Lemon and Blueberry Cookies

Finished cookies

These are a delicious Spring snack; lighter and fresher than their chocolate counterparts, but still a sweet and satisfying treat!

Try serving with greek yoghurt or creme fraiche as a ligher dessert alternative.

Lemon and Blueberry Cookies

Makes 30 cookies

Creamed butter and sugar

Ingredients

250g butter/marg

200g dark brown sugar

250g caster sugar

2 egg

550g self raising flour

small pinch of salt

300g fresh blueberries

zest of 3 lemons
juice of 1 lemon

170oC fan oven/180oC other ovens

With  eggs

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy - once you think you've done give it another minute or so of beating to make your cookies as light as possible!

2. Beat in the eggs in two goes until it's all combined. If it curdles don't worry, it'll come back together when you add the flour.

3. Add the salt, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until combined. Add the flour, mix thoroughly, and then add the blueberries. Mix gently so as not to pop too many of the blueberries; mix until just combined.

With blueberries

4. Put the mix in the freezer for 10 minutes or fridge for an hour just to make it easier to work with - it will be a very very sticky dough!

5. Once the dough is chilled, using two dessert spoons, put a walnut size ball of dough onto a greased or lined baking sheet. (I roll each dough ball quickly between my hands if I want my cookies to have a more uniform finish). Make sure the dough balls have at least 3 inches between them as they will spread whilst baking.

6. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes; they may look raw in the middle still but they'll continue to cook as they cool and you'll end up with a gorgeous, chewy cookie once they've cooled on a wire rack.

Ready for the oven

These can be stored in an airtight container for 4/5 days, and they're equally delicious whether enjoyed with a cup of tea, or a glass of homemade lemonade.

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Banana, Honey and Cinnamon Muffins

Finished muffins

 I made up this recipe from an amalgamation of several others I’d seen online; I wanted to make something that I could take for lunches at my new job – so it had to be filling and sustaining, hence the wholemeal flour and oats! I also wanted to use some of the delicious thyme flavoured honey my Mum and Dad brought me back from their recent trip to Cyprus.

This recipe makes 6 large muffins, approx. 180 calories each, and they’ll keep in an airtight box all week for your lunchbox! It’s easily doubled if you want to make a batch for afternoon tea.

Dry Ingredients

Banana, Honey and Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 6 large muffins, or 10/12 normal size buns as I've done here.

Ingredients:

100g wholemeal/wholegrain flour

50g oats

50g brown sugar
large handful of crushed branflakes (optional)

0.5tsp baking powder

Wet Ingredients

0.25tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp cinnamon

1 banana, thoroughly mashed

1tbsp honey

3tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

1tsp vanilla essence

100-200ml milk (enough to make a loose, pourable batter)

180oC fan oven/190oC others

Pourable Batter with Milk

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl

2. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, apart from the milk

3. Combine the two mixtures, beat into a batter and add enough milk to make a loose, pourable batter

4. Divide between 6 muffin cases (or more if you're making them smaller) in a bun tray

5. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 15/20 minutes for large muffins, 10/15 minutes for small muffins, or until a knife comes out of the centre of a muffin clean
6. Cool on a wire rack, store in an airtight container until you need them

Ready for the oven!

Like I said, these will keep for up to a week in an airtight container, if they get a little dry 30 seconds in the microwave just before eating will freshen it up! They’d make a great pudding with some custard too!

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Finished muffins