I confess . . .  I am a weak woman.   Especially when it comes to food, and most especially when it comes to shortbread biscuits.

MOST especially when those shortbread biscuits are as simple, quick to make and as delicious as these Brown Sugar Shortbread biscuit are!


 

These are the perfect shortbread biscuits.  (Biscuits is what they call cookies over here.)  They are short and buttery, without being in the least bit oily or greasy . . . 

I think of all of the cookies I make, shortbreads are my absolute favourites.



They are crisp without being hard.  My husband doesn't like hard biscuits and I confess I don't really like my cookies too hard either.   

These have just the right amount of  crispness . . . crisp without being hard.



These are perfect for dunking. A good biscuit should be perfect for dunking don't you think?  I thought so!  

 Biscuits were made for dunking! I love a good biscuit dunk.

 

In regular or herbal teas . . .  in milk . . .  in those frothy cappuchino's . . . and hot chocolates.  These lovely biscuits would go well with all of those . . .



These are not too sweet . . .  with only a touch of brown sugar in the biscuit dough . . . and a scattering of demerara sugar for a bit of sweet crunch on top.    

 In short . . .  no pun intended . . .  these are fabulously moreish.  If you only bake one cookie this weekend, make it this one! 

Cream the butter together with the brown sugar until smooth and quite creamy.  Stir in the vanilla and salt until they are completely amalgamated.  Stir in the flour until combined.  Press firmly into the bottom of the prepared tart pan, without allowing it to go up the sides.  I use a piece of parchment paper to help press it down smoothly.  Prick all over with a fork.  Sprinkle the demerara sugar over top.





Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until deep golden brown.  Remove from the oven and immediately cut into 12 wedges using a pizza cutter, and then a small sharp knife to get all the way to the edges.   Allow to cool completely in the pan before removing the sides and lifting apart.   Store in an airtight container. 

The rain is bucketing down today.  It's not a great day to go out and do much of anything.  How fitting for the first day of the summer school holidays. I hope it's not a portent of things to come!

  

I had in my mind to make Friands today, but not just any friands . . .  raspberry and marshmallow friands.   I went to the shops and picked up some lovely fresh raspberries and a bag of pink and white mini marshmallows and got home only to discover I had no ground almonds.  I hate it when that happens. 

You might be forgiven if at first glance you were to over look this delightful quick bread.  It's not the prettiest crayon in the box, but be assured that first glances can be very deceiving, and you should never judge a book by it's cover.



Without it's party dress on, it looks very plain Jane indeed  . . .  except for those few teasing little wet and moist pockets of promise dotting the surface here and there  . . .



Dressed for the ball . . . it starts to look a bit more appealing and does catch the eye . . . inviting you to lean in and take a closer look.

 

A slice down into that sugar dusted surface and you get to the heart of the matter . . .  a moist and buttery tea loaf studded with lovely sweet/tart blackberries . . .  ribbons of fruitiness that get your taste buds to tingling in over time . . . is it possible?  Could this really taste as good as it looks????



The answer would be YES.  Absolutely. It does.  If anything . . .  it tastes even BETTER than it looks!  This is a great way to use up the last of last years blackberries you have in the freezer before you begin to replace them with this years crop.  Frozen berries are perfect for this.  Perfect.  Try it and see . . . but don't blame me if you fall in love.  It can't be helped.   Don't say I didn't warn you.




*Blackberry and Cinnamon Yogurt Loaf*

I was recently sent a few flavour extracts from the Nielsen-Massey Vanillas company to use in my baking.   I am no stranger to the Nielsen Massey line.  I have a drawer containing quite a few different ones, and of course their line of Vanilla products have been a favourite of mine for a number of years now.

Their most famous product is their Vanilla extract.  Started in 1907 in the United States, this family-owned business has gone from strength to strength. Want to know the secret of their super high quality? They use a cold-extraction process, slowly and gently extracting every bit of flavour from the beans, without harming them using heat.    They also have quite a variety of other pure extracts, including coffee, almond, chocolate, lemon, orange, peppermint, orange blossom and rose water.    I was sent a bottle each of the orange blossom, vanilla and rose water.

Like I said, I use the Vanilla all the time so there is nothing really new about that, but this was my first time using Rose Water or Orange Blossom Water.  If you are a fan of turkish delight you would already be familiar with the flavour of Rose Water as that is the predominant flavour in that lovely sweet treat.  

Sweet and fragrant Rose Water is an elegant steam distillate of rose petals. Its delicate floral notes are perfect in Middle Eastern, Indian and Greek cuisine and offer a wonderful accent to delicate French pastry glazes and creams. In addition to pairing well with vanilla, cream, white and dark chocolate and mild cheeses such as Brie or cream cheese, this water blends nicely with fruits like strawberry, raspberry, lychee and mango. Rose Water can also elevate sweetened hot water or milk and is a delightful way to flavour sugars and cookies.


I did a search on line and came up with a recipe by Sophie Grigson for a delicate sounding Almond Cake with a Rosewater and Lemon Syrup.   It almost sounded Greek with its flavours and of course the texture of the cake very much reminded me of a special Greek Cake that one of my friends back home always made.  I fell in love with it the first time she made it, and I fell in love with this cake as well.

It's incredibly moist . . . and rich.   You start it in a cold oven, which means that the outside surfaces bake first, leaving the centre with an almost damp and incredibly squidgy texture, all of which is greatly enhanced by the Rosewater and Lemon Syrup which you spoon over it as it is cooling . . .  a bit at a time so that it soaks into the cake, adding to it's wonderful depth of flavour and richness.

The syrup had an almost perfumed quality, not at all unpleasant in the least.   The lemon and rosewater went together beautifully.  I simply dusted the top of the cake with a bit of icing sugar to serve.   I thought a nice dollop of  crème fraiche or Greek yogurt would go perfectly with this, and . . . quite simply, it did.



*Almond Cake with a Rosewater & Lemon Syrup*

Generally speaking at the weekend I like to bake the Toddster a delicious teatime treat.  Something that I know he will enjoy and that I wouldn't normally bake for him.  He's very fond of scones . . . the problem is so am I.   What to do about that??  I don't know.  I bake em anyways, even if they do get in my mouth.

 

This is a simple recipe, using ordinary things and my most favourite ingredient of all fresh blueberries.  So good for you with their vitamins and anti-oxidents!    Once the dough is made for these you just pat it into a round, place it on the baking sheet and then cut it into wedges, pushing them apart gently for baking.  So good.

 

They bake like a dream and there is no faffing about with cutting them into rounds etc,  all the dough gets used up, so there's no waste.  No tough scones from having to re-roll and cut, etc.



These puff up really nicely, and are stogged full of lovely coconut and lime flavours which go really well with the blueberries.

 

These are beautiful served with a nice cuppa and some blueberry jam . . .  but lemon curd is my chosen poison, and I eat it whenever I can.   I know . . . I'm repeating myself here, but blueberries and lemon are such perfect partners!



Just look at that crisp  coconut and sugar gilding  the top of these delicious bakes!  So good!



And all those blueberries.   So tasty!  Nice.  Nice.



The delicate crunch of coconut and sugar, the sweetness of blueberries, the tang of lime.   What's not to like about these??

 

 

I confess.  I love chocolate and it doesn't matter what kind of chocolate it is.  Dark, milk . . .   in cakes and cookies . . .  good candy bars, good chocolates . . . pies and puddings.   The only kind I am not fond of is chocolate milk or chocolate ice cream.  I'm not even really fussy on hot chocolate drinks.  I don't know why that is. It is a mystery to me too.



The Toddster of course, he doesn't like chocolate in any form other than chocolate candies or hot chocolate.   I know!  It just ain't human, but I'm not complaining as that always means more brownies for me!!

 

Chocolate Baked goods are notoriously difficult to get a good photograph of.  I don't know why that is.   I apologize for a lack of tasty photos of these fabulously delicious muffins.   No matter how I tried, they just did not want to come out right.  Nevermind . . .



You will just have to take my word for it that they are tasty.  Moist.   Chocolaty.   Stogged full of three kinds of chocolate.  Hard to resist . . . and . . . mine, all . . . mine.   I ain't complaining!




Place the butter and one half of the  bittersweet chocolate into a saucepan.   Melt over very low heat, whisking to blend. (Alternately do in a bowl set over simmering water, taking care that the bottom of the bowl not touch the water.)  Remove from the heat and set aside. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of one comes out clean.  Don't over-bake.  You want them a bit squidgy not dry.  Allow to cool in the pan for five minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

One might be forgiven for thinking that this looks quite un-remarkable . . . boring and understated . . . plain and un-imposing . . . proof positive that you must never judge a book by it's cover . . . for if you were to . . .



Judge this particular book by it's cover . . . and give it a pass, you'd be missing something quite, quite wonderfully delicious.



For underneath that plain brown wrapper, lies one of the most beautifully moist and delicious banana loaves you could ever want to eat . . . each bite is an explosion of wonderful banana flavour, all moist and rich and buttery . . . and if you have added the toasted nuts (and I highly recommend that you do!) you have the added crunch and extra texture of something decidedly scrummy!



It's delicious sliced when cold, and spread with softened butter. It goes down a real treat, I promise you this. But . . . here's a little secret . . .



Pop some into the toaster, or under the grill, and toast it until it is gilded brown and crunchy on the edges . . . then spread it with cold butter . . . the butter melting into all that golden crunch. Just look at those doubly toasted walnuts . . . oh so yummy . . .



The Toddster just loves this.   And, I confess . . . I do too.   I think I would rather have a few toasted and butteres slices of this for breakfast more than anything else . . .  even more than cold pizza.



*Sour Cream Banana Loaf*
Makes one 9 by 5 inch loaf
Printable Recipe

Deliciously moist with a great banana flavour. I like to add toasted walnuts to mine, but you can add pecans or even chocolate chips.

4 ounces butter at room temperature (1/2 cup)
7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
1 tsp pure vanilla
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
6 1/2 ounces plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium bananas, peeled and mashed
125ml of sour cream (1/2 cup)
Optional:
2 ounces chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (1/2 cup)
or
3 ounces chocolate chips (1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4. Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf tin and line it with baking paper. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.   Stir in the vanilla.  Whisk together the flour, soda and salt and then stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the mashed bananas and the sour cream until combined. Stir in the nuts if using. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth over the top.

Bake for 1 hour until well risen and firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Tip out of the pan onto a wire rack. Carefully peel off the paper and tip back upright. Let cool completely before cutting. Wrap airtight to store.

Note: This is lovely served at room temperature, sliced and spread with butter. Or, toast it in a toaster until the edges get crisp and golden and serve it hot and spread with butter. Delicious!

 I had some lemons that I needed to use up today. I always buy too many. I just love the sight of a bowl of lemons on the counter top.  They  just look so cheerful to me, and homey.  A little spot of sunshine on a dark and drizzly January day . . . lemons to me are the the perfect pick me up!

 

I decided to make some of my favourite slices . . . Lemon and Jam slices.  Or Squares if you would rather call them that.  I like to call them slices . . . sounds even more delicious when you call them slices.  A rose by any other name and all that . . .



I love these slices because they encompass three of my favourite things . . . a buttery, crisp baked shortbread crust on the bottom . . . sweet strawberry preserves in the middle . . . a tangy lemoncurd like topping . . .

 

Oh my . . . but these are heavenly bliss.  I love to enjoy them in the middle of the afternoon along with a hot drink.  They're so good.  These are the type of slices that you have  a hard time walking past without picking at them . . . and I confess . . . I can never wait until they completely cool before I dig into them.



You're supposed to wait until they are completely cold to cut them . . . but they are awfully good warm . . . just sayin is all.  They bring out the glutton in me.  The tang of the lemon is soooo very good with the sweet fruitiness of the jam . . . and that buttery crust.



Of course you could use another flavour of jam if you wished.  I just particularly love them made with strawberry jam.  Cherry, raspberry or apricot are all rather good too . . . and then there is wild blueberry preserves, another favourite of mine.

 

I confess . . . I sometimes use limes and ginger jam.  Those are awfully good too, especially if you add a little bit of ground ginger to the base.  Mmmm . . . mmm . . . good.  Are you not tempted???



 *Lemon and Jam Slices*
Makes  15 squares
Printable Recipe

 A butter, almost shortbread type of base, topped with sweet strawberry jam and a tangy lemon topping baked on top.  Delicious.

For the base:
200g of plain flour (2 cups)
225g of cold unsalted butter (1 cup, or 2 sticks)
42g sifted icing sugar (1/3 cup)
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

For the jam:
6 heaped dessert spoons (about 3/4 cup)

For the Lemon topping:
281g of granulated sugar
the finely grated zest of one un-waxed lemon
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 TBS plain flour
3 large free range eggs
the juice of 2 1/2 lemons (1/3 cup)

Icing sugar to dust


Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter an 11 by 7 inch baking dish,  Dust with flour, shaking out any excess.  Set aside.  (Alternately you can line with foil and butter and dust the foil, leaving an overhang to lift the slices out when done.)

Whisk the flour, icing sugar and salt together in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into cubes and drop it in.  Rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs.  Press this mixture into the prepared baking tin.    Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, just until it is firm.  Remove from the oven.

Whisk together the granulated sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and flour for the lemon topping.  Beat in the eggs and lemon juice until smooth.  Set aside.

Stir the jam together in a bowl with a fork to loosen it.  Spread this over the warm base.  Pour the lemon mixture over top and return the pan to the oven.  Bake for an additional  25 to 30 minutes, until it is set and lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before removing from the pan.  Dust with icing sugar.  Cut  into squares to serve.