Fold in the Flour ...

What with the 'Merry Christmas' ribbon, I'm a little late with these, I know. I made them on Christmas Eve as a last minute bake. I thought they would be perfect as a little home-made gift for some friends. And as it happens, they taste really good. So ignore the ribbon. They are perfect at any time of year. The cranberries meld beautifully with the pistachios and white chocolate. I suppose, with their red, white and green vibe, they could be the perfect Welsh cookie for St David's Day. So maybe I'm in fact early? Cranberry, Pistachio and White Chocolate Cookies Ingredients (makes 16) 75g softened unsalted butter 75g golden caster sugar 75g soft light brown sugar 1 medium egg 1 tspn vanilla extract 175g plain flour 1/2 tspn baking powder 60g dried cranberries 60g pistachios, chopped 60g white chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 Conventional / 350 F / Gas 4. Line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment (or ju...

I absolutely love cranberries. I can guzzle dried ones by the handful as a snack. But you know what? They're a bit two-faced. The vibrant rosy cheeriness that hides that sharp pucker. I guess that's why they can work so well in baked goods. They can help to balance out all that sweetness. I've used dried cranberries in a number of recipes such as Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti , Cranberry Shortbreads and Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies. I've even been known to chuck a few handfuls into Chocolate Brownies. But I have never actually cooked fresh ones. So, I was looking forward to seeing the first of the season's fresh cranberries appearing in the shops, as I had bookmarked this recipe a while back and wanted to give it a go. This is a real knock-your-socks-off holiday treat. It's a brilliant alternative to the stodginess of Christmas pudding, and even the usual variation of lemon meringue pie. The cranberry curd filling is so light and ...

This was a recipe I found flicking through one of my baking books 'Taste. Whoopie Pies, Cookies and Macaroons' and adapted slightly. Given that I still have the glut of cranberries which led to Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti I have been on the look out for something that would be a new addition to the cranberry using repetoire. These fit the bill perfectly. As Valentine's is coming up, I made them heart shaped (they are stars in the original recipe) and added some decoration by way of white chocolate and red glimmer sugar. They are really good, and the cranberry is a great contrast to the sweetness of the chocolate. Here's the recipe. Ingredients (makes 15-20) 325g plain flour, sifted 200g unsalted butter 125g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 large egg yolks 110g dried cranberries To decorate: 100g white chocolate, chopped (or use buttons) red glimmer sugar (I got mine from Asda) Rub in the butter to the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. ...

Now that Christmas is over, the house is clear of festive goodies and I must admit to feeling as though there may possibly be such a thing as too much chocolate. Rooting through the cupboards the other day, I came across a forgotten jar of pistachios. With their intense greenery shrouded in purpley brown, they called to me that they had been left on the shelf for far too long. I also uncovered a large cache of dried cranberries, which had been bought a while ago with the intent of making Barefoot Contessa's orange and cranberry scones. On that occasion, my plans also got put on the shelf, so they joined the pistachios. Finding them again seemed a good opportunity to try something new. So, inspired by an Italian cookbook I had been glancing through, I searched for a recipe for biscotti, and hit golddust. This is a recipe adapted from one found on epicurious  which is sooo easy yet sooo good. It's a US website, so I have 'translated' some of t...