I was so excited to get the privilege to interview teen pastry chef Maddy Baker! She shared her awesome recipe for ANZAC biscuits too! Turning it over to Maddy now....
Hi! I'm Maddy, a 15 year old girl from Melbourne, Australia. I love to cook anything sweet and one day hope to become a pastry chef. I currently post all my creations on my Instagram and blog about my foodie adventures online.
When did your love for baking begin? What do you love most about it?
I can't remember when I wasn't baking! From a very young age my mum and I would make packet mix cupcakes and then we started to make ANZAC biscuits and from there my love for food and baking just grew. I don't know what I love most about baking, I enjoy making it but probably my favourite part would be where what I'm making all comes together, particularly when I'm making desserts and I get to assemble them. I also enjoy it when people enjoy my food and love seeing their reaction.
What is your favorite dessert to make?
I don't really have a favourite dessert but I enjoy making layered desserts- I especially love to make anything by Darren Purchese who is one of my favourite chefs. I want to soon start making more plated desserts though.
I've noticed that you've tried some unique dessert combinations. Describe the craziest combination you've experienced!
The craziest thing I've eaten was blue cheese ice cream, port jelly and oat biscuit. I like blue cheese although can only handle a tiny piece but the ice cream was so silky and creamy! Another crazy one was a dessert by Shaun Quade; Well I think it was a dessert! It was carrot ice cream, cheese and marmalade. It was sweet but not overly sweet and tasted really interesting but yummy.
What are your goals for the future regarding pastry?
I want to learn as many techniques and things I can. I want hope to be the best pastry chef I can be and either open a shop or a restaurant in which there is a tasting menu but just desserts.
This is the recipe for the ANZAC biscuits my mum and I would make when I was little. ANZAC stands for Australian New Zealand Army Corp as these biscuits were made for soldiers fighting in World War 1 due to their ingredients they could be transported easily and had a reasonable shelf life.
ANZAC BISCUITS
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup Plain flour
¾ cup desiccated coconut
125g butter
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
½ teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 tablespoon boiling water
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line 2 baking trays with baking paper
2. Combine sugar, oats, flour and coconut in a bowl and set aside
3. Melt butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over a low heat
4. Mix bi carb and boiling water together and quickly tip into butter and syrup mixture. The mixture should froth and bubble
5. Tip butter mix into dry ingredients and stir until combined
6. Take bits of the dough and roll into golf ball shapes, place on baking tray and gently press down until 5mm thick.
7. Repeat step 6 until all dough is gone ensuring that the biscuits are evenly spaced
8. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden
9. Let cool and serve
Note: All measurements are in Australian cup and spoon measures where 1 cup=250ml, 1 teaspoon=5ml and 1 tablespoon is 20ml
Check out Maddy at maddythebaker.com and on Instagram @maddysthebaker
Thank you Madddy!
-Jordan :)
Hi! I'm Maddy, a 15 year old girl from Melbourne, Australia. I love to cook anything sweet and one day hope to become a pastry chef. I currently post all my creations on my Instagram and blog about my foodie adventures online.
When did your love for baking begin? What do you love most about it?
I can't remember when I wasn't baking! From a very young age my mum and I would make packet mix cupcakes and then we started to make ANZAC biscuits and from there my love for food and baking just grew. I don't know what I love most about baking, I enjoy making it but probably my favourite part would be where what I'm making all comes together, particularly when I'm making desserts and I get to assemble them. I also enjoy it when people enjoy my food and love seeing their reaction.
What is your favorite dessert to make?
I don't really have a favourite dessert but I enjoy making layered desserts- I especially love to make anything by Darren Purchese who is one of my favourite chefs. I want to soon start making more plated desserts though.
I've noticed that you've tried some unique dessert combinations. Describe the craziest combination you've experienced!
The craziest thing I've eaten was blue cheese ice cream, port jelly and oat biscuit. I like blue cheese although can only handle a tiny piece but the ice cream was so silky and creamy! Another crazy one was a dessert by Shaun Quade; Well I think it was a dessert! It was carrot ice cream, cheese and marmalade. It was sweet but not overly sweet and tasted really interesting but yummy.
What are your goals for the future regarding pastry?
I want to learn as many techniques and things I can. I want hope to be the best pastry chef I can be and either open a shop or a restaurant in which there is a tasting menu but just desserts.
This is the recipe for the ANZAC biscuits my mum and I would make when I was little. ANZAC stands for Australian New Zealand Army Corp as these biscuits were made for soldiers fighting in World War 1 due to their ingredients they could be transported easily and had a reasonable shelf life.
ANZAC BISCUITS
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup Plain flour
¾ cup desiccated coconut
125g butter
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
½ teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 tablespoon boiling water
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line 2 baking trays with baking paper
2. Combine sugar, oats, flour and coconut in a bowl and set aside
3. Melt butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over a low heat
4. Mix bi carb and boiling water together and quickly tip into butter and syrup mixture. The mixture should froth and bubble
5. Tip butter mix into dry ingredients and stir until combined
6. Take bits of the dough and roll into golf ball shapes, place on baking tray and gently press down until 5mm thick.
7. Repeat step 6 until all dough is gone ensuring that the biscuits are evenly spaced
8. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden
9. Let cool and serve
Note: All measurements are in Australian cup and spoon measures where 1 cup=250ml, 1 teaspoon=5ml and 1 tablespoon is 20ml
Check out Maddy at maddythebaker.com and on Instagram @maddysthebaker
Thank you Madddy!
-Jordan :)
