Credit – debit, credit – debit. Oatmeal – fudge, oatmeal – fudge. Life is one long compromise. Like ordering a Diet Coke with your Big Mac, these cookies are almost neutral through their combination of virtuous oatmeal and sinful chocolate fudge.
The friend I made these for swears they’ve helped her (these are her words) not kill her partner. They’re having to do a lot of compromising at the moment you see. Food, relationships, just one long compromise. These are the cookies to help.
All comments gratefully received. I love reading them.
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and find 2 baking sheets. Mix the dry ingredients together and then rub in the butter until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency. They add the milk until the mixture comes together in a ball. Cut the fudge bars into 8 equal pieces and then take a piece of cookie dough about the size of a small plum. Squash, pop the fudge in the centre and then wrap the dough around the fudge until it sits in the middle. Roll between your palms until the cookie is smooth and sphere like and place on your baking sheet. Then squash a little so the top is just flattened. Repeat until all the dough is used, placing about 3 cm apart – these don’t spread like some cookies. I made 15 and had 1 piece of fudge left over perfect for my son to gobble up.
Bake for 20 minutes until just golden and starting to crack on the top. Allow to cool and enjoy with a chaser of compromise.
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
Never work with children or animals? Pah! We had a great time making these Easter biscuits. In fact I’d say I might have had more fun than Audrey, Sienna, Joe and Benjamin. For me the most important thing to remember for baking with kids is to be well prepared (as in don’t leave finding the baking trays until you already have the snakes and dinosaurs made) as kids don’t have huge amounts of patience.
Also to choose recipes that are quick to make, quick to bake and are ready to eat before the end of the baking playdate. There’s nothing worse than a 4 year old being told their baking booty isn’t ready to eat until the next day. This biscuit dough is very forgiving so hot little hands who want to squish and re-roll can happily do so. Oh and the lemon flavour isn’t too overwhelming either so perfect for if your little one is fussy. Makes a fair few… depends whether you’re a snake person or a dinosaur person.
Oh and there’s a video too featuring lots of cute kids and cute biscuits. You can watch it here or just click on the film below.
All comments gratefully received. I love reading them.
a few dried cranberries, sliced thinly, for tongues
white silver pearls, for eyes
chocolate drops, raisins or sprinkles to decorate (optional)
Beat together the butter and sugar until light and smooth. Stir in the egg with a tablespoon of the flour. Stir in the remaining flour, baking powder and lemon zest and mix until fully combined. Roll small pieces of dough into shapes with your hands to make animals from snakes to butterflies to snails to dinosaurs and decorate with the cranberry slivers and pearls. Pop on baking trays and leave to harden up in the fridge for 30 minutes – this stops the biscuits from spreading too much. In the meantime preheat the oven to 180ºC, fan 160ºC, gas 4 and then bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly golden. Leave to cool completely before moving from the baking trays.
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
Fish, SnacksComments Off on Cream cheese, smoked salmon & cucumber sandwich filling
There is nothing but nothing more quintessentially English than a dainty sandwich with all the crusts removed. This filling is a great way to make expensive ingredients like smoked salmon go that little bit further. It’s also hugely refreshing. That’ll be the cucumber.
All comments gratefully received. Here are some Eastery recipes you might like too:
Cream cheese, smoked salmon and cucumber sandwich filling
Ingredients:
250g cream cheese
200g smoked salmon cut into strips
Half a cucumber with the centre removed, grated, sprinkled in salt and left in a sieve for 30 mins to drip any excess moisture away
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
For Kitchen Aid users: Mix everything together using the flat beater until really light and creamy. Then spread onto white bread and remove the crusts for afternoon tea sandwiches. (For non KA users: beat the cream cheese until light and creamy using a mixer/wooden spoon, then add the other ingredients and beat until well combined.)
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
Pastry, VeggieComments Off on Cherry tomato, onion and basil quiche
The winter has dragged on for far too long. Too much illness and coughing and central heating switched on. Let’s coax the summer out with this sunny quiche recipe. You could add anything you like in terms of flavour – try adding cheese or bacon or mushrooms – just remember to remove some of the other ingredients so the filling doesn’t all spill out over the top. You of course always need the eggs and cream. They’re the base to carry everything else.
All comments gratefully received. Here are some Eastery recipes you might like too:
Kitchen Aid instructions: Use the flat beater to make the flour and butter into breadcrumbs. Add black pepper and then on speed 1 add icy cold water until the pastry JUST comes together. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour. (Or rub the fat in to the flour, add pepper and add icy cold water until pastry just comes together.)
Line a 23cm quiche tin with a loose bottom with the pastry, rolling to about 3mm thick. Trim the edges (roll a rolling pin over the top for a quick way to do this) and chill or freeze if possible for another 30 minutes. Then pop greaseproof paper into the shell, fill with baking beans or uncooked rice and bake in a preheated 200C/Gas 6 oven for 20 minutes. Then remove the beans and paper and bake for another 10 minutes until the bottom of the pastry shell is fully cooked.
Then add the other ingredients (whisked together with a fork) into the shell and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown and well set. Leave to cool on a wire rack and serve with fresh basil.
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
2.5 leaves of gelatine soaked in cold water for 30 mins
180g vanilla sponge cake cut into 1 inch pieces
4 tbsp elderflower liqueur/cordial
300g raspberries, slightly mashed
500mls cold custard
600mls whipped cream with 2 tbsp elderflower liqueur added
Make the elderflower jelly by heating the cordial to boiling point in a saucepan and adding the gelatine leaves (squeezed of water) then stirring until dissolved. Add 150mls cold water then leave to cool a little.
Place the cake sponge in the bottom of a trifle bowl and pour over the 4 tbsp liqueur/cordial. Then cover with the raspberries leaving a few out for decorating. Pour the jelly over the top and then pop in the fridge to set. Once set pour the cold custard over the top, allow to level and pop back in the fridge. Whip the double cream and liqueur to medium peaks using the wire whisk attachment in your Kitchen Aid (or with a whisk) and then spoon over the top of the custard and add raspberries.
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
This is an unashamedly girly cake. Pink buttercream, soft and moussey, used to sandwich an innocent vanilla sponge and crowned with tart raspberries. Perfect for a birthday, an afternoon tea or a summer party. Just add pink fizz and the Barbie horror is complete!
All comments gratefully received. Here are some Eastery recipes you might like too:
For Kitchen Aid: Mix all the ingredients together using the flat beater until light and creamy – takes about 4 minutes. Pour into two greased and lined round tins and bake in a preheated oven at 180C/Gas 4 for 20 – 25 minutes until well risen and golden brown. A toothpick should come out of the centre clean. Cool on a wire rack and remove from the tins once you’re able to stand the heat. (Non KA users use the all in one method and combine with your mixer/wooden spoon until light and creamy.)
Ingredients – buttercream
200g soft salted butter
400g icing sugar
2 tbsp rose extract/water
Pink food colouring
Instructions for Kitchen Aid: Use the flat beater to cream the butter until soft and light – about 4 minutes. Then add the icing sugar spoon by spoon, mixing on a low speed until all incorporated, add the rose extract. Then beat on high for 7 minutes until the buttercream looks like mousse – flecked with air bubbles. Add food colouring if you wish then use to sandwich the cakes together. Place more buttercream on the top and use 300g raspberries to decorate. NB – I decided against raspberries as I rather liked the rose swirls. These are easy to pipe with a Wilton 1M nozzle by doing a reverse Mr Whippy. Start in the middle and work out, taking the pressure off as you come to the end. (Non KA users be prepared for using a lot of elbow grease! Use a wooden spoon or other mixer and beat until you have a mousse like buttercream.)
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
Can I moan a little first? This Easter is yet another holiday that has been ruined by illness. So far the boys have had ear infections, viral infections and now one has chicken pox. Seriously, I for one have had enough of this nonsense, let alone them poor little mites. I know this is not in any way related to this Easter recipe but I need someone to listen. Even if it’s virtual. I’ve been in confinement with illness and bugs for too long… so my dear parents came over today and I made these. Sanity restored.
Enough whinging. So here she is, my grand dame of Easter recipes. I give you my white chocolate and cranberry hot cross buns. Well worth the wait and various stages.
All comments gratefully received. Here are some other Eastery recipes you might like too:
Egg wash made from an egg with a pinch of salt stirred in
‘Cross’ paste made from 70g strong white flour mixed to a pipeable but stiff paste with cold water
Glaze made from boiling 60mls water with 50g caster sugar
Okay. Here we go. Mix together the flour, yeast, salt, olive oil and caster sugar until everything is evenly distributed. Then add the warm milk and mix again. Then add the egg, beaten and mix again. Now you need to knead until shiny and elastic – probably about 10 minutes by hand or about 4 in a mixer. I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer as this is a VERY sticky dough – it’s enriched with milk and eggs which mean it’s hard work by hand. It isn’t impossible but I am just warning you. A dough scraper might be useful if you do do this by hand. And remove all rings.
Once shiny and elastic (but still sticky) cover in clingfilm and leave to double in size. Once doubled add the clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Mix well whilst knocking back the dough then scrape onto a floured work surface and divide the dough into as many pieces as you wish to make buns. I managed 11 oddly.
Flour a baking tray lightly and then take your piece of dough, dip it in a little of the flour on the work surface so it doesn’t stick to your hands – then squash it in your hand and pull the edges into the middle, like you’re folding something exciting into the centre. Pinch these edges together and then place the bun pinched side down on the tray. Continue until all the dough is used and leave about a 1cm space between each bun. Cover loosely in clingfilm and leave to proof until double the size.
Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Make the flour paste for the crosses by mixing 70g strong white flour with a little water until you have a stiff paste. It needs to be pipeable but not too thin that it drips down the buns. Once the buns are double the size brush them in egg wash then pipe a cross onto each bun. The buns will be touching by now through the proofing process so it’s actually easier to pipe along all the buns in one direction and then turn the tray and do the same – rather than pipe each cross individually. Pop into the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes but keep an eye on them as enriched doughs, especially ones with sugar in, have a tendency to burn easily. Also your buns might be bigger or smaller than mine so will likely have a different baking time. They’re done when browned and risen.
Whilst they’re baking make the glaze by boiling 60g water with 50g caster sugar. Had I thought about it at the time I might have added a little orange water or even lemon juice to this mixture but I didn’t. When the buns are ready grab them from the oven and brush with the still warm glaze. Beware using too much as it makes for soggy bun bottoms by dripping under the buns and pooling on the baking tray. When cool enough to touch pull the buns apart and transfer to a rack. Eat slightly warm with chocolate spread or toasted with salted butter. Or in bread and butter pudding.
You can totally substitute different chocolates/dried fruits/spices etc – let me know if you do and how it turned out? Happy Easter! x
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
Making fresh pasta is a bit like crafting with kids. You think it’ll be too much of a pain in the backside, probably messy and so you either don’t do it or let someone else do it for you. Then when you take the plunge and have a go you realise that it’s not that messy and the smiles are more than worth the effort.
This is a very bog standard recipe that you can adapt however you so wish…. add herbs, spinach, tomato paste, pepper, spices etc. The world is your pasta oyster.
All comments gratefully received. Here are some Eastery recipes you might like too as it’s that time of year:
I’m not going to lie, I don’t make pasta by hand. I am time poor and very greedy so if I want fresh pasta which is oh so much better than the dried stuff (in my opinion and my 4 year olds too) I use my stand mixer with the pasta attachment. (It’s a Kitchen Aid for those who might ask.)
I use the flat beater to beat all the ingredients together, then once combined use the dough hook to knead for about 7 -8 minutes at speed 4. I pop the cover onto the mixer when I do this as the dough can get quite feisty. Then I wrap it in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 1 hour to relax.
Once suitably relaxed I push the pasta into the Kitchenaid Short Pasta Maker and then cut the pieces off as dictated by my sons using the wire part of the attachment – I put a clean tea towel underneath to catch the pasta treasure and then use it to chuck the lot into a pan of salted boiling water once we’ve made enough. Takes 3 -4 minutes to cook and is adored by all who eat it.
My smaller son is more impatient and prefers short stubby bits of pasta and the older one likes to watch the pasta pushing through the press and so we have longer snake like pasta. Every man or child to their own pasta preference.
P.S. To dry the pasta leave it overnight, not touching each other, on a clean tea towel then bag up in the morning. Makes an excellent birthday gift for a friend. Or just nice to have in the cupboard. Pic is fresh pasta dried and bagged in case you’re wondering.
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
Most of the time I don’t want anyone to mess with my Cadbury creme egg. Oh no siree. I want it plain and unadulterated. A little tear of the foil with my fingernail, a timid peel, then a scramble to get the egg out; naked.
We all know the way you eat your egg says so much about you. Me? In the way I seem to approach everything in life, I start off trying to be demure – positively French about it in fact. Nibbling away in a ladylike fashion. Then the girl from the Midlands in me rises to the top and I shove the whole thing in my mouth. And then I reach for another. I’ve never been good at rationing.
So here I am messing with the mighty Cadbury creme egg. I think I’ll make an exception for this dessert though. It’s Eton mess without any Old Etonians or raspberries. I do love a raspberry, but it’s Easter so the creme egg rules.
All comments gratefully received. Here are some other Eastery recipes you might like too:
2 x 157g bag of Cadbury creme egg splats (if you can’t get hold of these use any milk chocolate broken up into messy pieces – this is about mess)
4 Cadbury creme eggs
Firstly imagine someone were carrying some eggs, whipped double cream and honeycomb in a large bag and then dropped it quite violently – this is the thought I am channeling to make this dessert. You need to make the honeycomb at least an hour ahead but when it comes to assembly this is a last minute thing. Honeycomb and moisture (like the moisture found in double cream) are not best pals. Honeycomb starts to go soggy quickly so assemble and serve. Luckily this is so quick and easy to assemble that shouldn’t be an issue. Oh and store your honeycomb in a tin and not in the fridge. The fridge makes it weep.
To make the honeycomb line a roasting pan with foil making sure it goes up the sides. Then melt the sugar, syrup and butter in a large saucepan on the hob for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Don’t stir – swirl the pan if bits of it are catching. And whatever you do, don’t touch the contents of the pan – it will get very very hot. Once golden brown add the bicarbonate of soda and stir quickly with a wooden spoon – it will fizz up. Then pour straight into the lined tin. Don’t bang the tin or touch the honeycomb as it is A & E hot. Put the pan in the sink and fill with hot water but stand back as it will fizz and spit a bit. Leave to set for a few hours then once cool either smash up with a rolling pin or whizz up in a food processor.
Now assemble your Cadbury creme egg mess. Layer honeycomb, Cadbury creme egg splats and whipped cream at least twice in a glass or sundae dish then top with a broken Cadbury creme egg and some honeycomb shards. Serve and sit back and enjoy, for Easter comes but once a year.
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
I’m a mum of 3 boys, a cookbook writer and also a finalist on the 2011 Great British Bake Off.
I’ve decided to record the recipes I use, partly to save them somewhere and partly in case someone else might like to use them...
[Read more]
Just sign up to receive my latest blog posts straight to your inbox: Simply click here.
P.S. To sign up for my free monthly newsletter just click here. It has a baking SOS, recommendations on bits of kit I can’t live without, my kitchen catastrophe of the month, a sneak preview of a recipe coming up on this blog and a letter from me telling you what I’ve been up to.
Remember to check your inbox for a confirmation email and also to add my email recipesfromanormalmum@gmail.com to your contacts. Otherwise I could go to spam.
Holly Bell 