Lemon Balm Drizzle Cake & Easter Eggs

If you are looking for a classic lemon drizzle cake recipe with a bit of a twist, then this recipe for my Lemon Balm Drizzle Cake is one to try. This classic cake recipe with some added lemon balm from my lovely herb garden is sweet yet zingy, satisfying yet light. It is full of citrus flavor and is perfect for all baking abilities, from beginners to those who can bake cakes with their eyes closed.

In this recipe, the light and zesty lemon sponge is glazed with a lemon icing, made with a simple sugar and lemon mixture. This lovely cake takes only under an hour to prepare and bake and it serves a small crowd. Plus it is perfect for bake sales or as a potluck dessert as it cuts neatly, is easy to transport and keeps well.

Lemon balm is such a great addition if you want some extra lemon flavor. As its name suggests, this leafy, green herb has a distinct fresh lemony flavor and fragrance. It is a member of the mint family and makes a very refreshing infusion or tea. And it is just perfect for adding to your cake batter. Only use and buy it fresh however as it loses virtually all of its flavor when dried. You could also use lemon thyme here. But do not worry if you cannot get hold of fresh lemon balm or lemon thyme, the recipe will still work without it.

Lemon Balm Drizzle Cake

Ingredients for the Cake

• 225 g (8 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the baking pan
• 225 g (8 oz) super fine baking sugar (caster sugar)
• 275 g (10 oz) self-raising flour
• 2 level tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs (L), free range or organic
• 4 tbsp milk (I use 3.5%)
• 2 lemons, untreated or organic, zest only
• 1 heaped tbsp very finely chopped lemon balm 

Ingredients for the Lemon Glaze

• 100 g (3.5 oz) granulated sugar
• 1 lemon, juice only

In addition

• one  30 x 23cm (12 x 9 in) sheet pan
• baking paper

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 180° C (356° F).
2. Grease the baking pan with butter and line the base with baking paper.
3. Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl and beat for 2 minutes, or until well blended.
4. Turn the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and level the top (best done with an offset spatula).
5. Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes until the it springs back when lightly touched with a fingertip in the center of the cake.
6. Meanwhile, make the glaze: mix the granulated sugar with the lemon juice and stir to a runny consistency.
7. Leave the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then lift out, with the baking paper still attached, and place on wire rack set over a baking sheet.
8. Brush the glaze all over the surface of the warm cake and leave to set.
9. Remove the baking paper and cut into slices to serve.
10. You can add some powdered sugar on every other piece of cake and top the remaining pieces of cake with freshly picked lemon balm leaves (optional).

NOTES:

It is important to spoon the glaze on to the cake while it is still warm so the lemon juice soaks in properly.
Finely chopped lemon thyme leaves work well as an alternative for lemon balm. But if you can’t get hold of any, do not worry, as the recipe still works without it.
This sheet cake bake can be stored in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days and frozen for up to a month.
If you do not want to use a sheet pan here, you can still use a springform mold (20 cm or 8 in) or two one pound loaf pans.

This cakes comes out light and lemony and when you slice into it, you can see all those lovely green flecks of lemon balm.

There is really no need to poke holes into the cake to help the syrup sink in. It is more important to add the syrup while the cake is still warm. And bear in mind it will always seem like more liquid than the cake could possible absorb, but do not worry, it will always work out. And if you feel like adding the freshly grated lemon zest right at the start to the sugar and before you cream all the ingredients together, that extra step will help to release the oils in the zest, producing an even more lemony sponge.

If anything is worth taking a little tea break for, it is a slice of this lovely Lemon Balm Drizzle Cake. And remember that a "tart drizzle demands sweet cake. And both demand a nice cup of tea".

Saint Patrick´s Day & Wild Garlic Quiche

When Wild Garlic (Ramson) appears you know that Springtime is finally on its way. The wonderfully mild garlic taste of cooked Wild Garlic makes this quiche recipe a great way to welcome back the return of the sun after many months of Winter. And a lovely and "green" way to celebrate Saint Patricks Day, of course.

The air is still rather chilly here, but the spring hardy leaves of the wild garlic are now to be found all along the woodland floor and even in our garden.. As a relative to the chive, wild garlic, as its name would indicate, has a lovely delicate garlic flavor and smell. It is ideal for using in the kitchen, tossed through a salad for some depth or as I have done today, in a quiche.

Pick the young leaves of the wild garlic, as they are more tender and fresher than the mature leaves. When out picking bring a basket as well as a damp tea towel or paper napkin to keep the leaves fresh, whilst you make your way home.

Wild Garlic Quiche

Ingredients for the Shortcrust Pastry

• 250 g plain (all purpose) flour
• pinch of fine sea salt
• 110 g butter, unsalted, cold, cubed
• 6 tbsp cold water

Ingredients for the Filling

• 100 g smoked bacon lardons, cooked (these are small chunks of diced bacon, if you cannot find them, buy thick slices of bacon and dice them yourself)
• 4 eggs (L), free-range or organic
• 200 g cream (such as single cream which has a fat content of 18% or use cream with a fat content up to 30% )
• 30-40  wild garlic leaves, washed, dried and chopped
• some sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation of the Shortcrust Pastry

1. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter.
2. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining. 
3. Using a knife, stir in just enough of the cold water to bind the dough together.
4. Wrap the dough in food wrap and chill for 30 minutes before using.
5. Alternatively using a food processor, put the flour, butter and salt in the food processor and pulse until the fat is rubbed into the flour.
6. With the motor running, gradually add the water through the funnel until the dough comes together. Only add enough water to bind it and then stop.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350° F).
8. Roll out the shortcrust pastry until it is slightly larger than a round 28 cm (11 in) tart pan with removable bottom OR use a rectangular 28 cm x 20 cm (11 in x 8 in) tart pan .
9. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill it with rice or dried beans. 
10. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
11. Remove the greaseproof paper and rice or beans, then return the tart to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes, or until golden-brown.

Preparation of the Filling

1. For the filling, arrange the lardons evenly in the bottom of the pastry case.
2. Then spread the chopped wild garlic over the lardons.
3. In a bowl, beat together the eggs and cream until well combined. 
4. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
5. Pour the egg mixture into the pastry case.
6. Transfer the quiche to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the egg mixture has set.
7. Set the quiche aside to cool.

Wild garlic is very easy to identify, but you should still make sure to familiarize yourself with the plant using a good foraging book. They can be mixed up with Lily of the Valley, but are easy to distinguish by crushing a leaf with your fingers. The tell-tale odor should ensure you pick the right leaves. The leaves can be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Be sure to wash them well - some recipes also call for blanching the leaves for a few minutes in boiling water. Wild garlic can be stirred into risottos or omelettes, added to soups or used in sauces to accompany meat and fish.

Wether you are celebrating Saint Patrick´s Day today – or whether you are just looking for something seasonal and „green“ to enjoy today, this light, springtime Wild Garlic Quiche of mine, will be just the recipe to prepare.

Happy π-Day with a Poppy Seed Quark Pie!

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th around the world. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159.

Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations. An approximation for Pi is 3.14, or March 14 using the US date system. So mathematicians, who are always on the lookout to make their subject more interesting to a broader audience, have jumped on today as a day to promote what is a lot of people's favorite little number.

So, let´s make some pie for today´s celebration – I like pies and I just love making them. Sweet as well as savory. My Poppy Seed Quark Pie is one of my favorite pies to make. It combines a lot of the flavors I enjoy. The tangyness of the Quark (or fromage blanc) and the grated lemon zest, the sweet poppy seed filling and the buttery shortcrust pastry all combine in the most delicious of ways. One thing to remember when making this pie is that the pie shell must be made with care, so the edges don’t shrink as they cook, otherwise it will leak once the filling goes in. I always keep a little bit of pastry aside so I can patch any holes before I add the Quark as well as the poppy seed filling.

Poppy Seed Quark Pie

Ingredients for the Shortcrust Pastry

• 200 g (7 oz) plain (all purpose) flour
• 1 level tsp baking powder
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) superfine (caster) sugar
• 8 g (1 sachet) pure vanilla sugar or homemade vanilla sugar
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 1 egg (M), free range or organic
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature

Ingredients for the Quark Topping

• 25 g (1.7 oz) unsalted butter
• 375 g (13 oz) low fat Quark* (or use fromage blanc)
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) superfine (caster) sugar
• grated zest of one organic lemon
• 25 g (0.7 oz) vanilla pudding mix
• 1 egg (M), free range or organic

Ingredients for the Poppy Seed Topping

• 2 eggs (M), free range or organic
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 250 g (8.8 oz) poppy seed filling, either use a ready-to-bake poppy seed filling for cakes, pastries, dumplings and desserts OR make your own (see recipe below)
• one egg yolk (M), free range or organic

Additional

• a tart pan with removable bottom or springform pan (diameter 26 cm or 10 1/4 in)

Preparation

1. To make the shortcrust pastry, mix together the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Add all the other ingredients for the shortcrust pastry and whisk everything using a hand-mixer (kneading hook), first on the lowest setting, then on the highest setting until all the ingredients have been incorporated and formed a shortcrust pastry. Then shape into a disk  with your hands. If the pastry feels sticky, wrap it in clingfilm (plastic film) and put in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
2. For the Quark topping, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Set aside.
3. For the poppy seed topping, mix the poppy-seed filling with 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon milk until smooth. Set aside.
4. Grease the bottom of the tart pan or springform mold.
5. Preheat the oven to 180° C / 350° F - fan-assisted oven: 160° C / 325° F.
6. Sprinkle flour on your work surface and roll out 2/3 of the pastry, make sure it is a bit larger than your tart pan.
7. Roll the dough up with the help of the rolling pin and place in the baking pan.
8. Spread the Quark topping on first and then distribute the poppy seed topping over it.
9. Roll out the 1/3 remaining pastry thin and cut into strips.
10. Place the pastry strips over the poppy seed topping in a grid pattern.
11. Brush on egg yolk and milk mixture.
12. Bake in your pre-heated oven for about 40 to 45 minutes.
13. Leave the tart to cool in the tart pan or springform mold on a cake rack.
14. Loosen the tart from the tart pan or springform mold and remove it.

NOTE: *Different fresh cheeses have a slightly different texture – a fromage blanc needs draining 24 hours beforehand. A goat’s milk fromage blanc will add an interesting flavor here. Drain in a colander lined with a tea-towel, leave in the fridge for 24 hours or more with a heavy weight on top.

Recipe for Poppy Seed Filling
(if you cannot find ready-made poppy seed filling, you can always make your own following this recipe)

Ingredients

• 225 g (8 oz.) poppy seeds
• 55 g (1.9 oz) unsalted butter
• 235 ml (1 cup) milk
• 150 g (6 oz) cup sugar
• 85 g (3 oz) mild runny honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs (M), organic or free range, beaten

Preparation

1. Grind the poppy seeds in a coffee grinder in batches until they are powdery.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
3. Whisk the milk, sugar, honey and salt into the melted butter.
4. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the honey is melted.
5. Carefully transfer some of the hot mixture to a small bowl.
6. Gradually add the hot mixture to the bowl with the beaten eggs. Whisk briskly and constantly until all of the hot liquid is integrated into the eggs.
7. Slowly pour the heated, tempered egg mixture back into the hot mixture in the saucepan, whisking constantly.
8. Continue to whisk and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes over medium heat till the mixture thickens and turns light yellow. It is ready when it thickly coats the back of a spoon.
9. Remove the saucepan from heat.
10. Then whisk the ground poppy seeds into the buttery liquid and stir well to blend all ingredients.
11. Allow filling to cool to room temperature before using.
12. You can make the poppy seed filling ahead of time and store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for a few days.

May you enjoy π-Day as well as my recipe for a Poppy Seed Quark Pie – fabulous taste and a bit of old-world charm are all combined in this delightful pie of a dessert.

"Make me some Pie!" - Braised Hogget Pie for British Pie Week 2016

In celebration of British Pie Week (7th – 13th March 2016), I am posting a recipe for a lovely „Braised Hogget Pie“. Another keeper of a recipe from James Martin. The recipe calls for a shoulder of a hogget that has been de-boned. After the meat is seared in a hot pan, it is braised, shredded, and then finally made into a lovely pie.

„Hogget“ is the name given to a young sheep that is between one and two years of age, and it has a much deeper and more pronounced flavor than young lamb.  It lends itself well to this kind of braising or slow cooking to make it nice and tender. However, if you are unable to find hogget at your favorite butcher shop, you can always try this dish with lamb shoulder instead. I did too. This recipe works brilliantly with lamb shoulder.

Lamb is the simplest of the red meats and the most versatile. If you make this recipe with lamb shoulder, you will notice that it is a superb roasting joint that is surprisingly inexpensive and packed with lots of flavor. It can be bought on or off the bone and as a whole shoulder, will lend enough meat for 4 to 6 hungry eaters. As a rule of thumb, the color and flavor of the meat will vary depending on where the sheep were raised.

In this recipe the two-hour slow braise allows the generous layers of fat to melt away, leaving tender meat that can easily be shredded, much like pulled-pork, only far superior in taste.

Braised Hogget Pie
(Inspired by James Martin: More Home Comforts (page 49)

Ingredients

• 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) boneless shoulder of hogget (or use lamb shoulder instead)
• 6 banana shallots, roughly sliced
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 carrots, cubed
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves only
• 750 ml bottle of a high-quality red wine
• 500 ml (18fl oz) lamb stock (preferably homemade or use a high-quality store-bought one)
• 1 kg (2lb 4oz) potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
• 50 grams (2oz) butter
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius (375°Fahrenheit).
2. Season the meat all over with plenty of salt and pepper.
3. Heat a large, heavy-based casserole over a medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the seasoned meat and fry for a couple of minutes on all sides, until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the shallots and tomato purée to the casserole and fry in the lamb juices for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened, stirring well.
5. Add the garlic, carrots and celery and continue to fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened, stirring well.
6. Add the thyme leaves and red wine and bring the mixture to the boil.
7. Return the meat to the pan, pour over the lamb stock, then return the mixture to the boil.
8. Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for a good 2 hours (no need for basting during the braising time, just put it in the oven and leave it).
9. After 2 hours, lift the meat out of the casserole and set aside on a board to cool slightly.
10. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper if needed.
11. Tear the meat into strips and return them to the casserole, mixing them into the sauce.
12. Layer the sliced potatoes over the top of the casserole and generously dot with butter.
13. Season with salt and pepper.
14. Return the casserole to the oven for a further 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and golden-brown and the casserole is bubbling.

This hearty lamb hotpot topped with sliced potatoes is a delicious dish to share with family or friends.

And „when food looks that good, you just know that it is going to taste great!“

"Easy as Pie!" - Ham, Leek and Herb Pie for British Pie Week 2016

As my second pie for Bristish Pie Week 2016, I am featuring a wonderful "Ham, Leek and Herb Pie". Love serving individual servings instead of one large pie with this uncomplicated recipe.

Ham, Leek and Herb Pie

Ingredients

• 50 grams unsalted butter
• 3 medium leeks, thickly sliced
• 1 tsp English mustard powder (available online or at your favorite British shop)
• 2 tbsp plain (AP) flour
• 300 ml high-quality chicken stock (best to use homemade, if possible)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 150 grams cream cheese (you can also work with soft goat cheese here)
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped mixed herbs (go with what you like with a mix of thyme, parsley, marjoram, tarragon, and/or sage)
• grated peel fo 1/2 organic lemon
• 350 grams cooked ham, cut into bite size pieces
• one package of high-quality butter puff pastry (about 500 grams) OR make your own flaky rough puff pastry
• 1 egg (M), free range or organic, beaten with a fork

Preparation

1. For the filling, melt the butter in a large pan and cook the sliced leeks for about 5 minutes, until softened. Using a slotted spoon transfer the leeks to a plate and set aside.
2. Stir in the mustard and flour into the pan juices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually blend in the stock and cream cheese. 
3. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring until thickened. 
4. Remove from the heat and season to taste. 
5. Stir in the herbs, grated lemon peel and leeks, cover with food wrap and allow to cool. 
6. Stir in the ham, before spooning into 4 x 300 milliliters individual pie dishes.
7. Divide the puff pastry into four and roll each out on a lightly floured work surface 2 centimetres larger than each pie. 
8. Brush the edges of the pie dishes with water. 
9. Cut a strip of pastry from each pastry circle and lay on the edge of the dish. Brush with water and top each dish with a circle of pastry pressing the pastry together to seal and trim. 
10. Using a sharp knife cut a steam hole in the centre of the pies. 
11. Cover and chill for about 1 hour.
12. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 190°Celsius (375°Fahrenheit).
13. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until well risen and golden.

This pie is all about a flaky crust and the soft vegetables, creamy sauce, ham and fresh herbs underneath. It is all about the contrast of textures that make just about everything good taste even better.

There is really nothing more delightful than to shatter the crust of a well-baked puff-pastry shell and to dig into the softness of its filling - the crisp and the soft, the rough and the smooth.

This creamy Ham, Leek and Herb Pie is just about as close to perfect comfort food as you can get.
If you have leftovers, do not immediately reach for your sandwich bread but try a homely pie instead - adapt it to whatever meat or veg you have leftover. Once it is perfect baked with a glistening, deep golden crust, do not hold back any longer and just dig in!

And remember that "just about everything tastes better when it's covered with a pastry lid".

"Oh my, what a pie!" - English Cottage Pie for British Pie Week 2016

In honor of British Pie Week from Monday, March 7, until Sunday, March 13, I will be featuring a few savory and sweet pies this week. And I am starting my personal pie week off with a lovely Perfect Cottage Pie.

Proper English Cottage Pie, a popular British pub-food staple, is a delicious, very traditional mince pie made with ground beef and topped with leftover mashed potatoes to form the top crust. For this version, to make the mashed topping you will use baking potatoes that have been pierced with a fork, put on a bed of a bit of rock salt and baked for about an hour, keeping the flesh nice and dry. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop them out and pass them through a ricer.

Perfect Cottage Pie
(inspired by James Martin, from James Martin: Home Comforts)

Ingredients

• 8 baking potatoes, medium-sized
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 600 grams (1lb 5oz) beef mince (lean ground beef)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely diced
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• a dash Worcestershire sauce, to taste
• 1 carrot, trimmed and finely chopped
• 100 ml (3½fl oz) red wine
• 500 ml (18fl oz) beef stock
• a few peas (frozen are fine)
• a bit of chopped Italian parsley and minced chives
• 50 grams (1¾ oz) caster sugar
• 125 grams (4½ oz) butter
• 150 ml (5fl oz) milk
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 190° Celsius (170° Celsius, fan-assisted or 375° Fahrenheit).
2. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, then rub with a little oil and bake for 1 to 1½ hours, or until tender.
3. Heat a large pan until hot, add the vegetable oil and fry the beef in batches until just browned. 
4. Add the onions, garlic, thyme and celery and fry for a couple of minutes until softened.
5. Add the tomato purée and cook for 1 to 2 minutes then add the Worcestershire sauce and the finely chopped carrot. 
6. Add the red wine and cook until reduced in volume by a third.
7. Then add the beef stock and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 30 minutes until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened. 
8. Add some peas and chopped parsley and chives at this time.
9. Once cooked, tip the beef mixture into a bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and as much Worcestershire sauce as you like. Set aside to cool while you make the topping.
10. When the potatoes are cooked, take them out of the oven to cool. 
11. Turn the oven up to 220° Celsius (200° Celsius, fan-assited or 430° Fahrenheit).
12. When the potatoes are just cool enough to handle, slice them in half, scoop out the flesh and pass through a potato ricer into a bowl, or mash them with a fork.
13. Add half the remaining butter to the potatoes and warm the milk in a saucepan until just simmering. Pour onto the potatoes and beat until the mashed potatoes are smooth and creamy. 
14. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
15. Pour the cooled beef mixture into a baking dish and spoon the hot mashed potatoes over the top, fluffing it with a fork. Scatter a few dots of butter over the top then place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown and piping hot through.
16. Serve with some cooked carrots.

James Martin's Perfect Cottage Pie has lots of lovely rich flavor with red wine, a homemade beef stock and a bit of Worcestershire sauce, for some spice. This Cottage pie is the ultimate comfort food, the perfect dish to warm you up on a cold day. And a great way to celebrate British Pie Week!

Dreary March Weather & Delightful Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Last week, frustrated by the continually wet weather,  I found myself in need of a little sweetness in my life. I decided that now is the perfect time of year to pull out some the recipes that have recently made it onto my „MUST BAKE“ list. It seems to many people, including myself, that baking is just the perfect comfort-style activity for a soggy day in early March.

So to combat my dreary weather blues, I decided to give these Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars a go. The original recipe hails from the Guittard Chocolate Cookbook by Amy Guittard (here).

We ate these lovely treats mid-afternoon, still a bit warm from the oven, with steaming cups of tea. That explains not only why there were none left the first time I made them, but also why they are not cut into straight, razor-sharp slices but showcase a bit of a wobbly, comforting look. And while I am putting this post together this morning, it is still raining outside – cold and chilly. For sure, the right time to go and get baking some more.

Trust me, while we are still a few weeks away from Easter baking, this time of year is really good for pulling out some of these recipes that you have been wanting to try out for a while now. In this recipe the principal flavors are high-quality milk chocolate and a rich, deeply molasses flavored sugar as well as oats (I have come to greatly appreciate a mix of five wholemeal grains here – milled they way they are, they all do look like coarse oatmeal), coconut and tart cherries or cranberries that offset the sweetness of the chocolate in the most delightful of way. The Ceylon cinnamon and the pure vanilla sugar add more wonderful warm flavors to these chewy bar cookies.

We found these bar cookies to be at their best with high-quality milk chocolate not bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. Just do make sure to use the best dark milk chocolate that you can find, meaning that the cacao solids are more than 30%. And make sure to chop the milk chocolate very coarsely, so there will be big, discernible chunks in the finished cookie bars.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups (160 grams) AP (plain) flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 8 tbsps (4 ounces, 115 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200 grams) packed soft dark brown sugar (I used dark muscovado sugar from Tate & Lyle, nice to use Fairtrade product here)
• 1 egg, (L), free-range or organic, at room temperature
• 8 grams pure vanilla sugar
• 5 tbsps. milk (I used whole milk)
• 3/4 cup (90 grams dried cranberries or sour cherries
• 1 cup (90 grams) unsweetened coconut (nice to use organic, coarsely shredded coconut, easily available at the health food store)
• 3/4 cup (60 grams) rolled oats, not the porridge oats (I went with a mix of five wholemeal organic grains, oats, wheat, rye, barley, and spelt)
• 1 1/2 cups (255 g) milk chocolate chips or coarsely chopped milk chocolate, preferably with minimum 30% cocoa solids (get the best you can afford)

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F (180º C or 160°C fan-assisted)
2. Lightly butter a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33cm) rectangular pan and dust the inside with flour, tapping out any excess.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high-speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla sugar, and milk until smooth. At this point, the mixture is likely to look rather curdled but do not worry, it will all come together in the end.
5. Stir in the flour mixture, then stir in the cranberries or sour cherries, coconut, oats (or oat mix), and chocolate chips just until combined. NOTE: The batter will be thick, like cookie dough.
6. Spread the batter in the baking pan and even it out with your hands. You can use a little bit of water here to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers.
7. Bake the bars until they feel like they are almost cooked in the middle, but not fully done, about 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Let cool completely in the pan. When cool, cut into 3-inch (8cm) bars or squares.

Theoretically, these bar cookies are good keepers. Wrapped in foil, they will still be fine for a couple of days. But we found them to be at their best the same day they were made.

As far as the baking time is concerened, the original recipe said the bars will take 35 to 40 minutes to bake. But as with brownies, it is always better to undercook rather than overcook a bar cookie 20 to 25 minutes seems more reasonable, but, as ever, keep an eye on them and trust your own judgment over the clock.

Now, go get some sweet March baking done while the weather out there is still dreary...