(From left) Anya and Jackson D'Costa, Rachael Curry and Ise Sharp are all excited about devouring the cookies.

I was recently in New Jersey visiting some family friends with my niece Ise. They live on a farm that is home to sheep, horses, peacocks, dogs and hens. They have an abundance of fresh vegetables growing in their garden, and a hand-made fish pond to be proud of. Their granddaughter Rachael was staying with them, so good ole Aunty Emma (that's me!), decided to set them the task of baking cookies using Smarties.

Hens and all

My recipe uses eggs, so Ise and Rachael were off to the chicken coop to collect them. First they had to feed the hens ….always a good idea to get on their good side, don't you think? Then they carefully picked the eggs out of the nests, and gave the hens a cuddle to thank them.

Aside from operating the electric mixer and the oven, they did everything else themselves, including licking the raw mixture off the bowl and spoons a 'gazillion' times. I had one rule ….they had to wash their hands and utensils between each lick! Of course, they did not adhere to my request every time, but you know how young children can think they're smarter than us. I just pretended not to notice!

Goodies

Home-made strawberry ice cream with smarties cookie. - photos by Emma Sharp

Rachael's cousins, Anya, Jackson and Luke, arrived as I was taking the goodies out of the oven. The glee on their faces was a sight. There is nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked cookies, and they were all going stir crazy with excitement as a result of it. Needless to say, Ise and Rachael were very proud of themselves. Fantastic that such a simple thing can bring a child so much happiness. And I believe that 20 cookies were immediately devoured between the five of them!

Ise and I got double the enjoyment. The following day, we carried a few of the remaining cookies back to New York, made some home-made strawberry ice cream, and sat down to indulge yet again. Not exactly a conventional combination - Strawberries with Smarties - but it all goes into the same place anyway, and I don't think my niece even gave the idea a second thought!

And when I tell you that you don't have to be too smart to make ice cream, I mean it. The hardest part is to go online and order a US$50 ice cream maker. It's worth the investment and it's completely safe for your 'smartie' pants kids to use!

Emma and Ise's Menu:

Smarties cookies

Strawberry ice cream

smarties Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla essence

2 cups plain flour

2 1/2 cups oats

1/2 tsp. salt

1tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

2 cups mini smarties

Method

Preheat the oven to 375F. Beat the butter with the sugars. Add the eggs one at a time, beating continuously. If the mixture starts to curdle, add 1-2tbsps of flour. Beat in the vanilla, flour, oats, salt, baking powder and baking soda until thoroughly mixed in. Stirin the smarties. Place small balls of the cookie dough two inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for eight to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before transferring to wire racks.

Strawberry Ice Cream

1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

3 tbsps fresh lemon or lime juice

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 cups cow's milk

1 cup heavy cream

1tsp vanilla essence

Method

Place the strawberries in a bowl with the lemon or lime juice and 1/3 cup sugar. Leave to macerate for at least two hours. Place the remaining sugar in a bowl with the milk and cream. Beat well with an electric hand mixer until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the vanilla and juices from the strawberries. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for about 25 minutes until it starts to freeze. Add the strawberries and continue to churn until well mixed in. Turn out into a plastic container and place in the freezer until ready to eat.