All Butter Thins

Thin, crisp, buttery biscuits.

Ingredients
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
125g butter, softened
½ tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp syrup

Method
Heat the oven to 180oC.
Cream together the sugar and butter.
Add the remaining ingredients and work into a firm dough.
Either roll into a sausage and cut off rounds, or roll out flat to 5mm and cut into squares or with cookie cutters.
Place onto a baking sheet 2cms apart.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling tray.

For biscuits with less ‘crisp’ and a bit of ‘chew’, remove from the oven as soon as the surface starts to bubble (after 10-12 minutes).

Waffles, with Molasses

Heavy, dark breakfast waffles.

Ingredients
800mls water
2¾ cups flour
1 cup oats
100g butter, melted
¼ cup sugar (optional)
2 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1½ tsps baking powder
Pinch salt

Method
To the water add the salt, sugar and vinegar.
Whisk in the flour and baking powder. Add the molasses and butter.
Leave to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the fridge overnight.

Cinnamon Thins

A cinnamony variation on the All Butter Thins

Ingredients
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
125g butter, softened
½ tsp baking powder
2 tsps cinnamon
1 Tbsp syrup

Method
Heat the oven to 180oC.
Cream together the sugar and butter.
Add the remaining ingredients and work into a firm dough.
Either roll into a sausage and cut off rounds, or roll out flat to 5mm and cut into squares or with cookie cutters.
Place onto a baking sheet 2cms apart.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Basic Egg-Free Muffin/Fairy Cake Recipe

Ingredients
2¼ cups all purpose flour
3 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup sugar*
150g butter, melted
1 cup water

Method
Combine dry ingredients.
Add butter and water.
(Add any extra ingredients here)**
Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 225oC for muffins, 180oC for fairy cakes.
Fill muffin cups ¾ full and bake for 15-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean - muffins will take 15-20 minutes, fairy cakes a little longer.

To decorate Fairy Cakes:
Once the cakes have cooled, mix approximately 4 Tbsp icing sugar with a little water or fruit juice. Spread the cake tops liberally with icing and sprinkle with shop bought cake decorations, chocolate shavings or a tiny slice of fruit... to suit the flavour of the cake :).

*You can use up to 1 cup of sugar if you like sweeter muffins.

**To this basic mix, you can add 1-1½ cups of frozen or fresh blueberries, any soft berries actually, chocolate chips, caramel pieces, raisins or anything else that takes your fancy.



Makes 12-15 muffins.

Teacakes (contains yeast)

A traditional English favourite.

Ingredients
1kg flour
600mls water
100-250g raisin and mixed peel (to taste)
125g hard fat (coconut fat, butter, lard or beef dripping)
75g-100g sugar
50g yeast
1 tsp ground mixed spice

Method
Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, spice, raisins and mixed peel together.
Melt the fat and add to warm water. The final liquid should be hand temperature.
Add the liquid to the flour.
Knead for 5 minutes.
Leave to rise for 1 hour.
Knock back.
Roll into a sausage, cut into 24 rounds/pieces of equal size.
Place on a baking sheet and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
Bake at 225oC for 12 minutes.

Triple Chocolate Muffins

Egg and dairy free chocolate muffins.

Ingredients
2¼-3 cups of flour*
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups water
150g butter
100g dark chocolate
100g chocolate chips
2-4 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Method
In a large bowl, mix together 2¼ cups of the flour, sugar, chocolate chips, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
Melt the butter and the chocolate together very gently (over-heated chocolate becomes grainy).
Add the water to the butter chocolate mix.
Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
If needed, now is the time to add more flour:
Gradually whisk or stir in ¼ cup of flour.
Repeat this until you get the right consistency – it should be a cross between batter and dough.
Leave the mixture to stand at room temperature for a minimum of half an hour. (optional)
Pour or spoon into muffin cups and bake at 225oC for 15-20 minutes.
Yields 12-15 muffins.

*How much flour you need will depend on the type of flour you're using. Coarsely ground, wholemeal flour will need up to three cups. Finely ground, white flour will need less.


For extra chocolatey deliciousness, mix cocoa powder or melted chocolate with softened, unsalted butter and icing sugar. Cut or break the top off the muffin and fill, comme ça!

Molasses Muffins/Fairy Cakes

Ingredients
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ - 1 cup sugar (to taste)
1 can light coconut milk
¼ cup molasses
50g butter, melted and cooled
Pinch of salt (optional)

Method
Heat the oven to 200oC.
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Add the wet ingredients and mix well.
Pour into muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Makes 15 cakes.

Coffee Oat Crumblies

Ingredients
2½ cups oats
100g butter, melted
75mls coffee*, freshly brewed, cooled
1 tsp baking powder
¾ cup sugar

Method
Heat oven to 200oC.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Add wet ingredients.
Mix to combine.
Spoon** dough, 2 cms apart onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crispy.
(Keep an eye on them after 10 minutes - the edges may start to burn!)

*If you don't want caffeine, if you're baking for kids, for example, replace the coffee with fruit tea or water.
**Alternatively, leave the dough in the fridge until it’s firm, then shape into balls before placing on the sheet.

Crumbly Oat Cookies

Ingredients
1 ½ cups wholemeal flour
2 ½ cups porridge oats
½ cups sugar
200g butter
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ Tbsp light syrup
1 ½ Tbsp molasses

Method
Heat the oven to 180oC.
Mix flour, oats, baking powder and baking soda together
Melt the butter syrup molasses and sugar together.
Mix well to combine.
Scoop out the dough with a spoon or coffee scoop.
Pack it tightly before pressing it flat onto a baking sheet.
(Use two forks to press the dough, so that it remains compact)
Bake in the upper middle of the oven for 10 minutes.
Makes about 20 cookies.

Merry Berry Muffins (contains eggs and dairy!)

Ingredients(12 muffins)
2 ¼ cups flour
2tsp baking powder
½ cup sugar
150g butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 ½ cups berries, frozen or fresh

Method
Heat the oven to 200oC.
Mix together the flour, baking powder and sugar.
Mix together the eggs and milk, then add the butter – this order prevents the butter, which still might be warm, from cooking the eggs.
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry.
Add the berries and mix in.
Bake in a muffin tin or cups for about 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
If you’re not using paper liners, allow them to cool for a while in the tin/cups before turning out.


The more you mix the berries in, the richer the colour of the batter.
I like to end up with as much colour as possible, without destroying the fruit.

Muffins cooling upside down.

Fat-free Yoghurt Muffins (contains dairy and eggs!)

Ingredients
2 ¼ cups flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup yoghurt (fruit or plain)
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder

Method
Heat the oven to 200oC.
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Mix the eggs, yoghurt and milk together.
Whisk the wet mix into the dry.
Fill muffin cups or tin with the mix and bake for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool in the cups/tin before turning out.

Ginger Cookies

Ingredients (yields about 30 cookies)
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
250g butter, softened
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder

Method
Heat the oven to 150oC.
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Work in the butter to form a firm dough.
Roll into balls and flatten onto a baking sheet with a fork.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Cool on a wire tray.



These expand to double their original size. I like to lay them out staggered and let them merge into each other and get hexagonal cookies. This also means you can get them all in one batch, saving on fuel.



You can try adding a handful of chopped crystalised ginger for more of a ginger kick!

Breakfast Loaf

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 cup wheat bran
¼ cup sugar
3 tsps baking powder
50g butter, melted
1 cup water
pearl sugar, for sprinkling

Method
Heat the oven to 200oC.
Mix together all dry ingredients.
Add melted butter and water.
Mix well to combine.
Sprinkle with pearl sugar (optional)
Bake in a lined 24cm loaf tin for 25-30 minutes.

Allow to cool or serve warm, with butter and jam!

Fruit Bran Loaf

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 cup wheat bran
1 cup dried fruit (raisins, chopped dates, apricots or a mix of whatever you fancy!)
¼ cup sugar
3 tsps baking powder
50g butter, melted
1 cup water

Method
Heat the oven to 200oC.
Mix together all dry ingredients (including the dried fruit).
Add melted butter and water.
Mix well to combine.
Bake in a lined 24cm loaf tin for 25-30 minutes.
Allow to cool or serve warm.