Micca, so the Feeling Foul went down all right, did it? What about the Owain Glyn Dwr?? Haven't actually wrapped m' lips round that one ...yet, but the Cwrw Haf (the one Thomas Watkins Brewery did over the summer) was a treat.

Noreen, glad that the cake was consumed! The cookies were a recipe from Mudcat ... one of Caitrin's, but I can't seem to find it so here they are as originally posted, with some notes from me at the end...

Caitrin's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 lb. light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbs. vanilla
1 lb. butter, softened
6 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 12 oz. packages Ghirardelli choc chips (one bag semi-sweet, one bag milk chocolate)I use Ghirardelli because the chips are bigger, but that's really just a personal preference)
5 cups walnut chunks
1/2 cup Kahlua

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. In one bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Pour into large mixing bowl. Really large. This makes a lot of batter. Add softened butter to eggs. Add sugars and vanilla and mix to combine. Add 1/4 cup of Kahlua and mix in well. Now measure out the six cups of flour, Sifting each cup into a yet another bowl as you measure. Once all six cups are measured and sifted, add salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well with a fork or whisk. Now add the dry ingredients slowly (about one cup at a time) to the egg mixture. Periodically mix in the remaining 1/4 cup of Kahlua. Once batter is done, fold chocolate chips and nuts into mixture. (Be sure to use a sturdy spoon...a friend of mine broke the handle off of a wooden spoon in this batter!)

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and use an ice cream scoop to drop batter onto paper. (I can usually fit about 6 cookies on a cookie sheet.) Bake the cookies for 15 minutes and let them cool for at least 5 before attempting to move them. Makes about 50 cookies.

Sian's notes: as I was going to test these on my P.A. at work and she's allergic to walnuts, I had a brilliant idea to use hazelnuts instead. I shall think twice about that next time: little b*gg*rs shoot off all directions when yer tryin' to chop 'em. Also, as we don't have any outstanding chocolate chips on this side of the Atlantic, I chopped up Bourneville chocolate bars (semi-sweet dark choc. for you guys Over There). Basically it took me a whole evening just to get the stuff chopped and ready! But, OK, seriously worthwhile in the end.

And Caitrin is NOT lying when she says it makes A LOT! A real lunchbox recipe, or family picnic! Quantity and Quality!

sian