Oreo oh oh ohs

1 1/4 cups (112g) plain flour
1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (192g) sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (115g) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg
For the filling:
1/4 cup (58g) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup (58g) vegetable shortening
2 cups (260g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a food processor, or with a wooden spoon, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. Blend in the butter, and then the egg either in food processor or with your hands (the warmth of your hands melts in the butter and makes it come to like a thick, crumbly dough). Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet two inches or so apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
To assemble the cookies, spread cream onto every other chocolate biscuit. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk. OM NOM NOM

Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can Libby's pure pumpkin (available to buy online in the UK from: http://www.americansoda.co.uk/uk/American-Soda/Home/default.aspx)
1 can evaporated whole mile
1 package short crust pastry (or else use a trusted pie crust recipe of your own)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Let rest.

Roll out pastry and line a nine inch pie tin, trimming of the edges.

Prick the bottom of the tin and bake the pastry for ten minutes at 150 degrees so it is just barely cooked.

Remove the pastry from the oven and carefully pour the pumpkin mixture into the pan.

Bake the pie at 200 degrees for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Serve with cream or ice cream.

This pie freezes really well either uncooked or cooked.

A Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie is, well, what can I say, just not the American way.

Recipe for Goo.

This is my all time favourite kitchen science recipe. It is I think what might be scientifically called a solid-liquid, but I am no great scientist and I am not sure if it is actually a scientific state of matter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_matter

But what I do know is that it is a bit like quicksand in that when the material is compressed it acts like a solid and when it is let go of it behaves more like a liquid.

Several years ago some bright spark make a quick fortune selling the stuff brightly coloured in cool packaging and called it Oobleck.

Anyway, here is the recipe:

           One 8 oz cup or mugful of cornflour/cornstarch

           A half cup (4oz) of water

           Mix together in a bowl.

          The gloop should go solid when squeezed in your hand and then instantly go runny when you
          let go.

          If the gloop is too runny add a bit more cornflour until the consistency is just right.

          For good effect, add a drop or two of food colouring.