Christmas Orange and Cranberry Cookies

It is nearly Christmas. Rejoice in the name of our saviour... seasonal baked goods! These are apparently the best cookies I have ever made, which is quite a grand statement because I make some pretty amazing cookies. But in the spirit of Christmas I have made two batches in one week and therefore thought it would be nice to share the recipe. The scent of the orange zest baking in the oven overwhelms the olfactory senses with a real smell of Christmas. I love the smell of Christmas... cinammon, ginger, cloves, all spice, orange... I aim to make an amazing ginger bread Christmas tree over the next few days but for now here is the recipe for these really easy cookies.

Ingredients:

225g butter                                           100g caster sugar
300g self-raising  flour                         Zest of one orange
1 x 75g pack dried cranberries             1 teaspoon orange essence (optional but highly recommended)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees centigrade.
2. Cream the butter and sugar, add the flour and orange zest. Add the orange essence if using and the knead until the mixture comes together. Mix in the cranberries. 
3. Form the dough into small balls and flatten out into 10cm circles.
4. Place on a greased baking sheet, leaving room between them for the cookies to spread.
5. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.

Blueberry and Vanilla Muffins

The moment has come for me to bear my burden and share with you the secret to these extremely moist, vanilla and almond muffins delightfully dotted with 'blueberry amethysts.' Yes that was a bit over the top, but the muffins deserve such an extraordinary introduction. The recipe is from a book called The Vegetarian Student Cook Book. I am afraid to admit that once I was a vegetarian student. I am relieved to announce that now I am neither.

Ingredients:

150g ground almonds                                             150g  caster sugar
50g self raising flour                                              175g butter, melted
4 egg whites                                                           1 teaspoon vanilla essence
150g blueberries

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees centigrade.
2. In a large bowl mix  together the almonds, sugar, flour and butter.
3. Add the egg whites and vanilla essence and mix until you make a smooth paste.
4. Divide mixture among 10 paper  muffin cases and scatter with the blueberries.
5. Bake in the oven  for 15 minutes or until just firm in the centre.