Lemon Marmalade and Poppy Seed Cookies

I made these on a whim as I had some leftover lemon marmalade that I needed to use up, so adapted a recipe for orange marmalade cookies, and added poppy seeds too. The batter is very easy to work with, and these cookies make a nice change to rich chocolate cookies, you could even pretend they're healthy...

I used oil as an egg substitute, as it only acts as a binding agent, but you could easily sub an egg back into the recipe - or use dairy free butter and make them vegan.

Lemon Marmalade and Poppy Seed Cookies

Makes 36

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

80g butter

140g granulated sugar

0.25 cup vegetable or sunflower oil

350g plain flour

1.5tsp baking powder

4tsp poppy seeds

6tbsp marmalade (of any variety), plus 1tbsp to glaze

190oC oven, 180oC fan

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar together until it’s pale and fluffy

Pre-oven mix

2. Beat in the oil and marmalade

3. Fold in the flour, baking powder and poppy seeds

4. Use two teaspoons to place small piles of dough onto a lined baking sheet, leaving spreading room between them (approx. 3 inches) 

5. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until light brown, then remove to a wire rack 

6. Put the 1tbsp marmalade for the glaze in a bowl, microwave for 30 second intervals until it becomes spreadable 

Before glazing

7. Apply to the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven using a pastry brush and leave to cool

These cookies are lovely and chewy in the middle, with a nice lemony tang - they go well with a cup of coffee. They will keep in an air tight container for 3-4 days.

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Gingerbread Men

Decorated Men and Women!

For Christmas I got some Gingerbread Men cutters with bites out of them - they're really cute and I've been looking for an excuse to use them, and today myself and my friend Katie decided to do some baking, so out they came!

The Gingerbread recipe is really simple - you can taste the spices but they're not overpowering, so if you like your biscuits with a bit of a kick double the amount of spices in the recipe.

Gingerbread Men

Makes approx. 40 small men/women

Ingredients:

350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Dry ingredients + butter

2 tsp ground ginger
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of mixed spice
100g butter
150g light soft brown sugar
1 free-range egg
4 tbsp golden syrup

Writing icing to decorate – and anything else you fancy!

180oC oven, 170oC fan oven

Method:

Breadcrumbed mix

1.      Mix the flour, bicarb, ginger, cinnamon into a bowl. Add the butter and rub into breadcrumbs with your fingertips, then mix in the sugar.

2.      In a separate bowl mix the egg and golden syrup together and then add to the breadcrumbed mix.

3.      Form into a dough with your hands, wrap in clingfilm and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. You might need to add a tiny splash of milk at this stage to make the dough come together.

Dough before rolling

4.      Once chilled roll the dough out on a floured surface to approx. 0.5cm thick, cut using whatever cutters you fancy, and move onto a greased and lined baking tray – leaving enough space between them to allow a slight spreading whilst they cook.

5.      Bake in the middle of your preheated oven for approx. 10 minutes, or until light golden brown.

6.      Cool on a wire rack until completely cold and then decorate with your writing pens.

These are a really fun thing to make - and really easy! They would make a good present too if you wanted to get creative and make a unique present for someone! Below are some of our best decorating efforts.

Dough with cutters

Happy Baking,

The Baking Ginger xx

Pre-decorating

Superman!

Posh frocks

Fig leaf

Parsnip Soda Bread

Finished Loaf

I wanted to try some baking that was a bit healthier than usual, and this recipe caught my eye, although I have substituted a few things from the original recipe to make it even healthier – although don’t get me wrong, I am all for full fat baking 95% of the time!

I really like beetroot chocolate cake, so I thought parsnips in bread wasn’t too much of a leap, and this is one of the easiest loaves you will ever make! It uses bicarbonate of soda, rather than yeast, as a raising agent, so doesn’t need any kneading, proving or resting, so it’s super quick and easy!

Parsnip Soda Bread

Dry Ingredients

Makes one large loaf

Ingredients:

250g plain white flour, plus extra for dusting
250g wholemeal flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g parsnips, peeled and grated
100g low fat mature cheddar, grated (plus extra for a topping if you want)
2 tsp ground cumin
approx 5 tbsp seeds (I used a mix of pumpkin, sesame, sunflower and poppy)
1 tsp sea salt

Acidified Milk

large pinch of pepper
400ml semi-skimmed or full-fat milk with 2tsp lemon juice

190oC fan oven/200oC other ovens

Method:

1.     First mix the milk with the lemon juice and leave to stand for at least 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to use it. It'll get slightly thicker, to the consistency of single cream.

2.     In a large bowl combine the flours, bicarb, parsnips, cumin, seeds, cheese and seasoning. Mix thoroughly.

Dough coming together

3.     Add the milk/lemon juice mix and bring the dough together – it’ll be sticky and won’t look like your typical smooth dough, but it doesn’t need to, that’s why this recipe is so easy!

4.     Shape the dough in a round, put on a baking tray, score a cross on the top with a sharp knife and sprinkle with extra cheese if you want to.

5.     Bake in the centre of your pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Ready for the oven!

This bread makes amazing toast, freezes well and will last for up to a week in an airtight container - it's too easy and tasty not to give it a go!

Happy Baking!


The Baking Ginger xx

Finished slices!