pick up the treats. Why not buy them now in increments and keep them in the press for the big day?

Last weekend I did just this and added a favourite box of cereal to the shopping trolley and some extra crisps that I will set to one side. This week it’ll be a packet of biscuits - not a box - a packet and I’ll try to continue to do this in the months ahead.

By adding just one or two extra items to the shopping list weekly I’m cushioning myself from a big bill come the third week in December. It’s a time when we are all pressed for money so it makes infinite sense.

I’m also thinking about what I can make that will make thoughtful gifts and treats for friends and family. My column this week is the perfect spoiler so they all will know exactly what to expect. I’ve been making homemade treats for a long time. There was the year I knitted individual scarves at night after the kids had gone to bed, they were appreciated but the 15 that I knitted took up so much of my time that I swore I’d never put myself under so much pressure again. I’m not a natural hand crafter although I really enjoy the process and zen of making things by hand.

Food-related gifting is an area that is easy to excel in though and with a minimal amount of time and effort you can have some spectacular items bedecked with ribbons and labels to share when the present-giving season rolls around.

The point has come where no more berries can be fitted into the freezer and I cannot face another jam-making session, never mind fit the jars of jam into the press. Thankfully there is another option and that’s getting some jars and bottles of homemade berry-infused booze underway that can be decanted in December and given as gifts. My recipe is designed for a 454g empty jam jar with a tight lid, something that I think everybody has to hand and is ideally timed to match blackberry season. Blackberries are generally free to pick and this will keep the overall cost down of the berry booze recipe you will see in my column this week.

I'm also sharing a make-ahead cookie recipe. I tend to keep this dough in the freezer all year around. You never know when a biscuit emergency will strike and it’s not just limited to the season of holly and present giving.

Make Ahead Cookies

Keep this dough in the freezer all year around for biscuit emergencies

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 12 mins

Cooking Time

 8 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 100g butter, softened

• 75g brown sugar (I used light demerara) 

• 1 egg 

• 50g plain flour 

• 50g rolled oats (oat flakes) 

• 20g chopped crystallised ginger 

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

Method

1. Cream all the ingredients together in a bowl using a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until you get stiff dough.

2. Remove the dough from the bowl and roll it into a long sausage-like shape that is about as thick as a rolling pin.

3. Slice the tube into 3 equal pieces.

4. Wrap each piece in greaseproof baking paper and then place it into a freezer-proof container (bags or lunchboxes are fine). Put the container into the freezer.

5. To bake. Remove the pieces of dough from the freezer and allow to defrost for one hour.

6. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees before slicing the dough into discs about 2cm thick.

7. Bake for 7-8 minutes when the cookies should be golden. Allow to cool before enjoying or store for up to three days.

8. Note: This dough keeps for a little longer than you would expect in the freezer because of the ‘double insulation’ from the wrapping and then a second bag or box.

Homemade Berry Booze

This is perfect to give as a gift

Servings

6

Cooking Time

 5 mins

Total Time

 5 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 150g fresh berries

• 100g sugar 150ml vodka (approx) 

Method

1. Fill the jar with berries and sugar stir with a teaspoon so that the berries are coated in sugar. Pour the vodka into the jar until close to the top. This will take about 150ml of vodka, maybe slightly more or less. Close the jar and seal it tightly with the lid.

2. Gently shake the jar so that all the ingredients are mixed together.

3. Put the jar into a cool dark place for 3 days. Every 3 days shake the jar gently and over the period of about a week the sugar will gradually dissolve and the liquid inside will take on a dark colour. You can carefully open the lid at any stage to check the aroma which should smell of the berries inside and alcohol.

4. When ready to give as a gift, add stickers and ribbons. You can also decant the liquid into a small bottle and retain the berries for adding to crumbles and pies, or even poured over ice cream.

5. Note: I recommend a combination of blackcurrants, raspberries, and blackberries in the berry booze. The type of vodka doesn’t make much of a difference as it’s going to be infused with the berry flavour so the cheaper the better.

Special Offers 

SuperValu have 480g of meatballs on special offer this week for €2.50 which actually works out cheaper than buying a pound of mince and making it into your own meatballs for dinner.

For a large fresh Irish chicken Lidl won’t be beaten this week at a price of €3.99 which is over a Euro cheaper than any other supermarket. This is fantastic value for 1.9kg.

A 7-pack of funsize bananas is 69c in Aldi, coming in at just under 10c per banana, making it a very budget-friendly and healthy snack for the lunch boxes.

Money Saving Tips 

Always read the label and the special promotions. Dunnes Stores has a new way to save money when shopping in-store or online that they are calling their ‘Double Savers’ promotion. This involves shopping their discounts in store and then doubling up the savings by using their money off vouchers when at the checkout.

It’s a great way to draw attention to the potential savings that can be made in-store, although savvy customers have been shopping this way for years.

Remember a fillet of ham cooked and sliced at home is far cheaper than buying presliced cooked ham in the supermarkets. I’ve discussed it in my column previously but it’s worth revisiting as the schools go back.