Cinnamon & Ginger Thumbprint Cookies

02-12-2016 Local Black Book12 biscuits of Christmas, biscuit, biscuits, Christmas, cinnamon, cookie, cookies, ginger, recipe, snack, treat1 Comment

J-23 guys! 23 more days til the most wonderful time of the year and I cannot wait! And really, what better way to get in the festive mood than a plate of spicy, cinnamon-ey cookies?

Nothing. My point exactly.

For me, that first bite of something sweet, crumbly and unmistakably cinnamon-ey is what marks the official start of the festive season.

Most years, mince pies are the way this happens (and I absolutely love it that way!).

But this year was different. This year, that ‘first bite’ was one of these gorgeous, homemade Cinnamon & Ginger Curd Thumbprint Cookies.

Flavoured with the warm aromas of cinnamon and ginger, they are the super Christmas-sy version of the already quite Christmas-sy jam thumbprint cookies.

They’re super easy to make (absolutely no need to be a smart cookie!) and with all these spices, they definitely make for the perfect seasons’ greetings!

Cinnamon & Ginger Thumbprint Cookies (makes 30)

For the cookie dough:

200g flour + some for dusting
100g granulated sugar
125g soft unsalted butter
4 egg yolks
a small pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon

To garnish:

100 ml (about 1/3 jar) Granny Cool Ginger Curd (this thing is the absolute BOMB!)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. In a big bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until it becomes fluffy and doubles in volume.

2. Add in the flour and cinnamon and mix. You should get a crumbly texture, not dissimilar to that of crumble, only much finer.

3. Incorporate the butter and knead lightly until the dough comes together, adding more flour as you go if necessary.

4. Wrap the dough in greaseproof paper and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 min.

5. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Take the dough out of the fridge and shape into balls the size of a large cherry.

6. Place the balls about 5cm apart on prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1 cm deep.

7. Bake for 15 min.

8. Let the cookies cool entirely. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 tsp ginger curd, then dust the cookies with ground cinnamon.

Mojito Lemon Curd

16-08-2016 Local Black Bookdessert, lemon, lemon curd, lime, mojito, recipe, rum, sweet, treat, vegetarianLeave a comment

I like all desserts but I’m especially partial to the citrus-y ones.

Lemon posset, tart, cake… you name it, I love it!

And since Mr Weather Man has been kind enough to let us have a little bit of actual summer-time lately (and the fact that today is National Rum day…), I’m celebrating with a little cheeky twist on my absolute fave: lemon curd!

Boasting the same sweet-and-sour taste as the classic, but with added mint and a sneaky shot of rum, this cocktail-inspired Mojito lemon curd tastes just like Summer in a jar!

Because when life gives me lemon, I really don’t need much more encourage-mint to turn it into a dessert (and neither should you!)!

Mojito Lemon Curd (for two small jars)

Ingredients: 3 unwaxed lemons (preferably organic), 3 unwaxed lime (preferably organic), 120g unsalted butter, 120g icing sugar, 4 eggs, leaves from a small bunch of mint, 20ml good quality rum

1. Grate the zest of the lemons + limes. Juice the citrus.

2. Beat the eggs, then pour in the citrus juice and zest and whisk until well combined.

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on a low heat. Add in the icing sugar, turn the heat to high and cook until the mixture turns white and sort of foam-y.

4. Add the citrus and eggs mixture and the mint leaves and cook on a medium heat until it thickens.

5. Pass the lemon curd through a thin sieve if you wish, and let it cool down entirely before mixing in the rum. Keep in the fridge and eat within a week (which shouldn’t be too much trouble if you spread it on toast, pipe it on cake and biscuits, mix into yoghurt or get at it with a spoon around midnight!)

PIN FOR LATER:

Crosstown Doughnuts

03-02-2016 Local Black Bookbest doughnuts in London, Crosstown, Crosstown Doughnuts, donut, donuts, Doughnut, doughnuts, London, recommendation, Restaurant, review, Soho, sweet, treat, where to eat in london1 Comment

An empty stomach is a dangerous thing to have while walking up and down the streets of Soho.

Temptation is everywhere and despite your best intentions, you won’t be able to resist for very long.

Especially if you come across Crosstown Doughnuts.

The tiny stall-come-store built quite a cult following over the years and for good reasons.

Crosstown Doughnuts, London | Cake + Whisky

Not only do they have brilliant ideas (#paydaydoughday should definitely be an official thing!), but their doughnuts are simply divine.

Just look at it.

No wonder those babies have been rated #1 British dessert you must try before you die on Buzzfeed.

The small Broadwick Street flagship store is pretty much what a sweet-tooth’s dreams are made of.

Rows after rows of hand-made sourdough doughnuts in each and every flavour your heart desires.

And then some more.

And some coffee for good measure.

It took all of our restraint not to get one of each, but we settled on -only- three.

Part of the selction was a Lamnut (a Lamington/Doughnut limited edition hybrid to celebrate Australia week) and a Sea Salt Caramel & Banana Cream Doughnut.

A winning combination of chocolate sourdough base, fresh banana cream filling, sea salt caramel glaze and chocolate soil topping.

The last pick was the hardest one (crème brûlée? vanilla glaze? peanut butter?) but in the end, I went for the most intriguing flavour of the lot: the Beetroot Lemon Thyme Doughnut.

A colourful beetroot sourdough filled with subtle lemon-thyme infused cream and topped with cream cheese icing and lemon & thyme crumble. Much lighter than it looks and absolutely delightful.

So good in fact I’m looking for another excuse to treat myself to one today… Anyone for #HumpdayDoughday?

Crosstown Doughnuts, 4 Broadwick Street, Soho, London W1F 8HJ

Chocolate-dipped Golden Berries

05-11-2015 Local Black Book2 ingredients, chocolate, cooking, dessert, food, Golden Berry, homemade gift, Inca Berry, presents, recipe, treat2 Comments

I’ve recently re-discovered Golden Berries (also called Inca Berries, or Physalis).

Relatively difficult to find in the UK just a few months ago, they seem to have become more and more popular and I start seeing them everywhere nowdays. Which is perfectly fine by me.

Not only do those small golden, cherry tomato-like look lovely enclosed in their papery shell, but it’s also packed-full of anti-oxydants, vitamins and even has anti-inflamatory properties.

And covered in good quality, magnesium-rich Ecuadorian dark chocolate, it’s quickly become my favourite snack!

Making a big bowl of those will barely take you 10 minutes, and I swear you’ll be glad you use your time this way!

Chocolate-dipped Golden Berries

Ingredients: 100g fresh Golden Berries, 80-100g good quality dark chocolate (I used the perfectly balanced Hoja Verde 72%)

1. Melt your chocolate using the double-boiler technique.

2. When it’s melted, dip your berries in the chocolate and set aside to dry on a sheet of greaseproof paper.

I think those would make a brilliant addition to any chocolate dessert for that extra bit of wow factor we’re all after when entertaining. Or why not serving them with coffee for an indulging, yet healthy end to a meal?

Cake and Whisky

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Mojito Lemon Curd

Crosstown Doughnuts

Chocolate-dipped Golden Berries