These cookies are a real favourite of mine at the moment - they make brilliant gifts or a nice little treat for yourself! The cookie is deliciously light and chewy and works really well with the cherry jam, creating almost a Bakewell flavour. Be warned, these are highly addictive!
Makes 10-12 cookies
You will need:
300g butter
250g golden caster sugar
450g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla paste
2 eggs
Large pinch of salt
Jam!
Begin by creaming the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in a bowl until nice and fluffy. Then whisk in the eggs until well combined. Gradually stir in the flour and baking powder. Form into a dough then wrap in cling and chill for 1 hour in the fridge.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 degrees / gas 4. Roll out the dough out into your desired thickness (mine were around 1/4 inch thick. Cut around 24 circle rounds, then using a small heart or star cutter, cut the middle out of half the rounds.
Place the cookies on a lined baking tray and bake for 9 mins until just cooked through. Leave to cool completely then spoon a teaspoon of jam on the full circle rounds. Dust the top cutout cookie with icing sugar and gently place over the top of the other jam filled cookie. Serve and enjoy!
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Flora's Kitchen Stories
Monday, February 26, 2018
Mains
This recipe is one of my favourite things to make in the winter as it's so so easy to make yet really flavoursome, wholesome and packed full of goodness. You can add in whatever vegetables or even meat you like, but personally I really like the aubergine / tomato / spinach combo. This curry isn't overly spicy, but packs a really nice hum of heat (obviously feel free to add another chilli if you like hotter curries). Serve with brown rice and lots of fresh coriander. I usually make a giant batch of this and freeze half for emergencies.
Serves 4
You will need:
2 aubergines
100g spinach
250g cherry tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
1 large onion, diced
200ml chicken / veg stock
1 red chilli, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
1 lime, juiced
2 lemongrass, diced
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp turmeric
8 curry leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
large handful parsley, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
brown rice, to serve
Begin by preheating your oven to 200 degrees / gas 6. Slice up the aubergines into chunks and place on a lined baking tray with 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes. In the meantime, make the curry paste by placing the onion, chilli, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, nutmeg, turmeric and parsley and blitzing until a chunky paste forms. Begin cooking your rice according to package instructions.
Heat the remaining tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan and then add in the curry paste. Fry off the curry paste over a medium heat for 5 minutes then add in the coconut milk, stock and tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes until the curry starts to thicken. Add in the roasted aubergine and spinach with plenty of salt and pepper and the lime juice. Heat until the spinach has wilted down then serve with brown rice. Enjoy!
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Flora's Kitchen Stories
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Baking
I make no secret of the fact that I am a little bit of a cookie fiend, almost all of which usually contain butter and dairy. However, I have a few new colleagues who are dairy free, so this recipe came about as I wanted to bring in cookies that were just as indulgent as my normal cookies but without the butter and chocolate. These cookies tick all the boxes - they are sweet and packed full of flavour and texture. The real secret to these guys is blending up some raisins with water to form a paste...trust when I say the end result is a beautifully chewy cookie.
Makes 8 - 10 cookies
You will need:
125ml sunflower oil
125g light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g plain flour
75g oats
1 tsp baking powder
125g raisins
1 pinch salt
4 tbsp water
Begin by blending 50g raisins with the water to form a rough paste. Add the paste into a large mixing bowl with the sunflower oil, light brown sugar, egg and vanilla then mix until the mixture comes together. Stir in the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and remaining raisins so that a dough forms. Place the bowl in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so that the dough can firm up.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200 degrees / gas 6. Shape the dough into 8 - 10 equal cookies and place on a lined baking tray. Bake for 12 minutes until golden and aromatic. Leave to cool for 5 minutes so that the cookies firm up a little then serve and enjoy!
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Flora's Kitchen Stories
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Bread
I seem to be in a bit of a cinnamon bun funk at the moment and I think it's fair to say that it's starting to get a little bit obsessive! There is something just so comforting and nostalgic about tucking into a warm cinnamon bun on a cold winter's day. Now, London is really blessed to have an amazing selection of bakeries that sell authentic cinnamon buns (my favourites are the Nordic Bakery, Ole & Steen and Aster), but I decided to come up with an easy overnight recipe that you can make in the comfort of your home and enjoy as a weekend breakfast treat without even having to get out of your pyjamas! The beauty of these guys is that you leave them in the fridge overnight which slows the proving process, and then only have to prove and bake in the morning. The end result is that you get such incredibly fresh, warm, gooey, fluffy and sweet cinnamon rolls of goodness first thing in the morning...it's a win win situation. I add in a little bit of rye flour to add texture and a delicious nuttiness, but if you're not a rye fan just use all plain flour.

1 tsp ground cardamom (10 pods)
100g softened butter + 2 tbsp for topping
1.5 heaped tbsp ground cinnamon
Begin by gently heating the milk until warmed through (I usually get to the temperature of a warm bath). Then, stir in the yeast and honey and leave to sit for 5 minutes until frothy. In the meantime, add the flours, salt and cardamom into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the milk mixture along with the melted butter and eggs and mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 5 mins, or knead by hand for 10 mins until the dough becomes smooth and springy.
Then place back in the mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle and spread the softened butter over. Then mix together the light brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the butter. Gently roll the rectangle into a long log and then cut into 10-12 rolls. Place the rolls in a large greaseproof paper lined roasting tin with even spacing between each other. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight.
In the morning preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Remove the roasting tin from the fridge and leave covered to get to room temperature for 1 hour. When you are ready to bake, brush the buns generously with melted butter then bake for 20 until golden and aromatic. Whilst the buns are in the oven, make the glaze by boiling the water, sugar and lemon juice together for 5 mins until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is starting to thicken. Remove the rolls from the oven and generously drizzle over the glaze. Serve warm and enjoy!
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Soup is not something I make very often, but all of this cold weather had me craving a big bowl of warm nourishing homemade soup. This particular recipe was the happy outcome of needing to use up lots of leftover greens from the fridge and was a delicious success! The courgette and spinach give the soup amazing colour and depth of flavour, and the peas and coconut cream add a really delicious sweetness. This soup takes all of 20 minutes to make and is packed full of all kinds of goodness. Serve warm with crusty bread.
Serves 4
You will need:
2 onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 leek, diced
200g courgettes, diced
1 potato, diced
300g frozen peas
200g spinach
1 large bunch parsley
1 tbsp vegetable boullion
1 litre water
150ml coconut cream
salt + pepper
Begin by gently frying the onions, garlic and leek in a large saucepan with some salt for around 5 minutes or so, until starting to soften. Add in the courgette and potato and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until starting to colour. Stir through peas, parsley and spinach, then pour in the water and vegetable bouillon. Season well then stir and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes become nice and tender. Then, blitz the whole mixture in a blender until a chunky soup forms. Pour back into the saucepan and bring back to a simmer. Stir through the coconut cream, season well and serve with plenty of crusty buttered bread. Enjoy!

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Flora's Kitchen Stories
Thursday, February 08, 2018
Pasta
Pasta has been just about the only thing getting me through this freezing weather. This carbonara is a real favourite to make at the moment, as it's ridiculously quick to put together after a long day at work and is a really hearty, flavourful dish. I love adding mushrooms and spinach to this for extra goodness and flavour. Make sure you buy good quality eggs and cheese, as they really are the star of this dish!
Serves 2
You will need:
250g fusilli pasta
2 eggs
100g grated parmesan
100g smoked bacon lardons
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
150g spinach
1 garlic clove, minced
large handful chopped parsley, to dress
Begin by whisking the eggs in a small bowl with the grated cheese and plenty of pepper. Fry the bacon lardons until starting to brown, then add in the mushrooms and garlic and fry for a further 2-3 minutes until lovely and aromatic.
In the meantime, cook your pasta (you will need to cook for around 2 minutes less than the packet instructions as the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce). Add the spinach into the mushroom mixture and allow to wilt. Then drain the pasta and pour straight into the mushroom sauce with a cup of the starchy pasta water. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the egg mixture, ensuring you stir well. Once the sauce has thickened up nicely, season well with salt and pepper. Serve with plenty of freshly grated cheese, chopped parsley and pepper. Enjoy!
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Chicken caesar salad is one of my favourite dishes to treat myself to at a restaurant, however up until now I had never actually tried to make myself. This recipe is ridiculously quick and easy to make and a million times more flavourful than any of the shop bought caesar dressings you can buy, so there is now no excuse for me to keep this dish as a restaurant only indulgence! The combination of the crisp chicken, smooth avocado, crunchy lettuce, bacon and croutons and silky garlic dressing is an absolute marriage made in heaven.
P.S. Add anchovies according to taste...I personally don't like them whole, however feel free to add them in as your taste so desires!
Serves 2
You will need:
2 chicken breasts
2 cos lettuces, sliced
1 avocado, diced
100g smoked bacon lardons
2 slices good bread, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 sprig rosemary
salt and pepper
Dressing:
2 egg yolks
100g pecorino / parmesan, grated
4 anchovy fillets
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp mustard
1 lemon, juiced
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Begin by preheating the oven to 200 degrees / gas 4. Place the chicken on a lined baking sheet with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 25 minutes until nicely golden. Place the diced bread on another lined baking tray with the olive oil, rosemary and plenty of salt and pepper. Toss everything together so that the oil evenly coats the bread and bake for 10-15 minutes crisp. Leave to cool.
Fry off the bacon lardons until nice and crispy. In the meantime, make the dressing by adding the anchovies, lemon juice, egg yolks, lemon juice and mustard to a food processor. Pulse a few times so that the anchovies start to break up. Then keep the blender running and drizzle in the olive oil so that the dressing thickens slightly. Pour into a small bowl and mix through the cheese.
Add the lettuce leaves to a large mixing bowl and using your hands gently mix through 3/4 of the dressing, ensuring the leaves are evenly coated. Plate the lettuce then top with the avocado, bacon, sliced chicken and croutons. Top with plenty of pepper and enjoy!
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