Category Archive: Biscuits
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Lavender Shortbread – Prepped: Vanessa Kimbell
I am so glad I’ve finally made these – Have no idea what has taken me so long but they are fabulous. I have got to know Vanessa Kimbell through Twitter and had a lovely telephone chat about this time last year about her upcoming cook book, Prepped. Vanessa is a real foodie and like me, incredibly busy. She decided to change her life in a year, write a cookbook and see how it went. The idea of the book is that you can prepare one meal while preparing another meal for freezing at the same time. This is great for me, I always envision my freezer being full of ready cooked homemade meals but the reality is I barely get time to cook what we are eating that day. When the book arrived, it was just as beautiful as Vanessa had said. I’m a sucker for a bright pink cover but inside it is just as good. There are 11 different chapters sectioned into different foods. Eg Vanilla, Plum, Elderflower, Rhubarb. So far, I have cooked from the Chocolate (surprise!), Lemon and Lavender. The first thing I had to do was pour a drink – so I did with more »
Pina Colada Macarons – As seen on the Great British Bake Off
I went shopping for eggs yesterday and came back with the book to accompany the second series of the Great British Bake Off. Like millions of others around the country, I stop doing everything at 8pm on a Tuesday and settle down in front of the best hour of the TV week – I have become slightly obsessed with what Holly, Joanne, Mary-Ann etc are going to create. This week was the turn of biscuits which produced its fair share of disasters – I have to say I’ve had more than a few biscuit disasters of my own in my time, so this was quite refreshing to see. The grand finale of this week was to produce 120 macarons of 3 different flavours in 5 hours – One of the most successful contestants at this challenge was Jason who produced some Pina Colada Macarons. So off I went to my new book … and the recipe was there!!! It is now twenty to one and I have a belly full of Pina Colada Macarons and a kitchen full of washing up. (Guess who didn’t read that you have to eat them all on the same day?!) So how did I more »
TWD Coconut Butter Thins
Wow! These were amazing! Notice I said ‘were’ – They didnt last very long even though the recipe made loads. I wouldn’t ever think of putting coconut, macadamia nuts and ground coriander and lime together but it works. For the recipe see The Barefoot Kitchen Witch – Good choice Jayne! This was of course this week’s choice for the Tuesdays With Dorie baking group. A definite make-again and it didn’t seem to take too long to put together. Dorie says enjoy with a cuppa so I did! Next week Banana Creme Pie – Ugh! Can’t imagine anything worse – am going to have to find a substitute for Bananas … any ideas?
Madeleine Flavoured Blobs! TWD
Yes, I know they look nothing like traditional madeleines – I couldn’t find a tin anywhere (not even TK Maxx and they normally come up trumps for everything!) But me being me couldn’t leave the shop without buying at least one tin so voila! Madeleine flavoured blobs! This week’s choice of traditional madeleines (P167 Baking:From My Home to Yours) was from Tara from Smells Like Home. For once a recipe that doesn’t yield enough for the street and doesn’t cost a fortune (well, it wouldn’t if I didn’t buy a new tin every time I baked!) Results – Tasty but not earth-shattering – they just tasted like the remnants of cake I cut off celebration cakes each week to level them. Scores: I am on my own this week as they were so quick to make no-one is home from work/school yet – and I may eat them all before they get home! Taste: 8 out of 10 Ingredients: 10 out of 10 Ease to prepare: 9 out of 10 (Only took 9 mins in the oven but had to do Dorie’s signature chill in the fridge for 3 hours first!) Recipe follows below – I used Self-raising flour and more »
