Chews

I followed this recipe exactly, and I ended up with a really weird and crunchy slice. This isn't as horrible as the horrible scones, but I wouldn't give this to someone I liked. The taste is nice enough, but the texture is odd. I think the problem is in the cooking time — the recipe says to cook it for two hours. This seemed far too long and I kept checking it throughout, but it didn't seem to burn. It seemed as though it could be tasty, but it's simply the wrong texture. I could almost pour milk over these and have them for breakfast. I suspect this is where the differences between available technology (wood stove compared to modern fan-forced oven) could contribute to why this won't be included in my mental list of 'the delicious'. 

So, I've amended the recipe here, and suggest it only be cooked for 45-60 minutes to ensure it's more slice-like and less like breakfast cereal. Good luck... 

Oh, and another thing. The name 'chews' confounds me. It's not chewy at all. 

Chews

90g butter
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped dates

Pre-heat oven to 160°C

Cream the butter and sugar. Add all remaining ingredients, then press into a greased slice tray. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Cut into finger slices and dust with caster sugar when cool. 

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For those of you who are not in Australia, please find here a selection of Measurement & Temperature Conversion Charts which should help with the accuracy of your own cooking.