When I’m not developing recipes for others, writing blogs or cooking for the lovely Mr G, this is wha

Baker & Foodie Content Creator

Hi.

My name is Lee, welcome to my pages. I hope we can have fun together?

When I’m not developing recipes for others, writing guest blogs, writing my own blog, or even trying to learn how to paint, I’m usually spending time with the amazing Mr G (my husband) or with my lovely daughter or my lovely son (very proud mum).

What is this all about? Great question. This site is about real cooking and baking, real recipes and real mistakes.

No filters here, (although i’d love to find a filter that can take ten years worth of laugh lines away. Just me, whats happening, and whatever cameras or phone i have to hand .

There are many things that get under my bonnet and wiggle around, one of those is food waste. If i buy ingredients specifically for a recipe, and i only need a small amount of the ingredients, i want to be able to use the rest up and not have to throw them away. My mum used to say , “Waste not Want not” is that still a saying ?

For me, waste is not just about using up all the ingredients. What about leftover food? If i’m able , i hope to give ideas as to how to use up any leftovers too.

Be Brave

Cooking isn’t hard , neither is baking, its all about being brave and being ok with making mistakes

Tahini, Hazelnut, Oat & Honey Cookies with Tahini & White Chocolate Drizzle

Tahini, Hazelnut, Oat & Honey Cookies with Tahini & White Chocolate Drizzle

A cookie which isn’t sweet enough to take the enamel off my teeth is one of those little wins I like to chalk up!

These cookies appeal to so many people because they have everything.

 They are crunchy and gooey at the same time.

 When I bite into one I get a lovely crunch on my teeth from the outside, and when I chew, the inside of these wafer thin cookies has a pleasant chewy texture that makes the cookies seem to last a little longer.

Never a bad thing!

 Using Tahini in a cookie may seem a little odd because of its sightly savoury flavour, but as tahini is made of sesame seeds it is a perfect thing to use in many sweet recipes.

Tahini is the ingredient that stops these cookies from being over sweet.

 Easily adaptable for vegans, just substitute the honey for maple syrup and the milk for something plant based, although it will give you a slightly different flavour the end result is just as good.

 Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!

A nice dribble of the chocolate and tahini drizzle

 What You Need

  • 80g Plain Flour

  • 25g Rolled Oats

  • 50g Roasted Hazelnuts – Roughly chopped

  • ½ Tsp Baking Powder

  • 60g Light Tahini – See Tip Box

  • 115g Golden Castor Sugar

  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

  • 2 Tbsp Runny Honey

  • 2-4 Tbsp Milk – See Tip Box

  • Icing sugar for pressing – Optional -  See Tip Box

Dipping the prongs of the fork in icing sugar stops the fork sticking to the cookies

 Drizzle

  • 100g White chocolate

  • 1 Heaped Tbsp Light Tahini

No need for a piping bag, use and sandwich or freezer bag instead

 How It’s Done

  • Set the oven at 190c

  • Line a couple of baking trays with non-stick baking parchment

  • Place the oats, chopped hazelnuts, flour and baking powder into a bowl and mix together

  • In a separate bowl, combine the tahini, sugar, vanilla and honey and give it a good mix

  • Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the tahini and sugar mix, and beat it with a wooden spoon until all of the dry ingredients have been mixed in.

  • Use a scoop or your hands to make small balls of the dough, approx. the size of a ping pong ball.

  • Roll them into balls & place them onto the prepared trays approx. 3” apart – See Tip Box

  • Put the trays into the hot oven and bake for approx. 10- 12 minutes until they are a pale gold around the edges – See Tip Box

  • Once baked, remove the trays from the oven and let the cookies rest on the tray for around 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

  • Once the cookies are completely cold, dribble them with the prepared drizzle.

  • Let the drizzle set on the cookies before eating them , if you can wait that long.

Let them cool before drizzling

 Drizzle

  • Place the white chocolate and tahini into a microwavable bowl and melt in bursts of 30 seconds until the chocolate has melted - See Tip Box

  • Give it a good mix to combine both.

  • Let the drizzle stand for around 10 minutes before using

  • After the drizzle has cooled a little, pour it into a piping bag or a sandwich bag.

  • Cut off the corner of the bag and let the mixture drizzle over the cookies in a zig zag pattern

If you can, wait until the drizzle has set!

 Tip Box

  • Milk – 1)You may not need all of this milk or you may need a few drops more. The dough should be fairly firm but sticky.

    2) To make this recipe vegan, change the milk to a plant based and the honey to maple syrup.

  • Tahini – I used light tahini in this recipe, but it works just as well with the dark, although you will get a different flavour in the end cookie.

  • 3” Apart – The cookies will spread in the oven so give them room

  • Icing sugar – I used icing sugar to dip the prongs of the fork into to stop it sticking to the dough as I press them into shape. But this is optional

  • Baking – All ovens vary so adjust baking time accordingly

  • Drizzle – If you prefer to melt the chocolate over a ban-marie that’s ok. To do this, place the chocolate into a heat proof bowl and add the tahini. Place the bowl over a pan that contains water – make sure the water isn’t deep enough to touch the bowl. Bring the water to a boil and let the steam of the water melt the chocolate. Give it a mix now and then to combine the chocolate and tahini. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat, give it a mix and use it as described above.

Delicious and not too sweet!

 

 

One Pot Creamed Corn with Red Pepper & Paprika

One Pot Creamed Corn with Red Pepper & Paprika

Vegetarian Summer Vegetable & Harissa Pesto Rose Tart

Vegetarian Summer Vegetable & Harissa Pesto Rose Tart

0