Much-loved food personality Annabelle White is encouraging people in the Bay of Plenty to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast to support Kiwi women affected by breast cancer.

Pink Ribbon Breakfast is the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ's largest annual fundraising campaign. Each May, thousands of Kiwis come together for good to raise vital funds for the charity. People can now sign up to take part at: pinkribbonbreakfast.co.nz

Breast cancer is the most common cancer for New Zealand women, with around 190 women in the Bay of Plenty DHB area diagnosed with it annually. The money raised from every Pink Ribbon Breakfast goes towards ground-breaking research, awareness and education programmes, and patient support services.

'This is a cause close to my heart, after a close family member was diagnosed and then successfully treated for breast cancer,” says Annabelle White.

'Fundraising for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is such a good idea and spreading the message of early detection is key. Hosting a Pink Ribbon Breakfast is easy and fun, and the perfect way to show some love in these crazy times we're living in!”

Breast Cancer Foundation NZ's chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner says it doesn't matter if your Pink Ribbon Breakfast is big or small, fancy or casual, homemade or store-bought – every effort makes a big difference for women living with breast cancer.

'Your generosity will take us closer towards our ambitious vision of zero deaths from breast cancer, so please, sign up to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast this May.”

To provide inspiration for a Pink Ribbon Breakfast menu, Annabelle has donated a delicious recipe she created in last year's lockdown.

'This recipe is based on a treat I enjoyed while in Austria some years ago, and while we may not be heading to Vienna for some time, we can recreate a Viennese afternoon tea with these cookies. 'They are elegant, very delicate and quite special – just as your guest will feel at your Pink Ribbon Breakfast this year.”

Annabelle's Austrian Plum Cookies

Ingredients

120g softened butter

30g cream cheese (standard not spreadable)

150g golden caster sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

220g flour, plus extra for rolling

½ tsp baking powder

30g ground almond

1 -2 tsp grated lemon zest

Plum jam for filling (about ½ cup)

Icing sugar to decorate

Method

Into the mixing bowl, place butter, cream cheese and caster sugar – blend well until soft and creamy. Add egg and beat till smooth. Sift flour and baking powder and slowly work into mixture – when half worked in (using your mixer), stop and add ground almonds, zest and very briefly incorporate.

Stop and add remaining flour by hand. Knead to a soft dough – being very gentle. Form ball and wrap in baking paper and place in fridge for at least an hour.

Roll out half the dough on a floured surface to about 2mm. Using cookie cutters cut out shape and with the other half of dough cut out shape using the same cutter –but with nozzle of a piping bag make a little circle in middle of each piece and remove, like a Shrewsberry biscuit.

Place on baking paper trays and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 8-9 minutes until just golden and place on wire rack. When cool, dust the biscuits with the hole in the centre with icing sugar and then sandwich together with a little plum jam.

Recipe makes 40 cookies. Store in an air tight container for up to five days. The uncooked dough freezes well. For more information and to register to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast, visit: www.pinkribbonbreakfast.co.nz