Snowman Christmas Biscuits

These Christmas biscuits are beautifully buttery, sweet and perfect for the holiday season! The cookies themselves are really easy and quick to make and the topping can be anything you want it to be, so a really great Christmas holiday activity to do with your children or grandchildren. We went for little snowmen and they have gone down a treat in the showroom!

This recipe makes 15-20 depending on the size of your cookie cutter.

For the biscuits

7oz Self raising flour

3½ oz Soft brown sugar

4oz Salted butter

1 large free range egg

1 tsp Vanilla paste

For the decoration

1 block of ready to roll fondant icing

Food colouring of your choice (to dye half of the fondant icing)

Icing pens

Silver edible balls

Edible glitter (optional!)

Method

Pre heat the oven 180C

Mix together the flour and sugar then begin to rub in the butter with your fingertips until fine breadcrumbs are formed.

Add in the egg and vanilla paste to the breadcrumb mix until a soft dough is formed (don’t worry if it feels a little sticky)

On a well floured surface begin to roll your sweet dough with a rolling pin. Use a cookie cutter of your choice to cut into desired biscuit shapes! Place the biscuits on a well greased baking tray and pop into the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. They will feel a little soft when first taken out of the oven but they will harden.

Cool on a wire rack. Begin to decorate when they are completely cool.

Roll out the white fondant icing and cut with the same sized cookie cutter as your biscuits, brush the back of each circle with a little warm water and place onto each biscuit.

Dye the other half of the fondant icing (We went with light blue) and cut to the same size as the white fondant icing. Then cut each circle in half to create the snowman’s hat! Brush the back of each hat with warm water and stick on top of the white circle.

Using the icing pens, pipe on eyes, a mouth and a nose which you can stick the edible balls to. Add any additional decoration such as hat detail and then brush with edible glitter for an extra special touch! Allow to set.

Happy Christmas x

Mince Pies with a Twist

The epitome of Christmas time, the humble mince pie! But they aren’t always everyone’s cup of tea, due to their sometimes overpowering filling. Helen of IDEAS has come up with a recipe that takes the edge of the often overfilled mince pie. Beautiful mincemeat, encased in homemade butter pastry with a sponge top to balance the pie. Perfect with a cup of tea after a festive day of fun!

For the pastry: (You could also buy a block of shortcrust pastry)

4oz Butter

8oz Plain Flour

6oz Soft Brown Sugar

A pinch of salt

A tiny bit of water!

For the cake topping:

6oz Butter

6oz Soft brown sugar

8oz Plain Flour

3 Eggs

1 ½ tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp of milk

1tsp Vanilla paste

For the mincemeat filling:

1 jar of good quality mincemeat

2oz Butter

A good glug of maple syrup

Method

To make the pastry rub together butter, sugar, flour and salt until fine breadcrumbs are formed. Slowly add in water to bind the mixture together until a ‘ball’ is formed. Leave the pastry to rest whilst the filling is made.

For the mincemeat mix, combine all the mincemeat filling ingredients into a pan and put over a medium head until butter has fully melted and the mixture has started to turn silky. Take of the heat and allow to cool.

Set the oven to 160°

To make the sponge topping, cream the butter & sugar together until light and fluffy. Using a spatula gently fold in one at a time the eggs with a spoonful of flour and the baking powder until all are mixed in. The mix may feel a little thick at this point so add in a little of the milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Grease 2 x 12 case cupcake tins.

Roll out the pastry until around 1cm thick and using a round 9/10cm cookie cutter make 24 cookie rounds. Pop each pastry round into the tin and spoon a teaspoon of the mincemeat mixture into each pastry case (leaving enough room on top for the sponge!) Top each mincepie with a teaspoon of cake mixture.

Pop each tin into the preheated oven for 20mins or until the cake mixture is looking golden brown and springs back when touched.

Enjoy with a cup of tea or a glass of mulled wine!

The Bake Off Series - Lemon Drizzle

This week the lovely ladies from our kitchen door retailer Second Nature traveled to our showroom to see Helen in action and baking one of our favorites Lemon drizzle cake! We had a lovely chat all things baking, kitchens and interior trends along with lots of tea a few slices of cake! Follow the recipe below to make your very own.

Ingredients for the cake

9oz Salted Butter

9oz Soft Brown Sugar

12oz Plain Flour

4 Eggs

2 ½ Tsp Bake Powder

3 Tbsp Milk

The rind of 2 Lemons & a little juice

Pinch of salt

Ingredients for the Lemon Curd (You could buy this also!)

• 100g (4oz) butter

•  225g (8oz) granulated sugar

•  3 standard eggs and 1 extra egg yolk

•  Juice and grated rind of 3 lemons

Ingredients For the Icing

6oz Icing Sugar

Lemon juice from 2 lemon

Lemon rind to decorate

A little water if it is too thick

Method

Step 1

Preheat your oven at 160°c/325°f, Gas No 3.

Prepare 2 20cm/8inch round cake tins with greaseproof paper.

Cream your butter with the sugar, lemon rind and a pinch of salt for 3 to 4 minutes, until appearance is light a fluffy. 

 Step 2

One at a time, beat in the eggs, adding a tbsp of flour, lemon juice and milk with each. Sieve together the rest of the flour and the baking powder, then gently fold this into the egg mixture with a large metal spoon. 

 Step 3

Split your prepared mixture in to the two cake tins and smooth the tops. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours.

Step 4

While the cakes are baking, it’s now time to make the lemon curd filling.

Start by melting butter over a pan of simmering water. Next, beat together the eggs and extra yolk, then combine with the sugar, lemon rind and juice.

Step 5

Add the mixture to the melted butter and cook gently (not allowing to boil) until the curd thickens enough to cover the back of a spoon. Don’t allow to overheat as this could make the mixture curdle.

Pour into a storage container and allow to cool as your cakes bake.

 Step 6

Once you’re satisfied the cakes are baked, take out of the oven and leave them in the tin for 5 minutes. Then, turn the cakes out on to a wire cooling rack.

 While they are warm, mix together the juice of ½ a lemon and a little icing sugar, and drizzle this over both cakes to keep them moist.

 Allow to go cold, then peel off the greaseproof paper.

Step 7

Spread a desired level of lemon curd on to the top of one of your cakes, then place the other cake on top, forming a sandwich.

 Next, whip up some icing using icing sugar and lemon juice to taste.

 Pour over the top of your cake, allowing to trail the outside. As a finishing touch, decorate with lemon rind.

ENJOY!

Chocolate & Orange Cake

This tasty and easy to make chocolate and orange cake has been perfected by Helen. Add in orange juice and golden syrup for an extra tasty and without any of the dryness of a traditional chocolate cake. It tastes amazing on a Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea and a good book!

Ingredients for the cake

-        10oz Plain Flour

-        2oz Coco Powder

-        7oz Soft Brown Sugar

-        2oz Golden Syrup

-        2 ½ tsp Baking Powder

-        4 Eggs

-        ½ tsp Vanilla Paste

-        Juice of One Orange

-        Zest of 2 oranges

Ingredients for the filling & topping

-        3oz Butter

-        6oz Icing Sugar

-        Zest of orange juice

-        ½ a jar of orange curd

-        Dark chocolate melted

Method:

Preheat your oven to 160° and line two 20cm sandwich tins

Cream the butter, sugar and golden syrup together until light and fluffy

Add in the eggs, 2 at a time adding 1 spoonful of flour at a time

Stir in the remaining flour, the coco powder and the baking powder

Squeeze in the juice of 1 orange, zest of 2 oranges and the vanilla paste

Stir together all the ingredients but be careful not to over beat

Divide the cake mixture into 2 tins

Pop in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until cooked all the way through

Whilst the cake is cooking combine the Icing sugar together along with some of the orange juice (add in as needed to get the correct consistency.) Plus a little vanilla paste.

Pop the buttercream into a piping bag (if you do not have a piping bag it is fine to just spoon onto the cake!)

Once the cakes are fully cooled squeeze the remaining orange juice over the sponges

Spoon on the orange curd over one of the cakes and then pipe on the buttercream until the cake is covered

Pop the second cake on top of the buttercreamed half of the cake

Melt a bar of dark chocolate over a low heat mixed with a little golden syrup and butter

Pour the chocolate all over the finished cake

ENJOY!

Delicious ButterMilk Scones

These moorish scones are a big hit with everyone! Made using buttermilk, which is available in most big supermarkets, rather than the traditional milk we find the rise much better on them whilst also regaining a fluffier, lighter texture. Adapt the recipe according to your occasion we love really cheesy scones or sweet cherry ones. YUMMY!

Ingredients :

3 cups of Plain Flour

1/3 cup of Butter melted

1 ¼ Butter Milk

¼ tsp Salt

2 tbsp baking powder

If making sweet scones add 1/3 cup of Sugar and or/dried fruit

Method :

Pre heat the oven on the top/bottom heat at 220° 

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and butter

Pour the butter milk into the dry mix

If making flavoured scones, at this point add in either grated cheese for savory scones or chopped cherries/raisins for a sweet scone (remember the sugar!) 

With a knife combine all the ingredients until fully mixed and they begin to come together

On a clean worksurface sprinkle with flour and pop the scone mixture onto a floured worksurface

As tempting as it may be do not mess with the mix too much, no kneading!

Once the dough has come together and is in a ball, pat down so it is around 3cm high

With a knife cut the dough into 8 sections (they will be triangle in shape)

On a pre-heated baking tray place the scones on it and pop in the oven for 12-15 mins – check they are golden brown and cooked all the way through

Enjoy with lashings of butter!

Quiche & Pastry Making

In this weeks post we share the secrets to Helen's perfect pastry and her crowd pleasing quiche - perfect for a summers day picnic or party and can be adapted to suit whatever you have leftover in your fridge. Checkout the YouTube video to follow a step by step guide on how to make it. Enjoy! 

For the Pastry:

-        4oz (115g)  Butter

-        8oz (225g) Plain Flour

-        2tsp water (add as needed)

-        Salt & Pepper

For the quiche filling:

-        8 eggs

-        160g Pancetta cubes

-        2 Leeks - sliced

-        Mozzarella ball

-        Goats cheese round (different cheese can be used)

-        6-7 sundried tomatoes roughly chopped

-        Pepper to season

-        Butter for frying

Method:

Pop oven on ‘Top & bottom heat’ at 180°

Grease a 25cm fluted flan dish

In a bowl combine the flour & the butter together with fingertips until a breadcrumb like consistency is formed and then stir in salt

Add a little water to the mix so it becomes a firm dough.

Leave the dough mix to one side to rest

Over a medium heat add a good chunk of butter to a large saucepan and add the pancetta and leeks

Chop sundried tomatoes and add to the saucepan mix with a good amount of pepper

Lightly fry until all ingredients begin to brown then put to one side

Flour a worksurface and begin to roll out your pastry to desired size

Place rolled out pastry over the flan dish and using fingers push into flutes, prick the bottom with a fork

Leave any overhanging pastry until the quiche is completely cooked (As the pasty will shrink)

Put in the oven for around 5 minutes to blind bake

Whilst the pasty is in the oven, in a large bowl pour the contents of the pancetta mix along with the 8 eggs and combine together

Slice the mozzarella and goats cheese up

Take the pastry out the oven and turn the heat of the oven down to 160°

Pour the egg mixture and chunks of mozzarella into the pastry case

Arrange the goats cheese slices on top of the quiche

Bake in the oven for 40-45mins until the egg mix has cooked and the pastry has browned

Take the quiche out of the oven & enjoy!

Lemon & Coconut Cake

With warmer climes and longer days it feels appropriate to make a slightly more tropical based cake – how about Helen’s Lemon and Coconut cake? A light delicate sponge sandwiched together with zesty buttercream and a crunchy coconut top. Enjoy with a cup of tea mid-morning or a Gin & Tonic in the afternoon!

Ingredients For The Cake

Plain Flour – 340g (12oz)

Salted Butter – 255g (9oz)

Soft Brown Sugar – 255g (9oz)

Eggs - 4

Desiccated Coconut – 55g (2oz)

Coconut Cream – 200ml

Baking Powder – 2.5tsp

Zest of three lemons + the juice

Pinch of salt

Vanilla Paste – ½ tsp

Ingredients For The Buttercream

Butter – 85g (3oz)

Icing Sugar – 6oz (170g)

Pinch of salt

Lemon zest + juice (add juice as necessary)

Coconut shavings toasted (for the top)

Icing sugar – 60z (170g) – this is to pour over the top

Method

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees & line two 20cm sandwich tins

Pour coconut cream into a bowl with the desiccated coconut & allow to soak

Cream both the butter & sugar together

Stir in the coconut cream & desiccated coconut mix

Add in eggs – 2 at a time with a spoonful of flour each time

Carefully stir in the lime zest, salt & vanilla paste, be careful not overmix

Split the mix between the two tins

Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins

For the Filling

Cream together the butter & icing sugar together until light and fluffy

Stir in the lemon zest and a little of the juice if the mix feels stiff

Pipe the buttercream on one of the cakes and place the second cake on-top & sandwich together

Toast the coconut flakes on a low grill setting until golden (keep watch as they burn easily!)

Make icing sugar mix with water and pour over the sandwiched cakes until it drips

Sprinkle over toasted coconut

We are officially on Youtube!

The beginning of May marks IDEAS' first video on our Youtube channel Tasty Ideas, where Helen is showing us all how to cook a Victoria Sponge. It may not be the most refined but it's a start! As part of out channel will also be creating quick and easy how to video guides on all the appliances we sell here at IDEAS such as the NEFF slide & hide oven, hob and Quooker taps, so be sure to subscribe to our channel in the link below to catch all the latest bakes!