Mini Egg Cookies

Cookies are the perfect treat for everyone of all ages and during all occasions.  I have wanted about learning to bake the perfect large cookies for months, just like those that you find in supermarket bakeries. I thought what a more perfect time to learn than Easter weekend.  These were delicious and turned out exactly how I'd hoped so I thought I would share the recipe. 

Ingredients 

• 160g unsalted butter (if using salted butter then don't add additional salt)
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 75g white sugar 
• 1+1/2 tsp baking power 
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 
• 1 egg 1/2 tsp salt 
• 300g plain flour
• 100g chopped up dairy milk chocolate bar 
• Around 250g mini eggs (200g chopped, 50g whole)
• Vanilla extract (optional)

Method 

1. Cream together the butter (softened) and both the brown and white sugar in a bowl before adding in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Sieve in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt to the wet mixture and beat until a dough is formed.
3. Add in the mini eggs and dairy milk chocolate pieces and mix to make sure they are evenly spread throughout the dough/mixture. 
4. Separate the dough into 115g pieces and roll them into balls with using your hands. 
5. Place the balls on a tray and put them in the freezer for 30-60 minutes. 
6. Once chilled, pre-head the oven and place the balls onto a tray covered with baking / greaseproof paper. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for around 12-15 minutes. It is best to do 4 cookies per tray so they don't stick together. 
7. Once baked you can either eat them warm and soft or leave them to cool down and become crispier. 

Lemon and almond cookies

Here is the recipe for my mini lemon and almond cookies.  These are light, little round biscuits - perfect as snacks or to offer to guests with some tea or coffee. 

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
• 1 + 1/2 cup of plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 4 tbs lemon juice (preferably fresh)
• 1 egg yolk 
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup icing sugar 
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

Method 

1. Cream together the sugar, coconut oil, egg and egg yolk and lemon juice. 
2. Mix in flour, salt, baking powder and almonds into the wet mixture and form a ball.
3. Cover the bowl with the ball of dough and place in the freezer for 20 minutes. 
4. Use your hands to warm chunks of the dough and form it into cookie dough balls.
5. Dip the cookie dough balls into sieved icing sugar and then place on an oven tray lined with baking / grease proof paper. 
6. Bake for around 12-15 minutes. 
7. Mix together some lemon juice and icing sugar and drizzle over the top once finished baking. For a thicker consistency, keep adding more icing sugar. 

Butternut squash and roasted garlic pasta sauce

This recipe creates a simple and healthy pasta sauce.  This recipe can also be used to make soup by simply adding more cream or water whilst blending. 

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash (diced) 
• 1 white onion (chopped in half) 
• Handful of fresh garlic cloves 
• Single cream
• Fresh rosemary 
• Salt and pepper 
• Olive oil 

Method 

1. Roast the diced butternut and onion on a baking tray after drizzling in olive oil.  Roast together with the fresh garlic and rosemary for around 25 minutes.  If you like you can also roast some chopped mushrooms as they go so well with this dish. 
2. In the meantime boil some pasta. 
3. Once the veggies have roasted, let them cool slightly before adding the onion, butternut, garlic and rosemary to a blender. 
4. Once blended, add in some single cream, some pasta water and some more salt to taste and blend again.  It is up to you what consistency you like.  If I am just having this as a soup I'll add more cream and for a sauce I'll add less and keep it thick 
5. Finally, mix the sauce with the pasta add your roasted mushrooms, parmesan and basil. 

Roasted chickpea salad

This recipe is a very simple go-to salad recipe that can be enjoyed as a meal or as a side dish.  It can also be adapted with whatever salad veggies you like.

To create this salad simply roast a can of chickpeas (preferably on parchment paper so that they don't stick) for roughly 30 minutes until crunchy, shaking them half way through.  

Before roasting them, cover them in the following:

• A tiny bit of olive oil
• Garlic granules
• Onion salt
• Smoked paprika 
• Salt and pepper  
• Chilli flakes 
• Powdered cumin

These chickpeas will go with almost any salad of your choice.  I kept mine quite simple and went for lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion and avocado.  You can also add a squeeze of lemon over the top. 

Cinnamon roll recipe

Supposedly cinnamon rolls are a winter treat, however I love to enjoy them all year round and so I couldn't wait to learn to make them myself.  There are so many different ways of making these so feel free to amend my recipe however you like or let me know if you have any tips.  

Ingredients: 

• 300g self raising flower 
• 70g butter (preferably unsalted)
• 2 egg yolks 
• 130ml full fat milk 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 2 tbs caster sugar 

Filling: 

• 30g melted butter 
• 50g brown sugar 
• 2 tbs caster sugar 
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder

Icing:

• 60g icing sugar 
• 1 tbs soft/cream cheese 
• 1 tbs butter (also preferably unsalted)
• 1/2 vanilla extract (optional) 
• (you can also simply mix icing sugar with a few drops of water for a thinner icing)

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon and sugar) together in a large bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl, mix or whisk together the egg yolks and the butter and then add into the dry flour mixture to create a dough.  If you are using yeast instead of self raising flour then leave the dough to sit for at least 30 minutes. 
3. Sprinkle flour over a dry surface, place the dough on the surface and roll it out into a rectangle shape. 
4. In a separate bowl again, mix together all of the ingredients for the filling and spread the sugary paste evenly over the top of the rolled out dough. 
5. Once covered, roll up the dough into a long Swiss roll and use a piece of thread or floss to cut into even slices.  You can do this by placing the edge of the roll onto the string and pulling the string in opposite directions over the top.  This creates a clean cut and prevents the dough from being flattened by being pushed down on with a knife. 
6.  Cover a cake or brownie tin in butter and place the rolls inside. 
7. Bake for around 25-30 minutes at 180 degrees. 
8. Whilst the rolls are baking, prepare the icing by combining all of the icing ingredients, sifting in the icing sugar and adding drops of hot water until it reaches the desired consistency.  Drizzle over the rolls once they have have finished baking.