Jack's Cookie Stall.

Phew! Success!

We went to school yesterday with 10 huge ziplock bags full of cookies. He'd made 240 of them, and was planning to sell them for $1 each or three for $2. These things were as big as your hand, with M&Ms mixed through and chocolate buds on the top. Health food... in a very sugary way! So there was wow factor.



Before school I sold two bags just to the teachers in staffroom three. Lots of young staff, particularly the Phys Ed people who do far too much activity and consequently need a pick-me-up before school. I took bags to my year 12 classes and sold another bag and a half, so by the time the lunchtime stall started, Jack had made his money back. I could breathe a sigh of relief, (thank God my idea wasn't a dud!) and now the rest was up to him.

By the end of lunchtime there were only 20 left. I was so proud of them. But the best news is by the end of the day there was only ONE left! (Thanks to a group of very peckish year 12's.) Success! Success! Success! And now my spendthrift son has enough spending money for Phuket. (This is a great relief to both of us...)

Here's Jack and a satisfied customer, while the swirling mayhem of the market stalls goes on in the background. It's a shame that you can't hear the kids spruiking. Then again, maybe it isn't. Some of them got very excited as lunchtime wore on.

I'll include the recipe. I don't know who Lizzie is, but the woman's a genius. These cookies are very addictive. The amount of repeat customers Jack had yesterday are testament to that.

Lizzie's Big Batch Cookies.
750g margarine
1.5-2kg self raising flour. (When baking for home, I make half of this wholemeal flour.)
6 eggs
1.5kg brown sugar. (I suspect this is the ingredient that makes the biscuits so yummy.)
3 tsp vanilla essence.
(This mix is so large that you can separate sections out and add different things to each for variety. Chocolate chips, cornflakes, Milo, dried fruit, nuts, coconut, etc. Whatever is on hand.)

• Preheat oven 225 degrees. (200 degrees if fan-forced.)
• Melt margarine in the microwave. Let cool slightly.
• Mix in all the basic ingredients, beginning with the flour. (1.5 kg). Add more flour if needed.
• Add the extra ingredients, (chocolate, cornflakes, whatever.)
• Make balls 20c sized. (This is too small for my boys. I like to fill them up. I make golf-ball sized balls. They spread a bit in the oven.)
• Bake for 15 minutes or so until browned.

We made three batches of these to get 240 humungous biscuits. The finished biscuits, and the dough, freeze beautifully. I make a batch every three weeks or so, and the kids have two in their lunchboxes for recess. They, and their friends, love them.