Chocolate Chunk and Marzipan Cookies

Amongst heaps of other festive foods, I absolutely love marzipan. I'll be the first to admit that I'm no Nigella and certainly have never made my own. There's been a supermarket box stashed away in my kitchen for some time. It did have grand expectations of making its way onto this year's Christmas cake, but that never happened. Neither did plan B, stollen bites. And so, when I finally decided I really ought to dust off my apron and get baking I opted for something far simpler and far quicker. You may not be a fan of marzipan, but I am fully confident that these guys will convert anyone.

These chocolate cookies are perfectly gooey in the centre, crisp on the edges and stuffed full with big chunks of dark chocolate and marzipan. I would say that I took some into the office for my colleagues like I intended, but its probably more honest to say that I demolished the lot myself. I intend to make a further batch to stash away in the freezer ready for boxing day or any cookie related emergencies in the next coming weeks, if I don't eat them first. If you wish to do so too, just form the cookie dough into a sausage and wrap well in cling film. From frozen, slice into half inch thick discs and bake for 12-14 minutes until crisp on the edges and wobbly in the centre. Otherwise just read on and follow the regular recipe.

C H O C O L A T E   C H U N K   &   M A R Z I P A N   C O O K I E S
(Makes 16 cookies)

125 unsalted butter, softened

200g soft light brown sugar

1 medium egg

2tsp vanila extract

175g plain flour

25 cocoa powder

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

100g marzipan, chopped into small cubes

100g dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks

• Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract gently until combined. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda in a separate bowl to remove any lumps. Add to the butter mix and mix with a spatula until just combined. Fold in the marzipan and chocolate chunks and chill the cookie dough in the fridge for an hour.
• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line two baking sheets.
• Use a tablespoon to dollop small balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of room for them to grow.
• Bake for 11 minutes until crisp on the outside and soft in the centre. Leave to cool for at least 5 minutes on a wire cooling rack before serving.

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Cornflake, Sultana & Chocolate Chunk Cookies

There's always time for cookies!

I've sort of had a love / hate relationship with baking cookies. Who would have thought there'd be such a battle to get the perfect texture, crisp on the outside and chewy in the centre. Not to blow my own trumpet but, ok maybe a little, these cookies have not only the best texture but the cornflakes are also a surprisingly great addition. I think I've cracked them!

Yeah oats would do, but cornflakes lend a great golden flavour and a good crunch alongside some super plump sultanas. And who doesn't love chocolate chunks too?

I'm most certainly baking these again on the weekend. If they've got cornflakes in then I'll be eating them for breakfast. All part of a balanced diet!

C O R N F L A K E   S U L T A N A   A N D   C H O C O L A T E   C H U N K   C O O K I E S
(Makes a dozen large or two dozen small cookies)

120g unsalted butter, room temperature

115g soft light brown sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

150g sultanas

75g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

145g self raising flour

50g cornflakes

pinch salt

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and cover two cookie sheets with baking paper.
• Beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
• Add the vanilla extract and egg, and gently beat until combined.
• Add all of the remaining ingredients and gently fold together to form a dough.
• Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a minute or two until smooth.
• Use a tablespoon to scoop a cookie at a time onto your prepared cookie sheet, or an ice cream scoop if you're making large ones. Place evenly spaced on the tray, leaving plenty of room between each.
• Bake for 12 minutes until golden, but soft in the centre. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

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Bake Off Bake Along: Week 2 - Iced Biscuits

Another week has flown by, with this week in the tent of dreams seeing the contestants try their hand at biscuits. Not my most favourite week, its pretty much the same each year. Challenge one being something iced, challenge two being something fiddly and the final challenge always being a 3d sculpture.

I don't have the nerve to make eleventy hundred pieces and make a sculpture so it was a choice between Viennese whirls and iced biscuits. In the spirit of challenge, I don't really rate myself as being the most patient when it comes to decorate so I opted to make these doughnut iced biscuits.

No intricate designs here I'm afraid, but you've seen make jaffa cakes, I can't really ice within the lines so I'm surprised these turned out so tidy! Almond sugar biscuits topped with either plain or chocolate icing and plenty of doughnut sprinkles.

I C E D   D O U G H N U T   B I S C U I T S
(Makes 2 dozen biscuits)

170g unsalted butter, softened

170g white caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 egg

2tsp baking powder

500g plain flour

For the icing:

225g icing sugar

few drops of chosen flavouring/colouring

2-3tbsp boiling water

sprinkles to decorate

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line two cookie sheets with baking parchment.
• Beat together the butter and sugar on a medium heat until pale and fluffy.
• Add the egg and the extracts and continue to beat on a low speed until well combined.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a large separate bowl. Add slowly to the wet mix whilst continuing to beat on a medium speed until well incorporated and the dough forms one ball around the beater attachment.
• Flour a work surface and roll out the dough to a quarter inch thickness. Use round cutters to cut the doughnut shapes and a drink lid to cut out the centre of the doughnut hole.
• Place evenly spaced on the prepared cookie trays and bake for 6-8 minutes until they just start to turn golden. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool fully.
• To make the icing, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Add one tablespoon of water and begin to stir, add a few more drops as necessary until the icing mixture is smooth but thick enough to decorate the biscuits. If you want other flavours or colours, divide the icing mixture into smaller individual bowls for each flavour or colour. To make chocolate icing, from the 225g icing sugar, substitute 2tsp for cocoa powder.
• Once the biscuits are fully cooled, pour the icing into individual piping bags to frost them. Sprinkle with toppings and leave to fully set before serving.

F O L L O W   M Y   B A K E   O F F   B A K E   A L O N G...

     

Week 1 - Jaffa Cakes
Week 2 - Iced Doughnut Biscuits
Week 3 - Chocolate Twist Babka
Week 4 - Giant Churros
Week 5 - Cherry Bakewell Tart
Week 6 - Brownie Bottomed Coffee Mousse Cake
Week 8 - Cherry, Marzipan and Cherry Cake

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Custard Cream Cupcakes

You can't go wrong with custard creams, they really are king of the biscuits in my eyes. Whilst much research has been done on the ultimate dunker, I'll challenge purists and say that these guys are better than a ginger nut. They may not have the sculptural dignity, but they do offer the perfect flavour balance to a brew with the added cream bonus in a bid to hold some shape.

Maybe I'm biased, but they truly are my favourite.

When hearing all about my friend's new bakery business and all the cupcakes she's making I was inspired to get into the kitchen and make my own...for myself! Cupcakes are the divas of the cake business, only best on the day of baking, but there's something to be said by having your own personal little frosted cake...or three (no one's counting)!

Vanilla sponge packed with crushed custard creams and topped with custard flavour buttercream. In order to have unlocked ultimate cupcake achievement levels, I'd have loved to have made some fresh custard to fill the centres with. But alas, I was hungry and the kitchen is too hot from last week's heat wave (my jar of coconut oil still hasn't set yet). I'm saving my efforts for the Great British Bake Off starting up next month and attempt to bake along again each week.

C U S T A R D   C R E A M   C U P C A K E S
(Recipe adapted from Primrose Bakery's Everyday, makes 12-16 cupcakes)

150g self raising flour

115g plain flour

10g custard powder

120ml semi-skimmed milk, room temperature

1tsp vanilla extract

110g unsalted butter, softened

225g golden caster sugar

2 large eggs

100g custard cream biscuits, crushed

Custard buttercream:

200g unsalted butter, softened

280g icing sugar, sifted

4tbsp custard powder, sifted

few drops of milk if needed to help combine

custard creams to decorate

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
• Pour the milk and vanilla extract into a jug and mix together. In a bowl, add the flours and custard powder.
• Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Continue to mix on a slow speed whilst adding each egg, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Whilst continuing to mix, pour in the third of the flour until combined and alternate between the mix and the rest of the flour mix. Add in the crushed custard creams and gently fold together with a spatula.
• Spoon the batter evenly between each cupcake case, filling up to two thirds full.
• bake for 15-18 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to fool fully on a wire cooling rack before frosting.
• To make the frosting, beat the butter on a medium speed to ensure soft before gently and slowly adding in the icing sugar and custard powder. Continue to beat on a low speed at first, then medium until well combined.
• Load the butter cream into a piping bag, pipe a swirl onto the top of each cupcake and top with two halves of custard creams.

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Dark Chocolate and Tahini Cookies

Public service announcement: these are the best cookies in the land. Well, that I've made. I've often struggled with getting the absolute perfect consistency, chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Often my cookies are more like cakies as my boss has named them.

I've stowed a secondary batch of dough in the freezer, although its pretty tempting to dig it out for a mid week treat. The tahini is a perfect match for gooey chocolate chunks, but peanut butter can be substituted if you prefer. I'd imagine that white chocolate will also work just as well too.

D A R K   C H O C O L A T E   A N D   T A H I N I   C O O K I E S
(Recipe adapted from BBC, makes a dozen)

50g salted butter, softened

125g dark brown muscovado sugar

125g golden caster sugar

80g tahini paste

1 egg, beaten

200g self raising flour

2tbsp cocoa powder

200g dark chocolate chunks or chips

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line two cookie sheets with baking paper.
• Beat together the butter and sugar on a medium speed until light and fluffy. 
• Add the eggs and the tahini and continue to beat on a low speed until combined.
• Tip in the dry ingredients and continue to beat, again until combined and the mixture forms a cookie dough. 
• Use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to scoop each cookie into shape. Place each cookie evenly spaced on the prepared trays, with half an inch gap between each.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes until soft in the middle, they will firm up on the outside as they cool.
• Place on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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Salted Chocolate, Bourbon and Spelt Cookies

You know when you spend forever baking something for someone, trying to get it just right, and it just goes wrong? Brownies for example. I made some when I went to Flick's for tea a little while ago and she sent me back home with them! Sounds cruel, but she was right, you really can tell when something's just not right.

In this instance, I'd melted down some leftover Easter eggs and the chocolate wasn't anywhere near my usual 70-80% cocoa choice. They didn't really taste of anything, such a shame that they didn't taste that great.

For baking, I love using dark chocolate. The darker the better. I'm forever double checking the back of packets just to check just how much percentage of cocoa they have. That's why I love Lindt's Excellence range, it says its 70% and it really is 70%. Especially as they have my 3 favourite flavours, salted chocolate, orange with almond and salted caramel. These are excellent in any baking.

Particularly these cookies. A little bit grown up with the addition of bourbon, super dark chocolate and flaky sea salt. I almost didn't feel guilty having two of these for breakfast this morning!

S A L T E D   C H O C O L A T E   B O U R B O N   &   S P E L T   C O O K I E S
(Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, makes a dozen cookies)

290g plain flour

70g spelt flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

190g unsalted butter, room temperature

75g dark brown sugar

75g caster sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp bourbon

200g Lindt Excellence salted dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

flaky sea salt for topping

• Add the flour, bicarbonate and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to remove any lumps.
• Beat together the butter and sugar in another bowl until light and fluffy, around 3-4 minutes. Add in the egg, vanilla and bourbon and continue to mix on a low speed until incorporated.
• Add the flour mix a little at a time until incorporated again.
• Gently fold in the chocolate chunks before scooping the dough into a large ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for a few hours until firm.
• Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Line two cookie trays with baking paper. Divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls, I use an ice cream scoop for this. 
• Flatten each cookie onto the tray, leaving space in between each. Bake for 14 minutes, until golden and leave to firm and cool before serving.

Thank you to the lovely Elle and Mai at Lindt towers for sending me some samples for recipes!

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Recipe: Nutella Stuffed Cookies

I probably should put myself on a cookbook ban. I wouldn't say I have too many, that's just not possible, I just don't use them all as much as I should. In a bid to bake more from my favourite books I've indexed a few pages to try over the coming weeks. 

Primrose Bakery's newest addition, 'Everyday', is fast becoming one of my favourite books of all time. I love how recipes are divided into seasons and Stuart's photos are incredible.

The book fell open on these Nutella cookies from the Autumn section when I first received it, so on went the oven and out came the giant jar of Nutella I'd been trying to hide in the back of my cupboard.

Perhaps I over-baked these a little, with less ooze than I'd like, but I still can't wait to make plenty more batches of dough to store in the freezer, for emergencies...*ahem*.

This recipe is super simple and easy to remember. I have a few jars of various biscuit spreads like the Malteser one that I recon would be great in this too.

Nutella stuffed cookies

(Recipe adapted from Primrose Bakery's 'Everyday', makes 10 cookies)

140g unsalted butter

140g soft brown sugar

140g Nutella, plus extra for filling

185g plain flour

25g cocoa powder

1 large egg

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
• Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy with a hand or stand mixer on a medium speed. Add the 140g of Nutella and beat until smooth.
• Add the flour and cocoa powder, then the egg and mix until a dough forms.
• For the cookies, divide the mix into 20 evenly sized balls. Roll around to shape, flatten into discs with the palm of your hand. Add a tablespoon of each to the centre of each cookie, top with another disc and press down the edges to seal in the Nutella.
• Leave plenty of space round each cookie as they will grow in the oven. You can always use a second baking tray or make them in batches, just to be safe.
• Bake for 12 minutes until both the edges and centre look firm.

These cookies will only last a few days in an airtight container, so you'd better eat them up quickly.

I think this may be my go-to cookie recipe now!

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Recipe: Snickerdoodles

There’s a knack to baking and some things take a little longer to perfect. Brownies being the first thing that took a little practice (there’s a very specific level of chocolate fudginess required you know). But this time its biscuits. I have a fair few cookie recipes on my blog but other than custard creams I always struggle to make a biscuit that’s not cake-like. Countless attempts and variations of butter, chilling, rolling and cutting have all failed me. Usually embarrassed enough to stick to what I know and never attempt them again.

But then there’s Snickerdoodles. First attempt at baking, no problems at all. So when life gives you snickerdoodles eat the whole lot and worry about the rest later!

Snickerdoodles
(Recipe slightly adapted from Afternoon Tea with Bea, makes 24)

225g unsalted butter, softened
315g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
350g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt

sugar dipping:

2tbsp ground cinnamon
200g golden caster sugar

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and gently beat after each. Mix in the vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and beat on a slow speed until well incorporated. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 160 degrees and line two baking sheets with baking paper. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl ready for dipping the cookies.

Roll small pieces of dough into neat balls, about golf ball size, slightly flatten and dip each into the cinnamon sugar. Space evenly onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving some room for spreading between each.

Bake for 13-16 minutes until the edges are golden and the tops look dry. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Recipe: Ultimate Lindt Cookies

These cold, dark winter evenings have been pretty uninspiring. After countless attempts at photographing recipes with no joy, I gave up. Instead I've spent my spare time this week wrapped up on the sofa watching Netflix and working my way through a delivery of Lindt. It's a hard life!

After more truffles than I dare count, I decided it may be wise to share maybe just a few. To do so I've come up with the ultimate cookie recipe. Soft on the outside, perfectly gooey on the inside and packed full of chocolate.

These are so good, I've made a few batches to share and some to store away in the freezer. In true Nigella style, its always a good idea to have a log of cookie dough stowed away. You can bake it straight from frozen and slice off one or two cookies at a time. 

I've also boxed some up to give as gifts, albeit early ones. It won't be a surprise to my loved ones that this year's Christmas wrapping theme is chocolate! These mini Santa chocolates come in a pack of 5 and are perfect to use as gift tags or as table settings on the big day.

My absolute favourite Lindt are these Winter edition milk and white chocolate truffles. They're perfect for cookies as the white chocolate centre oozes out and looks great.

I also have one more trick...Lindt hot chocolate. Heat some milk in your favourite mug in the microwave, drop in 3-4 Lindt truffles and give it a good stir. Undoubtedly the best, most speedy hot chocolate you can make at home.

Chocolate Lindt cookies

Makes 12

200g unsalted butter, softened

300g caster sugar

1 egg

275g self raising flour

75g cocoa powder

100g chopped nuts/chocolate chips

12 Lindt truffles 

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gently beat in the egg. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder, adding a splash of milk if needed to loosen the mix. Fold in chopped nuts or chocolate chips. 

Dollop the mix onto a large sheet of baking paper and use to roll and wrap into a sausage shape. Place in the fridge to firm for at least 30 minutes. (I prefer to whizz up the cookie mix the night before needed and leave to chill overnight).

Line two baking trays with baking parchment and divide the mixture into 12 equal sized balls. Squeeze a truffle into the centre of each and place evenly spaced onto the baking trays. Don't be tempted to flatten the cookie balls down, they'll drop whilst baking in the oven.

Place in a preheated oven at 220 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. They will have flattened but will be floppy. Leave them for 20 - 30 minutes to firm after removing from the oven.

Feel free to experiment with your truffle flavours. My favourite of all the batches so far have been adding chopped hazelnuts to the cookies and dunking them in hot chocolate made with hazelnut milk.

And if you're going to do the Nigella-esque trick, wrap the cookie dough well, label up and freeze away. It should last up to 3 months, or alternatively a week in the fridge.

I also have the cutest chocolate Christmas decorations ready for my tree. No doubt I'll be joining in with the rest of Twitter and Instagram when it's up and showing everyone just how cute it is...if they don't get eaten first.

Thank you to Sally for kindly sending me these samples from Lindt. Please note, all enthusiasm for Lindt chocolate is my own...who can resist the Chocolate Santa's and Easter Bunnies?!

Recipe: Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies with Mackays Christmas Preserve

These gingerbread cookies are the most festive cookies, ever.

I make the dough a day in advance and leave it to chill in the fridge. You can either take a few chunks out a time to make fresh cookies as and when you need, freeze it for a later date...or just eat them all in one go.

I've tried this recipe with a few different jams and preserves, my favourites being Mackays Christmas preserve or cherry jam. Regular strawberry and raspberry would work equally well!

Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies with Mackays Christmas Preserve

(Makes 3 dozen)

150g butter, softened

170g soft brown sugar

80g molasses

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 egg

450g plain flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1⁄2 tsp ground nutmeg

1⁄4 salt

60g Mackay’s Christmas Preserve

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the molasses, ginger and egg and mix well.

Sift in the flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, nutmeg and salt and stir until well incorporated.

Press the dough into a ball, cover and chill in the fridge for 4 hours, or overnight.

Heat the oven to 1800c and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the tray with a 2-inch space between each cookie.

Press a thumbprint into the centre of each ball, about 1⁄2 inch deep.

Fill each with about 1⁄2 tsp Mackay’s Christmas Preserve.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

I was sent some gorgeous festive samples from Mackays in order to come up with some recipes. Feel free to use any jams...although this festive preserve is a sure winner!

Reeses Pieces Cookie Blondies

   I decided to do a little brownie experiment when baking some treats to take over to my brother's place for tea. Since my Reese's Pieces collection is forever growing I settled for a combination of peanut butter cookies and blondies layered together.

Chocolate & Ginger Cookies

Long time no bake!

   I've been a little quiet since my last post about three weeks ago. A little whiplash has meant that I decided to take some time out to rest and recover. And the fact that my arms just haven't been working! Pins and needles and other weird tingly sensations in both arms make it very difficult to bake.

   During this time I've missed baking. So on Thursday the work girls and I went to a macaron making class with Loretta Liu from On Cafe. Despite being super tired from work we enjoyed the class, and I was thrilled to come home with a box of 30 macarons filled with chocolate ganache and salted caramel. Of course I needed a little help from the girls with lifting trays and folding egg whites!

   I've decided to post a recipe from my drafts today. I made this cookie dough before my time out and put half of it in the freezer for a rainy day. Today may not be rainy but I'm definitely in the mood for a batch of home made cookies!

   Ginger and chocolate is one of my favourite flavour combinations. I'm not the most patient of home bakers, so love that Joy the Baker's recipe uses ginger preserve...saving me the need to fiddle with fresh ginger - something my tingly limbs would not be up to right now!

Chocolate and Ginger Cookies

(Makes a dozen, recipe adapted from Joy the Baker)

     2 cups plain flour

     1 teaspoon baking powder

     1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

     1/4 teaspoon salt

     8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

     2/3 cups golden caster sugar

     1 egg

     2 tablespoons milk

     1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

     1/4 cup Mackay's ginger preserve

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt.
• With a paddle attachment on a stand mixer, beat the butter on a medium speed until light and creamy.
• Add the egg and beat for 2 more minutes.
• Mix in the milk and vanilla in until just combined. 
• On a low speed, beat in the ginger preserve before finally adding all of the dry ingredients and mixing only until they are incorporated.
• Fold in some chocolate chips and left the dough to chill on a lined baking tray in the fridge for a few hours.
• I took a few scoops out of the dough and shaped into 5 medium sized cookies, and baked at 190 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes. I put the rest of the dough in a sandwich bag in the freezer to save for a rainy day cookie emergency.

Custard Creams & Bourbons

   There's nothing better than a good British biscuit. I can't hide my fondness for a good hot brew and a biscuit to dunk. But then again, who isn't fond of a good dunk?

   I got the best gift ever, biscuit moulds! Clearly someone knows me very well! I tried out the custard cream and bourbon ones this evening but still have jammy dodger ones to try.

Custard Creams
(Makes 16-20 biscuits)
     225g plain flour
     50g custard powder
     30g icing sugar
     175g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
     1/2 tsp vanilla extract
     50g unsalted butter, room temperature
     200g icing sugar
     2 tbsp custard powder

• Pulse the flour, custard powder and icing sugar in a mixer until well combined.
• Add in the butter and vanilla extract and continue to pulse until the mixture begins to come together.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge, or until firm.
• Take a small ball and press into the moulds, turn out onto a lined baking tray.
• Chill for a further 15 minutes, heat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
• To make the filling, beat the butter until soft and creamy, approximately 5 minutes.
• Slowly incorporate the icing sugar and custard powder and continue to beat until smooth.
• Once the biscuits are completely cool, use a spoon of the filling to sandwich two biscuits together.

Bourbons

(Makes 16-20 biscuits)

Follow the recipe for custard creams and substitute the custard powder with cocoa powder.

   The bourbons came out of the moulds much easier than the custard creams as the dough was a lot shorter. Perhaps a little tweaking to the recipe is required for optimum mould shaping.

Peanut Butter Spelt Cookies

    Recently I've been aware that I should start thinking of ways to lessen my dependence on sugar. I've got to a stage where if I open a pack of biscuits, I will eat the whole lot. If I open a bar of Dairy Milk, I will eat the whole lot...and I'm talking about a big bar, daily! 

   I can't pretend to know a whole lot about refined sugars vs. naturally occurring sugars. But, I'd like to think that baking with naturally sweet ingredients can be just as tasty. I'd like to be a little more aware of ingredients and to have the knowledge to chose the healthier option - not always, of course! I love a treat from my favourite Bea's or the odd bar of Dairy Milk.

   I searched online for some cookie recipes that used ingredients I already had in the cupboard. I'm not very good at using up things, especially as the first time I've ever had tahini was in halva flapjacks I made recently. What else am I meant to use it for? So when I came across this recipe on Sweetest Kitchen, I got my apron on straight away and got mixing.

   These cookies use wholegrain spelt flour which is known as being much easier for your body to digest than regular flour due to its high water solubility. Its also rich in fibre, protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. I've only ever baked with spelt twice before, some bread and lemony hazelnut and blueberry muffins, so after baking these cookies I'm excited to try it in more recipes.

Peanut butter spelt cookies

(Adapted from Sweetest Kitchen)

     195g wholegrain spelt flour

     1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

     1 tsp sea salt

     185g natural peanut butter

     60g hulled tahini

     50g pure maple syrup

     60g margarine

     1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

     Few drops of almond milk

     Handful of unsalted peanuts

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
• Mix the spelt flour, bicarbonate of soda and sea salt in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl combine the peanut butter, tahini, maple syrup, margarine and vanilla extract.
• Pour the peanut butter mixture into the flour mixture and fold to combine.
• I added a few drops of almond milk to help combine the mixture and added some peanuts to add crunch to the cookies.
• Drop small rounded balls of dough onto the baking tray and give a little squish with your palm to flatten.
• Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until slightly soft. They will harden as they cool.

As I love salt and sweet flavour combinations I decided to top these with a drizzle of melted cacao...not as bad as my usual slab of Dairy Milk!

   If anyone has any healthy recipes to recommend then I'd love to try? How shall I use the rest of my spelt flour and tahini?

Custard Creams

My favourite biscuit of all time. And to celebrate my new Nikki McWilliams biscuit cushion, I baked some.

I've baked them before so you can find my recipe here. This time I didn't go for pink hearts though.

If anyone knows where I can get some biscuit cutters to make official looking custard creams then please let me know. I'd love to bake some giant ones like the ones Costa sell.

Is it bad that I could want every biscuit cushion by Nikki? If I did, I'd be one step closer to living in my dream house, a gingerbread one!