Cookies and tarts - a sure sign that autumn's here (+recipes)

Herald on Sunday·

21 Mar, 2015 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Cherry tomato tart. Photo / Doug Sherring

Cookies and tarts – a sure sign that autumn’s here.

As the weather cools, I am drawn to the kitchen. After a visit to the market on Sundays, I used to spend the entire day at the stove and the bench, prepping and slow-cooking and, more often than not, baking.

Baking amazes me - that the finished product is so miraculously more than the sum of its parts.

Presentation is never as important as how something tastes, although a few tips and tricks can make your baking look good too. Sprinkled nuts, or brightly coloured fruit always helps. So does chocolate.

When I was younger I was put off baking by thinking it was time-consuming, plus I have an aversion to dishes. These days, unless I'm in full experimentation mode, I try to keep things to one bowl to avoid dishes, and keep things simple but with a few twists - like these cookies.

I made a version of these a few years ago for my contribution to the Whittaker's cookbook. Whittaker's got cooks and chefs from all around New Zealand, as well as enthusiastic home bakers, to submit recipes dedicated to chocolate. I took classic Whittaker's peanut slabs and chopped them up to make the ultimate chocolate chip cookie.

Since then, I've experimented a lot - using any kind of chocolate block to chop up instead of chocolate chips. The dark chocolate peppermint block is particularly good. But it's hard not to go back to classic dark chocolate. There is so much good-quality stuff now, a lot of it fair trade, and more than 70 per cent cocoa solids. You can taste the difference.

For these, I added walnuts (get fresh New Zealand ones and shell them yourself if you can). In Wellington recently I visited the City Market, and a woman was selling cookies under the name "Chunk". Her molten chocolate ones were served hot out of a pie warmer, and they were incredible. They were the inspiration to get baking chocolate chip cookies again.

They make the perfect gift - find a old tin in an op-shop, or get a nice new one.

I've mentioned before how much I love fruit in baking, too. I try to always have berries of some sort in the freezer, meaning a fruity cake or luscious dessert is that step closer. I've gone with raspberries for these baby cakes - and added gorgeously perfumed Mediterranean rosewater. You only need a tiny amount but it goes well with the berries and the pistachios.

For something a bit savoury, I've made this tart. It's quick and simple, especially if you have pastry in your freezer. My mum had an enormous crop of tomatoes this year, so l stocked up, and into this tart they went. You might have a few left from the end of summer, but we can usually get cherry tomatoes most of the year. They're nice and sweet, and make a great combo with the crispy bacon. Perfect for brunch or lunch, especially if you follow it up with cake. And maybe a cookie.

Happy baking.