Stressed spelt backwards ...

.. Is desserts & although tonights recipe post isn't a dessert it is a sweet treat so definitely belongs in here. I decided to give a go at some biscuits as they are one area of baking that I'm not overly confident with.. And this came about due to being a little stressed over the last couple of days, and when I'm stressed i do tend to find cooking & baking as my form of therapy. 

After trawling Pinterest I found a recipe for peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies and after checking my kitchen cupboards i found i had enough ingredients  - i actually ended up with a batch of 20  


So to make these peanut butter cookies you will need :

130g good quality peanut butter
115g unsalted softened  butter
100g caster sugar
75g soft light brown sugar
1 medium egg (at room temp)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract / seeds of half a vanilla pod
150g porridge oats
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
100g chocolate chips / raisins

• Start by combining the peanut butter, softened butter and both sugars in a bowl. Beat them together wth an electric hand whisk or with a freestanding mixer for a couple of minutes till the mixture is light fluffy and paler in colour.
• Break the egg into a small plate and whisk together with the vanilla extract / seeds. Pour this into the peanut butter mixture and beat together with a wooden spoon.
• Add in the oats, the flour and the soda and mix together . Add in the chocolate chips/ raisins and stir together until the chips/ raisins are evenly incorporated.Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to chill in the fridge for about 40-45 minutes. Towards the end of the chilling time preheat the oven to 180c/ gas mark 4 
• Take a tablespoonful of dough, shape into a round ball and place onto a baking paper lined baking tray. Repeat with all of the dough, spacing the balls of dough out evenly. 
• Bake in the oven for 12-15* minutes until golden brown- the edges will be slightly darker.
• Leave to cool slightly and then remove carefully onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

*Rotate the baking trays half way through the cooking time to help the cookies cook evenly

That's the way the cookie crumbles

Cookies are the one thing that i've always struggled with ever since the baking bug bit me. I've lost count of the  different recipes that I've tried where they either are a complete sludgy mess or worthy of chipping your tooth 

After countless attempts, I think it's safe to say I've found an unbelievably quick and easy recipe and gives me the perfect fix for soft chewy morsels of yumminess  


This recipe is for the good old chocolate chip cookie but the variations you could experiment with are endless. Swap half the flour for porridge oats, instead of chocolate chips add dried berries or nuts and fruit for a slighty less guilty version or why not try something a little more adventurous like a rocky road twist ? Id love to see what versions you can come up with 

 so for 10 milk chocolate chip cookies you will need :

125g softened butter
100g soft light brown sugar
125g caster sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt 
1/2 tsp vanilla paste/ seeds of a vanilla pod
200g milk chocolate chips 

• Cream together the butter and sugars till light and fluffy
• Add in the egg and mix well together
• Add in the salt flour vanilla paste and the chocolate chips. Combine with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough
• Chill the dough in the fridge for 15- 20 minutes
• Roll out the dough into 10 balls, place on greaseproof paper lined baking trays.
• Bake at 180c ( fan assisted ) for 7-10 minutes for soft chewy cookies, 10-12 minutes for slightly firmer crunchier cookies 
• leave to cool slightly ( if you have the patience) before removing from the trays and devour away