Anzac bikkies from The Joy of Better Cooking

My pal Monique Bowley’s Anzac bikkies are a viral sensation Down Under every April, and I’m so pleased to have been given her blessing to share these oaty wonders far and wide. I’ve added a sprinkle of salt flakes on each biscuit, because I couldn’t help myself. Feel free to ignore this addition, which is […]

Oaty Tea Bars (OTT Bars) from The Joy of Better Cooking

These oaty tea bars (see what I did there?) are great for school lunchboxes and afternoon snack slumps with a cuppa, using up the last of those packets or jar ingredients floating around your pantry taking up space. Maybe leave the dippy bit out if it’s headed for a lunchbox in the middle of summer, […]

Sticky date hot cross buns with butterscotch glaze

As far as I’m concerned, sticky date pudding will always be the Holy Grail dessert – especially as the weather turns woolly. Here, the flavours of SDP are knitted together within HCB, with traditional spices (hello, ground coriander!), chunky bits of Medjool date, and a butterscotch sauce glaze. I’ve used Lorraine Elliott’s tanghzhong tip to […]

Flourless date and walnut cake

Considering Passover’s desert connection, where Jewish people mark their escape from slavery in Egypt with symbolic foods, date desserts just make sense – particularly ones that are kosher for Passover like this one. Here, the dates act as both binder, and sweetener – you’ll notice there’s no refined sugar in the cake, nor flour, making […]

Date & nut ‘eggs’

You can make these ‘eggs’ using whichever amaze-ball or protein-ball recipe you like – just roll into regular balls, then shape into eggs before rolling in your chosen coating. These are GF, DF, Vegan, but not fun-free. Make them with your kids or grandkids!

Ukranian cheese cake with brandy raisins

Syrnyk (siir-nick), which roughly translates to of-cheese, is a classic cottage cheese cake that you’ll find across Ukraine, Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe. Traditionally made with farmer’s cheese, I’ve subbed in ricotta, which is more accessible here, and will give you a more consistent finish than the various types of cottage cheese we […]

Salted butter caramel popcorn

It would be remiss of me to praise corn without taking a moment to honour its puffed cousin… popcorn! There’s something about popcorn that always makes me feel like a kid eating it, and this salted butter caramel version is decidedly more grown up, with a nice dark caramel and flaky salt that’ll keep you […]

Apricot frangipane galette with rosemary pastry

A galette is a loosey goosey free-form pie that requires very little in the way of baking ability. If you can play with play-dough, you can bake a galette. Infusing the dough with rosemary, is one advantage of making your own pastry, but if you’re umming and ahhing, I’m very ok with your use of […]

‘Whatever you’ve got’ French toast

If there’s one thing you’ve almost definitely got left over after festivities, it’s bread. Whether that’s hi-tin, brioche, challah, or just a sandwich loaf, you can make use of it all in a classic French toast. And the best part is, that you can also put that bottomless jug of custard in there too.

Cheerio cherry yule log from The Joy of Better Cooking

There are so many things to love about the festive cheer of this retro celebration yule log. For me, it marks the culmination of my cooking journey to date, so it feels fitting to leave the conversation here for now. It reflects the flavours that I love to share — something familiar and decadent like […]