Crunchy Ginger Biscuits

This is a great homey recipe and is great all year round but also makes a great festive treat! You could even use a gingerbread man cutter with this mixture. They are simple to make and great fun to decorate, a perfect way to keep kids occupied over the school holidays :)

• 250g self raising flour
• 75g Brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp of ground ginger
• A fair sprinkle of ground mixed spice
• A few shavings of fresh nutmeg
• 25g lard
• 25g butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 a tbs of syrup mixed with about a 1 tbs of brown sugar
• Your choice of decoration e.g. glace/butter icing, decorative sprinkles etc.

1. Pre-heat and oven to 180 C / gas 4.
2. Sieve the flour, sugar, bicarb and spices into a mixing bowl.
3. Put syrup and sugar mix with the lard and butter and gently heat until all melted together.
4. Pour the melted mix into the flour and carefully mix together, if the mixture is sticky and moist add more flour until the mixture is dry (not too dry) and firm enough to kneed with your hands.
5. Kneed and tease the dough together until smooth and well mixed.
6. Flour a smooth surface and rolling pin, put the dough ball on this surface.
7. Carefully roll out until the dough is about 2-3 mm thick (the biscuits Will rise substantially when baking)
8. Taking a cookie cutter of your choice cut out biscuit shapes and place on a well greased baking sheet/tray.
9. Bake for around 10 - 15 minutes until firm and a rich brown colour, these biscuits cook very quickly so make you you do not burn them.
10. Leave the biscuits to cool an then decorate them as you wish. I personally like using barbie sprinkles with glace icing - childish yes, but very fun :L

So there you have it, quick and tasty treats! I personally like alot of spice in my biscuits, but if you are not such a fan you  can always use smaller measurements and add a tad More sugar :) I'm on holiday for the next two weeks so who knows what I will be cooking up for you next time :L

Thanks for stopping by!
Siobhan xoxo

Magic Lemon Pudding

Magic lemon pudding is quick and tasty, and a favourite amongst children. The best thing about serving this dessert to children is that its a really easy way to help them with their daily calcium intake, as it is far less boring than a simple glass of milk. Another plus of this pudding is it is not costly to make, so instead of breaking the bank on shop desserts, you can make this yourself :)! The 'magic' in this pudding is that you make on single batter, and while the pudding is cooking it separates, leaving a cakey topping and a creamy, sweet lemon sauce beneath - the more lemon juice you use the more sauce is produced, I personally like an even split of cake and sauce.

• 1 large lemon
• 50g of butter (ensure soft not cold and hard)
• 100g of caster sugar
• 50g of self-raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 285ml milk (1/2 a pint)

1. Grease a medium sized, circular baking dish with vegetable or sunflower oil.
2. In a mixing bowl add the rind of the lemon, the butter and the sugar. Using a whisk, cream together until soft.
3. Separate egg yolks from the white, putting the whites into another mixing bowl.
4. Put yolks into the butter and sugar mix with a little flour an mix together.
5. Now add the juice of the lemon (Strained) and the remaining sifted flour and stir together.
6. Now leave you mix and whisk your egg whites until they are stiff, then gently fold the whites into the cake batter.
7. Carefully pour hte mixture into the baking dish and bake at 150 for around 40 minutes until golden in colour.
8. Eat warm or allow to cool to allow the sauce to completely separate from the cake.

Hope this recipe works well for you :) I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to be cooking next week just yet, I'm thinking along hte lines of a savoury snack or appetiser. If you have any requests leave a comment letting me know :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Love Siobhan xoxo