Coffee and snaps. Two lovely words that go together. So when I saw this recipe on Shirleen’s Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice blog I had to make it (
http://sugarandspice-and-allthingsnice.blogspot.co.nz/2011/03/coffee-snaps_11.html). Shirleen said she had a ‘hankering’ for some cookies – I know exactly how she feels!

125g butter, softened
1 1/4 cups (275g) firmly packed brown sugar [next time I would just use 1 c]
3 teaspoon instant coffee, the stronger (like espresso) the better, granulated and not powdered
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg (size 7)
3/4 cup (110g) plain flour
3/4 cup (110g) self-raising flour [I only had ½ c SR left and I used 1 ½ c spelt]

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350° F). Line cookie/oven tray with baking paper.
  2. Sift flours and instant coffee together into a bowl.
  3. In another bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy.
  4. Add egg and beat until just combined.
  5. Stir in sifted flours.
  6. Roll rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls and place on tray about 3cm apart. Or you can use one of those cookie dough scooper thingy. [The cookies will spread out naturally into discs]
  7. Bake for 10min. You can leave it for another 2mins if you like your cookie crispy all the way through. 10min will give you a cookie that's 80% crispy but with a slight chew in the middle. [I went for 12-14 mins]
  8. Stand for 5mins before transferring onto a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 40 cookies approx 6-7 cm in diameter

For a bit of variety you could replace the coffee with ground cinnamon or ginger. Or decaf coffee if kids will be eating. But the coffee flavour is a real winner, especially for a tea with adults only. Quite a nice thing to make for your loved one and/or yourself on Valentine's Day!

Recipe from: Australian Women's Weekly