Shortbread Cookies with Caramelised Nuts

Shortcrust pastry:

• 300 g plain flour
• 200 g butter
• 50 g brown sugar
• 50 g white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg (slightly beaten)
• dash of salt

     Mix together flour,sugar salt and cinnamon.Cut the butter into flour mixture and carefully toss all the ingredients together till it turns into small pieces.Add the egg, mix it once again and refrigerate for couple of hours.

Caramelised nuts:

• 1 cup roasted crushed nuts ( I used peanuts & almonds)
• 2 tablespoons "Golden" syrup (can use honey instead)
• 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

     In a medium sauce pan, pour in the syrup, condensed milk and sugar.Mix them and on a medium high heat warm it up till boiling temperature. Remove from heat and gradualy add the crushed nuts.


     Now when the pastry has rested, roll out into desired thickness and cut out cookies.Each cookie decorate with caramelised nuts.
Bake the cokies at 175 C degrees temperature for about 15 minutes or untill golden brown.

Cherry Cheese Cake/ķiršu siera kūka

One-crust pie (8- or 9-inc)

• 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon chilled vegetable shortening
• 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour, plus extra for rollin
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water (or 1 egg)

     In a large bowl, cut vegetable shortening into flour and salt, add sugar and mix it until particles are the size of small peas. Add one slightly beaten egg and toss the mixture together. OR. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry dough almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons additional water can be added if necessary). You want the ingredients to barely bind together.

     Once the dough has come together, form it into a disc (approximately 1/2 inch thick) and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Place the prepared dough in the refrigerator during this resting time. When ready to use, let the dough sit at room temperature approximately 20 to 30 minutes before rolling.

 

     Cheese Cake filling

• 397g can Carnation Condensed Milk
• 300g full fat soft cheese
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• Juice of 2 lemons

   Pour the condensed milk into a large bowl. Add the soft cheese, whisk together and slowly add the icing sugar. Mix in the lemon juice (watch it thicken!). Pour into the tin. Chill for 2 hours.

  Cherry topping  

• 300g cherries
• 4 tablespoons sugar

 

   Unbone the cherries, pour them in a sauce pan. Add sugar and leave it for a couple of hours to produce syrup. Once it has produced the syrup, put the sauce pan on low heat. By stirring frequently  boil them for 20 min. Set aside to cool. To get a smoother texture mix the jam in a blender.

You can pour the jam on top of the cake or on top of the slice at the time when you will serve the cake!