4 Easy Bakes To Make This Week
Bake off is officially back, and to get you in the mood, we have rounded up some of our baking faves. From cookies with colossal sized oozing chunks of chocolate to traditional scones that would make Mary Berry proud, decadent millionaire’s shortbread to rocky roads that looked plucked from Pinterest, here are four easy bakes sure to satisfy the sweetest of teeth this week.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Servings: 10 large cookies
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 12 mins
Ingredients:
- 300g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 120g salted butter (melted)
- 225g light brown soft sugar
- 1 egg
- 20 squares of milk chocolate (you will need to buy a large bar)
Equipment:
- Mixing bowl
- Microwaveable bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Baking tray lined with baking paper
- Measuring spoons
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 160°C.
- In the mixing bowl, combine the flour and bicarbonate. Set to one side.
- In the other bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and mix in the sugar before adding the egg. Add this wet mix to the dry flour mix and bring together with the wooden spoon to form a dough.
- Divide the dough into 60g balls and place on the lined baking tray, leaving room to spread between each one. Push each ball down slightly then place in the oven for 6 minutes.
- After the 6 minutes, take the cookies out of the oven, press 2 squares of chocolate into each one, rotate the tray then bake for a further 6 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly on the tray before serving.
Tip: You can keep the 60g dough balls in the freezer and when ready, bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.
Millionaire’s Shortbread
Servings: makes one 20cm x 20cm traybake
Preparation time: 30 mins plus cooling
Cooking time: 15 mins
Ingredients
For the shortbread base:
- 100g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 50g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- 125g plain flour
- 25g cornflour
For the caramel centre:
- 150ml double cream
- 300g toffees
For the chocolate topping:
- 300g milk chocolate
Equipment:
- Electric hand whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Lined 20cm x 20cm traybake tin
- Saucepan
- Microwaveable bowl
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
- In the mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with the electric hand whisk.
- Add the flour and cornflour and continue to mix with the electric hand whisk until a crumb consistency is achieved, then pour the mix into the lined tin. Spread it out evenly and push down so the crumbs form a smooth base, before baking for 15 minutes.
- Whilst the base is baking, put the toffees and double cream in the saucepan over a medium heat, constantly stirring until the toffees have melted and combined with the cream.
- Once baked, remove the base from the oven and pour the caramel over the top in an even layer. Allow the whole thing to cool. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each time and then pour over the cooled base and caramel to form another even layer.
- Place the whole thing in the fridge to chill for at least an hour – longer is preferable before removing from the tin and portioning.
Easy Peasy Scones
Servings: 8
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan) and line the baking tray with the parchment
- In the mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar then add in the butter cubes and work them in with your fingers
- Once a crumb consistency has been achieved, make a well in the centre and add 1 egg and the milk. Bring it all together until just combined to form a dough, being careful not to overwork it
- Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 2 cm thickness. Cut out rounds, bringing the offcuts together and re-rolling until you have 8 rounds
- Place them all on the baking tray, rub the tops with eggwash using your finger or a pastry brush if you have it, and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden on top
- Allow to cool before serving with jam and clotted cream
Rocky Road Cookies
Servings: 12
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 55g butter
- 40g dark chocolate chips
- 100 light muscovado sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 100g plain white flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 60g walnuts
- 25g mini marshmallows
- 40g white chocolate chips
Equipment:
- Small saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- Lined baking tray
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200’c/180’c fan/gas mark 6. In a small saucepan, melt together the butter and the dark chocolate chips.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool once it’s all melted together. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted chocolate mixture with the light muscovado sugar, egg and vanilla extract.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and then add this to the chocolate mixture mixing together until fully incorporated. Add in the white chocolate chips and the walnuts.
- Using a spoon, drop walnut (in shell) sized pieces on to a baking tray which is lined with parchment paper (Make sure you leave enough room between each ball as these will spread apart when baking).
- Bake 8-10 minutes (8 if you prefer them slightly chewy, 10 if you’re more into a crunch). Bring them out of the oven and while they’re still soft, add a few marshmallows to the top of each. Transfer these to a wire cooling rack.
All recipes from the Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by nabim or from Fab Flour.
You can find more Easy Peasy Baking recipes and information on the campaign over on the Fab Flour website: fabflour.co.
