Apricot and almond cake

Apricot and almond cake
 
Author:
Makes: 1 cake and 10 slices
Prep time:
Cook time:
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Ingredients
  • 50 gr whole almonds
  • 280 gr flour
  • 16 gr baking powder
  • 2 gr salt
  • 120 gr white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 200 gr milk
  • 45 gr butter
  • 15 gr amaretto
  • 45 gr orange juice
  • 100 gr dried apricots
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C, grease a cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
  2. Roast the almonds in the oven for 5 min and chop them not too finely.
  3. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
  4. Mix in a different bowl the eggs, milk, melted butter, amaretto and orange juice
  5. Mix the liquid ingredients into the flour until just combined.
  6. Chop the apricots and add them with the almonds to the batter.
  7. Scoop the batter in the prepared tin and bake at 180 °C for 25 min or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool on a wire rack before unmoulding.
Stuff to know
This quantity will fill 1 cake tin and yields about 10 slices.
Amaretto is an almond liquor, the cake can be made without it.
It is possible to bake 12 muffins rather than a single cake.
Do not overmix the batter of the cake becomes though.
Use fresh apricots if available.
Replace the melted butter with vegetable oil if desired.

 

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Chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate chip cookies
 
Author:
Makes: 25 cookies
Prep time:
Cook time:
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Ingredients
  • 200 gr soft butter
  • 200 gr brown sugar
  • 100 gr white sugar
  • 1 tspn vanilla flavour
  • 50 gr peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 380 gr white flour
  • 8 gr baking soda
  • 6 gr salt
  • 300 gr dark chocolate buttons
Instructions
  1. Cream the butter with the brown sugar, white sugar and peanut butter.
  2. Add the eggs, one at the time, and continue mixing until smooth.
  3. Mix in a separate bowl the white flour, salt and baking soda.
  4. Add to the mixture and mix until it comes just together.
  5. Mix in the chocolate chunks until combined.
  6. Chill the dough in the fridge for an hour until cold enough to handle.
  7. Line a baking tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180°C.
  8. Weigh out 50 gr portions of dough and shape them into a ball. Flatten them slightly and place on the baking tray with some room between them since they will spread.
  9. Bake for 14 min or until cooked and golden. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool and become crunchy.
Stuff to know
This recipe will make about 25 cookies
Use butter and eggs at room temperature since they are easier to work with.
The cookies will become crunchy when cool.
Add some chopped pecan nuts to the dough along with the chocolate chips.
Use chocolate buttons if available.

 

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Mince pies

Mince pies
 
Author:
Makes: 48 mince pies
Prep time:
Cook time:
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Ingredients
Mince meat (if home made)
  • 1 orange
  • 125 gr brown sugar
  • 125 ml rhum
  • 150 gr raisins
  • 150 gr currants
  • 150 gr sultanas
  • 1 apple
  • 65 gr butter
  • 40 gr lemon peel
  • ½ tlpl ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
Dough
  • 600 gr flour
  • 300 gr cold butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 195 gr sugar
  • 6 gr salt
  • 120 gr cold water
Instructions
  1. Mince meat filling (if home made)
  2. Zest the orange. Warm the rum and orange zest and dissolve the brown sugar.
  3. Chop the raisins, currants and sultana’s. Finely dice the apple. Mix the apple, raisins, currants and sultana’s with the soft butter, lemon peel, ground cinnamon, nutmeg. Add the rum and mix thoroughly.
  4. Transfer to a clean jar and allow to mature at room temperature for a month.
Dough
  1. Dice the cold butter. Mix the butter with the flour, salt, sugar until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks and enough cold water to bring the dough together.
  2. Wrap in cling film and allow to cool and relax for a minimum of 30 in the fridge (or overnight if desired).
  3. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC and grease the mince pie baking tray. Roll out the dough until the thickness of a pound coin and cut out circles just lager than your tin.
  4. Line the tin and spoon some mince pie filling inside. Cut out star shapes and place them on top. Re-roll the pastry if needed.
  5. Bake the mince pies for 25 minutes or until they are done and golden. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and remove from the tin.
Stuff to know
This quantity will make about 48 mince pies.
Use store-bought filling for a quicker version. You need about 1 kg for 48 mince pies.
Serve the mince pie at room temperature or lukewarm.
Allow plenty of time for the mince pie filling to mature if making it yourself.

 

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Choux pastry

Choux pastry
 
Author:
Makes: 18 choux
Prep time:
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Ingredients
  • 125 gr milk
  • 125 gr water
  • 100 gr butter
  • 125 gr strong white flour
  • 5 gr sugar
  • 200 gr eggs
  • 3 gr salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 210 °C and line a tray with baking paper.
  2. Mix the diced butter with the milk and water with the sugar in a pot and bring slowly to the boil.
  3. Take the pot of the heat and add the flour and salt all at once. Stir to combine. Return to a low heat and allow to cook for a few minutes to cook out the flour.
  4. Transfer to a clean bowl and allow to cool for 10 min.
  5. Beat the eggs and incorporate in the dough slowly, beating well between each addition.
  6. Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag and pipe the desired shape. Brush with the egg wash and bake for 25 min or until puffed up and golden.
  7. Allow to cool and fill with the desired filling.
Stuff to know
This will make about 18-20 choux.
Use this pastry to pipe éclairs.
The choux buns are called cream puffs when filled with whipped cream
Try to avoid opening the oven door during baking to keep the choux from collapsing.
Using only water instead of water and milk will give a choux that is larger and lighter in color.
Cheese choux: add 200 gr grated cheese and add some coarse salt to the egg wash.

 

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Dutch spicy nuts

Dutch spicy nuts
 
Author:
Makes: a lot
Prep time:
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Ingredients
  • 500 gr white plain flour
  • 16 gr baking powder
  • 250 gr brown sugar
  • 5 gr salt
  • 20 gr Dutch spice mix
  • 350 gr cold butter
  • 30 ml cold milk
Dutch Spice mix
  • Dutch spices mixture
  • 30 gr cinnamon (15 teaspoons)
  • 4 gr white pepper (2 teaspoons)
  • 4 gr ground cloves (2 teaspoons)
  • 4 gr nutmeg (2 teaspoons)
  • 2 gr ground coriander (1 teaspoons)
  • 2 gr ginger powder (1 teaspoons)
  • 1 gr ground cardamom (1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions
  1. Mix the white plain flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt and Dutch spice mix in a large bowl.
  2. Dice the cold butter and rub into the flour until the mixture ressembles coarse bread crumbs.
  3. Add the milk and knead the dough until smooth without overworking it.
  4. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate to mature overnight.
  5. The next day, roll the dough out to a rectangle about as thick as a pound coin and cut out the desired shape.
  6. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a tray with baking paper.
  7. Place the speculaas on the baking tray and bake for 15 min or until golden and cooked.
  8. Let them cool on the tray. The speculaas will harden upon cooling.
Stuff to know
The finished speculaas are to be kept in an airtight container.
Using cold butter and milk prevents the dough from becoming too soft to work with. Kneading it too long would also make it too soft to handle.
Speculaas is a typical Dutch winter speciality.

 

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Peanut butter cookie

Peanut butter cookies
 
Author:
Makes: 25 biscuits
Prep time:
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Ingredients
  • 336 gr soft butter
  • 384 gr peanut butter
  • 300 gr white sugar
  • 336 gr brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 468 gr white flour
  • 6 gr salt
  • 15 gr baking powder
Instructions
  1. Cream the butter with the peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar until fluffy.
  2. Add the eggs one by one and whisk until incorporated.
  3. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt until combined.
  4. Chill the dough if needed until it is less sticky.
  5. Preheat the oven to 190 °C and line a tray with baking paper.
  6. Divide the dough in balls about an inch in diameter and place them on the baking tray with room to spread.
  7. Flatten slightly the balls with a fork and bake for 10 min or until they start to colour. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray until they are firm enough to handle.
Stuff to know
Butter and eggs need to be at room temperature to make creaming them easier.
The peanut butter cookies will harden when cooling.
Press a peanut in each cookie before baking.

 

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Dutch kruidnoten

Dutch kruidnoten
 
Author:
Makes: 10o kruidnoten
Prep time:
Cook time:
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Ingredients
Dough
  • 250 gr plain white flour
  • 8 gr baking powder
  • 125 gr brown sugar
  • 15 gr Dutch spice mix
  • 2 gr salt
  • 100 gr cold butter
  • 100 gr cold milk
Dutch spices mixture
  • 30 gr cinnamon (15 teaspoons)
  • 4 gr white pepper (2 teaspoons)
  • 4 gr ground cloves (2 teaspoons)
  • 4 gr nutmeg (2 teaspoons)
  • 2 gr ground coriander (1 teaspoons)
  • 2 gr ginger powder (1 teaspoons)
  • 1 gr ground cardamom (1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions
  1. Mix the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, Dutch spice mix and salt.
  2. Rub in the cold diced butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
  3. Add the cold milk and knead the dough quickly until smooth.
  4. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour up to 2 days.
  5. Preheat the oven to 175 °C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
  6. Roll out the dough and cut this into pieces the size of your thumb nail. Roll these into small balls of half an inch diameter
  7. Place them on the baking tray without touching each other.
  8. Bake the kruidnoten in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown and done. They will harden when cooling.
Stuff to know
The finished kruidnoten are to be kept in an airtight container.
Using cold butter and milk prevents the dough from becoming too soft to work with. Kneading it too long would also make it too soft to handle.
Kruidnoten (literally spicy nuts) are a typical Dutch winter speciality.

 

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Dutch TaaiTaai

Dutch TaaiTaai
 
Author:
Makes: 20 taaitaai
Prep time:
Cook time:
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Ingredients
Dough
  • 19 gr anise flavoured sugar
  • 350 gr plain white flower
  • 13 gr baking powder
  • 12 gr Dutch spice mix
  • 1 tspn ginger powder
  • 2 gr salt
  • 225 gr honey
  • 35 gr golden syrup
  • 1 egg
Egg wash
  • 1 egg
Dutch spice mix
  • 30 gr cinnamon (15 teaspoons)
  • 4 gr white pepper (2 teaspoons)
  • 4 gr ground cloves (2 teaspoons)
  • 4 gr nutmeg (2 teaspoons)
  • 2 gr ground coriander (1 teaspoons)
  • 2 gr ginger powder (1 teaspoons)
  • 1 gr ground cardamom (1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions
  1. Mix the anise flavoured sugar, flour, baking powder, Dutch spice mix, ginger powder and salt.
  2. Add the honey, golden syrup and one egg.
  3. Knead the dough quickly until smooth.
  4. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
  5. Preheat the oven to 150 °C and cover a baking tray with baking paper.
  6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until 1 cm thick and use a floured cookie cutter to cut out circles or other shapes. Recombine the scraps, roll out again and continue cutting taai-taai until all the dough is used up.
  7. Place the shapes on the baking tray without touching each other and brush with the beaten egg.
  8. Bake the taai-taai in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until brown and done. Let them cool on a wire rack. The taai-taai will harden upon cooling.
Stuff to know
The taaitaai will harden when cooling so do not overbake them.
Taaitaai (literally chewy chewy) is a typical Dutch winter speciality.
Keep the remaining spice mix in an airtight container for later use.

 

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Apple and cinnamon muffin

Apple and cinnamon muffin
 
Author:
Makes: 12 muffins
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Ingredients
  • 280 gr flour
  • 16 gr baking powder
  • 1 gr salt
  • 120 g sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 250 ml milk
  • 50 gr melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 250 gr diced apple
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven at 180°C and place the muffin cases in the tin.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon in a bowl.
  3. Mix together in a separate bowl the eggs, milk and butter.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the flour to and mix carefully as not to over blend the mixture.
  5. Peel the apple and cut them apple in small cubes.
  6. Incorporate the diced apple in the batter.
  7. Spread the batter in individual muffin cases.
  8. Bake immediately at 180 C for 15 to 20 min or until a skewer inserted in the muffins comes out clean.
  9. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack.
Stuff to know
Do not overmix the batter or the muffins will be tough.
Use really tart apples like granny smith for a proper apple flavour.

 

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Walnut and syrup muffins

Walnut and syrup muffins
 
Author:
Makes: 12 muffins
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Ingredients
  • 75 gr walnuts
  • 75 gr rasins
  • 280 gr flour
  • 16 gr baking powder
  • 1 gr salt
  • 1 tspn cinnamon
  • 120 gr sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 200 ml milk
  • 50 gr golden syrup
  • 40 gr butter
Instructions
  1. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan. Chop and set aside.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar.
  3. Combine in a separate bowl the eggs, milk and, golden syrup and melted butter.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the flour and mix carefully until just combined.
  5. Add the raisins and chopped walnuts.
  6. Spoon the batter in the muffin cases.
  7. Bake immediately at 185°C for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the muffin comes out clean.
  8. Let them cool on a wire rack before serving.
Stuff to know
Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough.
Toasting the walnuts in a pan without oil until they smell nice will enhance their flavor.

 

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Scones

Scones
 
Author:
Makes: 25 scones
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Ingredients
Dough
  • 1000 gr plain flour
  • 40 gr baking powder
  • 12 gr salt
  • 286 gr cold butter
  • 40 gr white sugar
  • 425 ml cold milk
  • 3 eggs
Egg wash
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbspn milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
  2. Mix the flour with the baking powder, sugar and salt.
  3. Crumble in the cold butter until your mixture looks like bread crumbs.
  4. Mix in the eggs and milk until the dough comes together.
  5. Knead the dough briefly until it is smooth.
  6. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until as thick as your pinky finger.
  7. Using a 5 cm Ø cookie cutter, cut out the scones. Reroll the cut offs and cut out more scones.
  8. Place the scones on a tray lined with baking paper.
  9. Brush the top of the scones with the egg yolk mixed with the milk.
  10. Bake the scones for 20 min or until risen, brown and fully cooked.
  11. Let them cool for a minute and serve with butter, jam or whipped cream.
Stuff to know
This quantity will yield about 25 large scones or 32 smaller ones.
Use cold butter, milk and eggs.
Do not overwork the dough or the scones will be tough.
Do not turn the cutter when cutting the scones or they won’t puff up. Dust the cutter in some flour every now and then to keep it from sticking to the dough.
Add raisins tot he dough.
Add some mustard and grated cheese. Omit the sugar.
Add chpped dried tomatoes and grated parmesan.Omit the sugar.

 

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Ginger nuts

Ginger nuts
 
Author:
Makes: 35
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Ingredients
  • 225 gr butter
  • 175 gr brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp preserved ginger syrup
  • 1 egg
  • 350 gr self-raising flour
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 3 stem ginger pieces
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Cream the soft butter and the sugar until airy and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg and preserved ginger syrup and mix until incorporated.
  4. Fold by hand the self-rising flour into the batter.
  5. Chop the preserved ginger pieces, grate the fresh ginger and stir into the batter.
  6. Chill the batter if needed to make it easier to work with.
  7. Divide the batter with a spoon into walnut size portion, flatten them lightly with a fork and place them on the baking tray at least 5 cm apart.
  8. Bake the ginger cookies for 15 min in the oven or until golden brown. Let them cool and store them in an airtight container.
Stuff to know
Make sure the butter is at room temperature to make creaming it easier.
Make sure you space them apart during baking, because the cookies will spread out.
The cookies will harden when cooling.
You can make self-raising flour by adding 32 gr of baking powder to each 1kg plain flour.

 

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Coconut oatmeal cookies

Coconut oatmeal cookies
 
Author:
Makes: 25
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Ingredients
  • 200 gr butter
  • 150 gr brown sugar
  • 150 gr white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 150 gr flour
  • 10 gr baking powder
  • 3 gr salt
  • 150 gr oat meal
  • 150 gr desiccated coconut
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Cream the butter.
  3. Add the brown and white sugar and cream again.
  4. Add the eggs one by one until fully incorporated.
  5. Sift flour, baking powder and salt and fold this into the butter.
  6. Fold in the oatmeal and desiccated coconut. Mix until smooth.
  7. Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper until it is the size of the baking tray. Remove the top paper and transfer the dough to the baking tray using the bottom layer of baking paper.
  8. Chop the hazelnuts and lightly press into the dough.
  9. Bake the dough in 40 min or until lightly golden brown.
  10. Cut into pieces and let them cool completely.
Stuff to know
This recipe will yield 25 cookies from a tray which is 25 by 35 cm.
Only add the next egg when the previous one has been incorporated.
Make sure the butter is at room temperature to make creaming it easier.
The cookies will harden and set when cooling.
Add dries apricots or cranberries.

 

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Cantuccini

Cantuccini
 
Author:
Makes: 40
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Ingredients
Dough
  • 4 whole eggs
  • 4 gr salt
  • 285 gr almonds with skin
  • 500 gr flour
  • 280 gr white sugar
  • 60 ml water
  • 1 tspn vanilla essence
  • 16 gr baking powder
Egg wash:
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbspn milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 160 ˚C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Knead the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, eggs, water and whole almonds to a stiff dough.
  3. Shape the dough into a log max 5 cm wide and transfer it to the baking tray.
  4. Brush the log with the egg yolk and milk
  5. Bake the dough at 160 ˚C for 25-30 min or until almost cooked. Remove the ray from the oven and let the dough cool for 10 min.
  6. When cool enough, cut the log into slices of 1 cm thick and place them on the baking tray.
  7. Bake at 180 ˚C for 10 min or until the cantuccini are fully cooked, dry and crunchy.
  8. Let them cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.
Stuff to know
Use whole almonds with the skin on for a better presentation.
Add a few tbspn of milk if the dough is too dry to come together.
Do not fully cook the biscotti the first time they are in the oven since you will bake them again.
You can keep the biscotti for a week if stored in an airtight container
Use orange zest in the dough.
Add dried cranberries.
Cantuccini are Italian cookies that are traditionally dipped in Vin Santo or coffee.
Add instant coffee or cacao powder.

 

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