Clewed Up

Choc Chip Bickies

It's been a while since I have had a bit of a show off around the campfire and turned out something just a bit different with next-level camp oven skills. But I managed to pull off a masterpiece especially for the pages of this magazine and for your enjoyment. Camp oven cooking is all about practicing and experimentation. It’s a science and just a little bit of magic all at once. It can sometimes defy logic that a few separate ingredients that are nothing on their own can be combined to create something of beauty and deliciousness. My offering to you this edition are choc chip bickies and/or one giant marshmallow-encrusted delectable bickie that can satisfy even the sweetest sweet tooth's sugar craving. To make these babies you will need only some basic pantry staples, so here goes.

Choc Chip Bickies

You will need:

125gm butter ½ cup brown sugar (the soft one, not raw sugar) 1/3 cup caster sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten, or equivalent powdered egg will be fine, just add with the dry ingredients. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 1 ½ cups self raising flour 2 tablespoons powdered milk (not absolutely essential but does make them nicer) 1 cup choc chips

Place the butter, both sugars and the vanilla into a saucepan and melt over a low heat. Allow to cool. Add the flour, choc chips and milk powder to a large mixing bowl, make a well in the flour and add the cooled butter and sugar mix plus the lightly beaten egg. Mix until all ingredients are well combined. Take dessertspoon-size amounts of dough and roll into a ball. Place on a baking tray that will fit easily into your camp oven that has been lined with a piece of baking paper and gently press the dough down with a fork. Put your tray of bickies into the camp oven with a temperature of about 180°C and bake until they are golden brown. Bickies will appear a bit limp when first removed from the oven but they will firm up and become crispy once they cool down and become cold.

CLEWED UP

with JO CLEWS

I am lucky enough to have a large steel camp oven that can fit a tray that will cook eight biscuits at a time, so once the first batch is done, just put another batch in and keep cooking till there is no dough left. about 20 minutes. Remove the camp oven lid, press the marshmallows into the bickie and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the marshmallows are melted and golden and the bickie has puffed up. Remove from the camp oven and allow to cool for a few minutes then serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream or custard.

Giant Marshmallow Choc Chip Bickie

I made one batch of eight biscuits and one giant one with this mix. To cook the giant bickie you will need a tray with sides that will fit easily into your camp oven. I have a flan pan with a removable base that works perfectly. Take the remainder of the bickie dough and press into your cooking pan. Score the top of the dough into serving size portions. I got 12 but feel I could have got a few more. Place the big bickie into the camp oven that has been pre-heated to 180°C and cook for

Allow the sugar and butter mix to completely cool or your choc chips will melt and you will end up with choc-choc chip bickies (just like the photo of the giant marshmallow bickie - I didn’t wait). Instead of choc chips maybe try mini M&Ms or other candy-coated choc lollies. If making these while out camping, measure out the dry ingredients into a zip lock bag or clip lock box at home, pop a note inside as to what else you need from the fridge or camping pantry to finish the recipe. This avoids the need to take ingredients that you may only use a few spoonfuls of. Allowing the giant bickie time to cool down will be the biggest challenge you will have with this recipe. Enjoy.