Traybakes and Cookies

Brownie Christmas Trees

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These are just so sweet and make a real impact. They are all over the web so I can’t claim any right to them and certainly not my idea but everyone has their own little interpretation and this is mine.

You don’t need any electric mixer for this recipe. A good whisk, spatula and large spoon for the final bit and you’re good to go.

I make them in a 20cm square tin which should give you 5 trees measuring about 9cm x 6cm but it depends on your cutter. You do need a decent sized one otherwise once you try to cut them out, they will fall apart. Now if you’re handy with a knife then cut out triangles but as I’m totally useless, I rely on a tree cutter!

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Light & Delicious Ginger Cake

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So I know there seems to be an excess of ginger related recipes happening now but I have a tin of treacle that’s about to run out and a tub of bicarbonate of soda that has a “use before” date drawing near so I’m using them up with my ginger recipes. If you don’t like ginger, I apologise in advance 😉

This is a light and moist ginger cake which is just so delicious. It’s made in a brownie tin or you can make it in a 2lb loaf tin, with a few tweaks in baking time. Oh did I mention no mixer? Yes I love a recipe that just literally needs mixing and no equipment.

Oh the smell in the house! Seriously, the smell was heavenly and just full of comfort. It was like Christmas was bottled and let loose at ours.

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Spiced Fruit Biscuits

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I’m still on my biscuit baking drive and thought these looked perfect to have with my cup of tea. I love using spice in baking (and cooking) and was expecting these biscuits to be a spicy bite but instead I discovered a recipe that is very, very close to the traditional McVitie’s Fruit Shortcake biscuits. I kid you not! They are way too good and were a huge hit with everyone. Wrapped with pretty ribbon, they are a really great gift to give and will be very much appreciated.

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Trio Chocolate Cookies

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I’m always trying out chocolate cookie recipes to see if I can better the ones I already have listed here. I can’t say I find better ones, just different. Different is good and I have very willing testers!

Here are the other recipes for you to try: https://www.cozebakes.com/2016/07/19/soft-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/ 

Gluten Free: https://www.cozebakes.com/2018/03/06/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies/

This latest one is a basic cookie dough recipe and you can add any mixture of what rocks your boat to make them special.

I’ll list some options in the recipe for you to choose from … or try them all 😊

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Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits (Dairy Free included)

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I regularly make my Chocolate Digestive recipe and they are always a big hit. They’re really good and recently made another batch and as they cooled, my husband walked into the kitchen and said the smell was great and could he have them? He’s a coeliac and I felt really bad having to say no, these are not for you 🙁

So the hunt began to find a workable recipe for gluten free digestive biscuits and this is a combination of two I found and together, they worked perfectly. I also like that the ingredients were ones most coeliacs or gluten intolerant bakers would have at home. You will find this recipe along with some other great biscuit and cookie recipes in my Gluten Free Baking from the Heart Recipe Book (available here) 

There was one ingredient that did surprise me – Chinese Five Spice! Yep I know it gives a little heat at the back of the throat. Perfect! You can smell the spice while the biscuits are baking but it’s not identifiable once baked. You could replace the Chinese Five Spice with some Mixed Spice if you prefer.

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Cherry & Almond Cookies – Dairy Free version included

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I think practically everyone loves a Bakewell Tart and I’m as big a fan as the rest! These cookies have all those amazing flavours with only a little effort and you can make the dough ahead of time and keep in the fridge till it’s needed.

They contain ground almonds and almond extract to give that delicious Bakewell flavour and the recipe called for glace cherries  but as it’s the season for fresh and sweet cherries, I used half and half and it worked out really well.

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Strawberry Blondies

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Blondies to me are like the little sister of Brownies – basically the same but without the cocoa powder and chocolate.

They are buttery, soft, chewy and very simple to make with no mixers needed – always a nice thing!

Blondies are the perfect bake for cake sales, charity bakes and perfect to transport. What’s not to love!

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Oat Cookies – Gluten Free Option included

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I recently bought the lovely Val Stones’ book, The Cake Whisperer and there are some great home baking recipes in it which are tried and tested over many years. I loved Val on GBBO when she said she listened to her cakes to see if they were baked through. She came across such a lovely, warm person who really loved baking and those she baked for.

This recipe is originally for Ginger & Cinnamon Cookies and I’ve made both the original version plus I’ve made a Chocolate Chip & Cinnamon version too. Both are really delicious and went down very well with everyone. I converted them to gluten free so everybody at cozebakes could enjoy them and no one noticed the difference so that’s always a good sign. I’ve put the regular and gluten free versions in the ingredients.

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Skinny Lime & Coconut Squares – Gluten and Dairy Free

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This recipe is adapted from Hannah Mills who has been writing baking books for years and rarely fails to impress.  It needs a stand mixer to get the creamy consistency that’s needed to create a lovely, light cake. It only takes about 10 mins to get the batter into the tin and oven ready so it’s quick and very tasty.

There’s no butter used which keeps it low fat and I’ve reduced the sugar quantity to help make these squares even better for you. As lime is generally sweeter than lemon, you can reduce the sugar without it impacting too much on the overall sweetness.

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Lemon Shortbread

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There’s something so simple and delicious about shortbread and it can be made in any shape which is great too. I used a square, 9″ tart tin so I could cut them into rectangular pieces and it has a removable bottom which is handy too.

It simply needs some parchment to line the base. This recipe does well if allowed to sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes and then baked.

I scored the pastry before baking but I may have needed to go a bit deeper with the knife. As we’re such big lemon fans, I thought it would be really nice to use the zest of a lemon in the shortbread and I added 1/2 tsp of Sicilian Lemon Extract for a bit more punch.

A little drizzle of a lemon glaze was the perfect finish topped with pistachio pieces. Ta Dah 🙂

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Coconut Protein Cookies – Gluten Free

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Ooh imagine .… a cookie that has no added processed or refined sugars, has a high protein content, is full of fibre, healthy fats and is low carb! Well here it is folks and you can thank me once you make them and try them because they are beyond delicious! In fact, I would reduce the honey quantity as I found them quite sweet but try them and see for yourself what you think.

I used a locally produced honey which is completely natural and organic so if you can get similar, it all helps to produce a healthy cookie.

You can use any mix of seeds you like; I just happened to have sunflower and pumpkin seeds. I used a vanilla flavour whey protein powder but if you have a different one, try it to change the finished flavour of your cookies or stick with unflavoured if you prefer.

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