This is officially the first recipe that I ever wrote and published…Big Shout out to my patient friend Anton who very kindly took all of these amazing photos whilst hanging out with me back in March this year; as he just wants to help me with my creative process but had to put up with me doing a rubbish Jamie Oliver impression.
This recipe was published in my school paper at the age of 15 when, probably the best English Teacher I’ve ever had (not including my aunt who is an English Teacher) asked me to complete a piece of original writing where you write 1,500 words about something you love…
I wrote a piece about cooking a dinner party for my parents and their friends, laying the table, serving it to them and my feelings of unparalleled joy that it brought me. It won a prize, it was 3,500 words long and it was all written by hand.
After that Magnus Opus, he would occasionally ask me to contribute to the school paper, his reasoning being that if you write about things that you’re passionate about it will only ever seem like an enjoyable process, I guess those were wise words from Mr McLachlan. Here I am almost 20 years later doing the same thing, clearly I’m quick learner [sic]
I have in recent months scaled back my baking because of my desire to try and live a slightly healthier life, which feels a little silly as all things are relative with diet. But also, because I have a dairy allergy and it’s hard to bake without the use of dairy. It’s not impossible and this recipe works very well with Soya spread substituted into it, if you’re interested...
The base recipe is very quick to make and super versatile; I have highlighted this as the first steps of the recipe you have 5 variation recipes in total to choose from; They are not a traditionally gooey Cookie recipe, but I think the texture is perfect and super enjoyable with a cup of tea.
Chocolate Chip, Pecan & Macadamia Nut (pics)
Spices and Cherries for Christmas Cookies - I have linked this to the Insta post of these particular cookies...
Mixed Peel, Lemon Zest & Poppy Seed for a lighter tasting version
Classic with Dark Chocolate Chips – feel free to swap out the Dark w/ Milk & White too
If you really want one that divides opinion, throw some Raisins and Oats into the base recipe - Raisins & Sultanas are the dessert equivalent of Marmite in my experience…
I initially started making them this year to keep up with TBH’s desire for all the things sweet, chocolatey & sugar based as the cravings amped up towards the final weeks before Rufus's birth. I certainly feel that these kind of biscuits, when made at home are an important way of understanding and respecting the food you are putting into your body. High amounts of Sugar aren’t a smart way to eat but there are a lovely treat and something to be enjoyed in a balanced diet and these will certainly be something I make for the little man when he is old enough to appreciate them and something I will be giving as presents this Christmas because they are that good!
If you want a workout, make these by hand with a wooden spoon, I used my stand mix in the pictures and it takes less than 30 mins start to finish to make
BASE RECIPE:
115g Butter, Room Temperature
230g Golden Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
Pinch of Salt
285g Plain Flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Vanilla Paste or Extract
Pre Heat your oven to 180°c and cut your greaseproof paper for your trays.
Cream the butter, sugar & salt together until pale
Add the eggs one at a time on high speed, ensure they are well incorporated
Sift the Flour and Bicarbonate into the Mix and mix with a spatula initially to avoid giving the Kitchen an ‘Escobar Shower’
Add all of your Additions and mix fully
Spoon a golf ball size amount onto a tray and give them a decent amount of space to expand, probably 10-12 per tray.
You can, when shaping them for the trays, wet your hands with a little water and you can roll the batter into balls. This will help with portion control and ensure your hand aren't too sticky at the end.
Bake for 11 minutes – and let it cool for 5 minutes before tucking in!!
Chocolate Chip, Pecan & Macadamia Nut Biscuits – Makes 28
1 Orange Zested
100g Pecan Nuts, pre-toasted & coarsely chopped
50g Macadamia Nuts, pre-toasted & coarsely chopped
125g Dark Choc Chips
125g White Choc Chips
Christmas Cookies – Makes 24
5g Cinnamon
5g Nutmeg
5g Ginger
3g Turmeric
Few Twists of Fresh Ground Black Pepper
20 Glace Cherries – Cut in ½ and popped into the middle of each cookie, looks like a red nose when you bake it…You can refer to them as Rudolph Cookies for the Kids…
Mixed Peel, Lemon Zest & Poppy Seed – Makes 24
150g Mixed Peel
2 Lemons Zested
30g Poppy Seed
Classic with Dark Choc Chips – Makes 24
300g Chocolate Chips – You can 100g of Dark, White & Milk if you’re feeling fancy / want to have some colour variations
Raisin & Oats – Makes 28
200g Raisins – soaked in 200ml of Warmed Apple Juice (this will need to be done an hour before use, strain off the liquid before putting into the Base Recipe)
100g Porridge Oats
3g Cinnamon
½ Orange Zested
Happy eating and feasting, All the best
Goose