Baking · Brownies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

Chocolate Brownie Heart

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Heart-shaped dark chocolate brownie. Treat yourself and your loved ones to this decadent and fudgy brownie heart. With chocolate ganache topping and all the sprinkles of your choice!

It’s Friday, that means the weekend is nearly here! Let’s jump straight into the weekend with a scrumptious brownie recipe that will get you drooling!

A little while back my sister came up with the idea for this brownie. She wanted to bake brownies, but suggested we bake the brownie batter in a heart-shaped cake tin we had.

She also had some Valentine’s-themed M&M’s that she’d brought back from a trip to Florida earlier in the year. We wanted to bake with M&M Cupid’s Blend, but we didn’t round to doing so when it was the lead up to Valentine’s Day.

This recipe is perfect for Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or any occasion that’s worth celebrating!

We used our go-to Chocolate Fudge Brownies; this recipe never fails to impress. It’s absolute brownie perfection for those of you who adore extremely fudgy brownies. I’m not a fan of cakey brownies; I want them squidgy and super fudgy. This recipe shares the same texture as a chocolate fondant when warmed up in the microwave, but when served at room temperature it’s also resembles a chocolate torte/fudge bar.

We went for a classic brownie flavour, but this recipe can be adapted in so many ways. Swirl some Biscoff, Nutella, peanut butter, or even pistachio paste through the top of the batter. Add chocolate chips or chunks, or even some nuts, such as walnuts.

Swap the ganache topping for chocolate buttercream. I might try some white chocolate buttercream next time, or you can even simply drizzle over some melted chocolate for an easy and quicker decoration.

Bake this recipe, and you’ll be one bite away from chocolate brownie heaven.

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Chocolate Brownie Heart

Heart-shaped dark chocolate brownie. Treat yourself and your loved ones to this decadent and fudgy brownie heart. With chocolate ganache topping and all the sprinkles of your choice! Bake this recipe and you'll be one bite away from chocolate brownie heaven...
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Brownie Batter:

  • 200 g butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 200 g dark chocolate
  • 270 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 3 medium or large eggs
  • 2 medium or large egg yolks
  • 115 g plain flour
  • 35 g cocoa powder

Chocolate Ganache:

  • 100 g dark chocolate
  • 100 ml double cream

Decoration:

  • Chocolate or sprinkles of your choice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 20cm heart-shaped tin with parchment paper on the base, and up the sides. Set the tin aside for later.
  • Melt the butter and chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave in 20-second intervals until completely melted and smooth. Set this mixture aside and leave it to cool for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile beat the eggs and egg yolks together until combined. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly, add the egg mixture and stir to combine.
  • In large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and sugar, sift the cocoa powder over the top and mix until thoroughly combined and no lumps of flour remain. Now add the chocolate mixture and stir until combined, try not to over mix otherwise this may result in your baked brownie being tough. Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake the brownies for 40-45 minutes, they’ll be ready when they’re risen, the top has started to slightly crack and a cake tester when inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached - the brownie should still have a slight wobble in the centre.
  • Leave the brownie to cool completely in the tin, then once cooled leave them to set for at least 6 hours or overnight for best results.
  • Decorate further if desired by making a chocolate ganache topping. Chop the chocolate up into small pieces, and add to a small mixing bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan on medium heat. Once the cream just starts to bubble, take off the heat and pour over the chocolate. Leave for a minute, then stir until you have a smooth, glossy mixture. Directly cover the top of the ganache with a piece of cling film, leave to set at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
  • To decorate, I filled a piping bag fitted with a nozzle with the cooled, thickened ganache. Piping around the edge with the ganache. I then decorated further with chocolate/sprinkles. The brownie will keep stored at room temperature for up to one week, if you can resist it!

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Baking · Curd and Jam · Scones

Classic British Scones

What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

Classic British scone recipe. Buttery in flavour, with a soft and fluffy texture. Top generously with jam of your choice, and clotted cream for the very best scone experience. 

This is a recipe update from April 2016. The recipe and photographs updated in April 2024.

I really love eating scones, and lately I’ve been enjoying baking scones too. I love a freshly baked scone, still slightly warm from the oven, spread with butter and jam, or topped with clotted cream and jam.

Scones originate right here in the United Kingdom. We Brits are proud of this bake that’s popular all over the world, with many countries having their own variations.

In the UK, we traditionally make sultana/plain scones and cheese scones.

I’m revisiting an older blog recipe; the original recipe contained vanilla, but with this one we’ve left it out, and actually, it tastes more traditional and even nicer without any vanilla extract. If you love vanilla, then you can always add a teaspoon to this scone mix.

Classic British Scones are left plain or have sultanas added. I enjoy both plain and sultana scones, but as one of the taste testers I’m making these for prefers plain scones, I’m therefore baking mine without sultanas today. If you want to include sultanas, add roughly a couple of small handfuls.

These scones are super simple to mix up; they have just a few more ingredients compared to my Lemonade Scones (3 Ingredient Recipe), but they’re incredibly tasty, with more of a buttery flavour and texture than the 3-Ingredient Recipe.

The mix makes around a dozen scones; how many you manage to make depends on the size of your cutter. I went for a 5cm fluted cutter; this made the perfect-sized scones, leaving us all longing for more.

Once the scones are risen and lightly golden, leave them to cool before serving. Serving is when you really bring your batch of scones to life. I highly recommend some strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream. There’s no better taste experience than this spread atop a homemade scone!

I’m holidaying in Cornwall this year, so I’m excited for a cream tea or two, clotted cream ice cream, and other delicious Cornish foods. I can’t wait to devour freshly baked scones filled with masses of clotted cream and the sweetest jam! The countdown is on!

But in the meantime, I’ll quite happily take these!

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Classic British Scones

Classic British scone recipe. Buttery in flavour, with a soft and fluffy texture. Top generously with jam of your choice, and clotted cream for the very best scone experience.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 350 g self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 85 g butter (salted or unsalted) cold and cut into cubes
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • Generous pinch of salt
  • 175 ml milk you might need to add more

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency.
  • Now mix through the sugar, along with a generous pinch of salt. Slowly add the milk, continuing to mix until a soft dough (that's holds together well) comes together. You might need to add more milk to bring the scone dough together.
  • Lightly flour a work surface, press the scone dough out to approx. 4cm in thickness. Using a 5cm cutter (I went for a fluted cutter), gently stamp out 12 pieces from the dough - you will need to reshape and re-roll.
  • Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk, then bake for 12-15 minutes, or until risen, and lightly golden on top. Leave to cool on the baking tray for about 15 minutes, then serve with butter, jam, and cream of your choice.
  • The scones will keep for up to 2 days, stored in an airtight container/covered plate at room temperature. They're at their best on the day of baking.

More British recipes to bake next!

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Eton Mess Cake

Scottish Shortbread

 

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

Millionaires Shortbread

What Jessica Baked Next5 Comments

Classic Millionaires Shortbread. This favourite sweet treat consists of three decadently delicious layers: buttery shortbread, creamy caramel, and chocolate. 

One recipe from over ten years of blogging that I’m yet to share is a recipe for Millionaires Shortbread. This is a classic treat, widely available in most bakeries, coffee shops, and tea rooms.

Millionaires shortbread consists of a layer of buttery shortbread, followed by a caramel layer, and then the caramel layer is topped with melted chocolate. There are so many amazing variations you’ll find all over the internet, but you can’t go wrong with the traditional flavour combination.

This bake will remind you of a Twix bar! So if you’re a fan of this chocolate bar, then you’ll love this homemade version even more!

Recipe Rundown:

  • Shortbread Layer: This mixture will look very crumbly or short before pressing it into the tin. Don’t worry, as this is how you want it to be. The crumblier your shortbread dough, the better. Also, always be super careful not to overmix shortbread dough; the general rule is to handle as little as possible. Press the mixture into the tin until it’s in an even layer, prick with a fork all over, and bake for 25–30 minutes until pale golden.
  • Caramel Layer: Making caramel requires patience and gentle heating; be extremely careful as caramel gets very hot and will burn if it touches skin. This caramel takes about 7–10 minutes to make. Start by mixing all the caramel ingredients listed together, gently heating until dissolved, then gradually increasing the heat until the caramel gets hotter and starts bubbling. When the caramel is a light golden colour and has thickened, it’s ready to pour over the cooled shortbread layer. Leave this to set in the fridge for about an hour before resuming.
  • Chocolate Layer: Your choice of chocolate is up to you. I went for Cadbury Dairy Milk, but equally, a combination of dark and milk chocolate is great—just dark chocolate, white chocolate, or even blonde or caramelised white chocolate.

We love our shortbread recipes on the blog, sharing an array of truly wonderful recipes. Scottish Shortbread, Valentine’s Shortbread Hearts, and even Chocolate Shortbread.

We gave our millionaire’s shortbread an Easter decoration, using a mixture of crushed/whole Cadbury Mini Eggs. Why not top an already decadent recipe with even more decadence? My taste testers (me included) loved the crunchy topping the mini eggs added. With Easter only a few days away, you can make this yummy bake and top with leftover (if any!) Easter chocolate!

Don’t worry at all if your chocolate cracks when you slice it up. In all honesty, my chocolate cracked, but this recipe was too tasty not to share. If you want to ensure the chocolate doesn’t crack, just warm up your knife in some hot water.

However, our bakes don’t need to look perfect; it’s 100% all about the taste here with every single recipe.

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Millionaires Shortbread

Classic Millionaires Shortbread. This favourite sweet treat consists of three decadently delicious layers: buttery shortbread, creamy caramel, and chocolate. 
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chilling Time: 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Servings 16
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Shortbread:

  • 225 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 110 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 320 g plain flour

Caramel:

  • 397 g can sweetened condensed milk
  • 90 g butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 100 g dark/light/demerara sugar
  • 1 tablespoon golden syrup this is 15g

Chocolate Layer:

  • 250 g dark/milk/white chocolate I used Cadbury Dairy Milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line an 20cm/8-inch square cake tin with parchment paper - leaving some overhang ensuring it's easy to remove the finished bake from the tin.
  • Place the shortbread ingredients: softened butter, sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly, slightly sticky dough forms.
  • Press the shortbread dough into the lined baking tin, making sure it's an even layer. Prick the shortbread all over with a fork, now bake for 25-30 minutes until pale golden in colour. Leave to cool completely.
  • Place the caramel ingredients in a medium saucepan/deep frying pan. Place the pan over a medium heat, gently heat until all the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Continue to stir until the mixture has started to bubble - turn the temperature down if it bubbles too much. Keep stirring until the caramel has turned a deeper golden colour and is thicker is texture. This should take about 7-10 minutes to achieve.
  • Carefully pour the hot caramel over the shortbread base. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
  • Melt your chosen chocolate, once melted pour over the set caramel layer. Decorate the top further with any other decorations you desire - we went for crushed/whole Cadbury Mini Eggs. Place the Millionaires Shortbread back in the fridge for at least 2 hours, before slicing into 9 larger pieces, or 16 smaller pieces.
  • The shortbread will keep for up to one week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Biscuits and Cookies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · No-Bake

Malteser Slice

What Jessica Baked Next6 Comments

Easy no-bake Malteser Slice! A decadent treat consisting of a soft, fudge-like biscuit layer with whole Malteser chocolates folded through, then decorated with milk and white chocolate, and even more Maltesers/Malteser Bunnies! One small square of this is not enough.

Inspired by my Crunchie Slice, I’ve put a spin on the original and swapped the Cadbury Crunchie bars for Maltesers.

These bars consist of crushed biscuits mixed with condensed milk and melted butter, and then they have whole Maltesers folded through. Once you slice it up, you have chunks of crunchy Malteser balls in each bite!

This slice hosts a whole load of different textures, a deliciously soft and slightly fudge-like biscuit layer, crunchy Maltesers, and a smooth and creamy chocolate topping.

I popped some more whole Maltesers on top of my chocolate layer before the chocolate had set, along with a pack of White Malteser Bunnies, because it’s nearly Easter and I’m loving all the Easter chocolate right now!

Like the Crunchie version of this recipe I shared last year, to make this Malteser Slice, you’ll start by blitzing some digestive biscuits until they’re a fine crumb texture. After that, you’ll mix in melted butter and a tin of condensed milk. Once fully combined, you’ll fold through an entire sharing bag of Malteser’s.

I love Malteser’s, and since sharing this Malteser Brownies recipe, I’ve been wanting to share another Malteser-inspired bake, with hopefully many more to come in my future recipes!

The slice is quick and easy to whip up, uses minimal ingredients, and is a whole lotta fun to make! I cut the slice up into bigger squares purely for my photography, but I recommend cutting the slice up into small squares as it’s very rich.

I couldn’t stop myself reaching for piece, after piece of this amazing Malteser Slice…

Now, all that needs deciding is what flavour slice will I make next?

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Malteser Slice

Easy no-bake Malteser Slice! A decadent treat consisting of a soft, fudge-like biscuit layer with whole Malteser chocolates folded through, then decorated with milk and white chocolate, and even more Maltesers/Malteser bunnies! One small square of this is not enough.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Chilling Time 1 day
Servings 16
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 350 g digestive or malted milk biscuits finely crushed
  • 100 g butter (salted or unsalted) melted
  • 397 g tin sweetened condensed milk
  • 175 g sharing pack Maltesers left whole
  • 200 g dark or milk chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted) this is 15g
  • 50 g white chocolate this is optional
  • Maltesers and Malteser Bunnies for decoration

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the biscuit crumbs, with the melted butter and condensed milk. Stir until throughly combined. Now fold through the 175g pack of whole Maltesers.
  • Transfer this mixture to a lined 20cm square cake tin (or other suitably sized tin) and press down until compact and smooth on top.
  • Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain-marie, or in the microwave until smooth. Pour and spread the melted chocolate over the top of the biscuit layer. Now melt the white chocolate if you want to two types of chocolate for your topping. Pour spoonfuls of the melted white chocolate on top of melted chocolate already on top of the biscuit layer.
  • Using as toothpick, swirl the two chocolates together, creating a swirl effect. Top with extra whole Maltesers, and Malteser Bunnies/Reindeer's if desired.
  • When ready to serve, slice up into 16 squares or smaller pieces if desired. The slice will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Crunchie Slice

If you love Maltesers, try these great recipes next!

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

Malteser Brownies

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Cakes

Coffee and Walnut Cake

What Jessica Baked Next5 Comments

A classic two-layer coffee and walnut cake recipe. This British cake is a hit! Light and fluffy coffee-flavoured sponge cake with crunchy walnut pieces, then filled and topped with decadent espresso buttercream, and decorated with a combination of walnut halves and pieces.

This cake features in tearooms, cafes, and bakeries all across the UK. Along with a Classic Victoria Sandwich, this is probably my favourite cake flavour!

In 2023, I worked on a few baking projects for customers away from my blog, decorating several cakes. This was something I was anxious about, but I’m now really pleased I had these jobs to work on, as my confidence with cake decorating has grown a lot. I was busy from April onwards last year with numerous orders, so now that I have more time on my hands, I want to make the effort to share some ‘classic’ cake recipes.

I’ve baked coffee and walnut cakes like this during my day job; this is always a popular cake choice for customers. Coffee cake is different in various parts of the world. In the UK, it’s exactly what it says on the tin; it’s a coffee-flavoured sponge cake, whereas in the US, coffee cake is cake with a crumble topping that’s served with a cup of coffee on the side.

I used a Nigella Lawson recipe, and, oh my, is it good! I made just a few alterations to the original recipe.

What Ingredients You’ll Need:

Butter/Margarine – salted or unsalted is absolutely fine. I prefer using margarine, as I find it produces a lighter-textured cake, and the cakes rise more evenly.

Sugar – caster/granulated sugar is what I use. However, I have made this cake with light brown sugar, and that works great too.

Eggs – this recipe requires 4 eggs (medium or large).

Self-Raising Flour – the raising agents already in the flour will help the cake rise. Nigella’s original recipe uses 200g of plain/all-purpose flour, along with 2 + 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.

Walnuts – for the cake batter and the decoration. Chopped walnuts are folded through the cake batter, whereas walnut halves, and walnut pieces are used for the cake decoration.

Coffee/Espresso – I use espresso powder in the cake batter, and the buttercream. I love the intense coffee flavour it adds!

Milk – just a couple of tablespoons is needed to loosen the cake batter before baking.

Butter – for the buttercream I recommend salted butter opposed to unsalted. The salted butter evens out all the sweetness.

Icing Sugar – make sure you sift the icing sugar before creaming with the butter. This ensures your buttercream will be super smooth and luxurious.

We love the bittersweet combination of flavours, and the crunchy walnut pieces in the cake and topping.

Coffee buttercream is simply divine, and so easily eaten straight from the mixing bowl. I don’t drink coffee, but even I cannot get enough of this cake. I just love those specks of espresso in the buttercream!

This cake is a staple cake recipe in British kitchens! It’s a very homely cake, with rich coffee and lovely nutty flavour from the chopped walnuts inside the cake, and decoration.

The cake serves around 10 delicious slices!

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Coffee and Walnut Cake

A classic two-layer coffee and walnut cake recipe. This British cake is a hit! Light and fluffy coffee-flavoured sponge cake with crunchy walnut pieces, then filled and topped with decadent espresso buttercream, and decorated with a combination of walnut halves and pieces.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 10
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Coffee and Walnut Cake:

  • 225 g butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine softened, you can use the margarine straight from the fridge
  • 225 g caster or granulated sugar can be substituted with light/dark brown sugar instead
  • 4 medium or large eggs
  • 225 g self-raising flour
  • Small pinch of salt omit if using salted butter
  • 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder feel free to reduce this amount
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 50 g walnuts chopped into small pieces

Coffee Buttercream:

  • 175 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 350 g icing sugar sifted
  • 2 and 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water

Decoration:

  • 10-12 walnut halves
  • chopped walnut pieces

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line the base of two 20cm / 8-inch round cake tins with parchment paper, and set aside.
  • Cream the softened margarine/butter and sugar together until lightened in colour and fluffy in texture - this should take only a few minutes to achieve.
  • Now add the eggs one at a time and beat in to combine - don't worry if the mixture looks curdled at this point, as once the flour is added it will come together.
  • Now add the flour, along with the espresso powder, and a generous pinch of salt.
  • Mix until a smooth batter has come together - try not to over mix. Now, mix in the milk, and then fold in the chopped walnuts. Transfer the cake batter evenly between the two cake tins, and smooth the top over before baking for 30-35 minutes (I would recommend checking the cake just after 25 minutes). All ovens are different, my cakes took nearer to 35 minutes to fully bake - but just check, once the middle is cooked the cakes are ready.
  • Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for about 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
  • Once the cakes are cool, prepare the buttercream. Dissolve the espresso powder/coffee granules in 2 tablespoons of water, and set aside for the moment to cool slightly. Take the butter and cream for a minute to soften. Now add the sifted icing sugar and cream for a further 2-3 minutes, until lightened in colour. Now add the slightly cooled coffee mixture, and mix until combined fully.
  • To assemble the cake, place one cake half upside down on your chosen serving cake stand/plate/platter. Spread half the buttercream on this cake half. Place the other cake half over top. Now spread/or pipe the remaining buttercream on top. Take 8-10 walnut halves (or more if you like) and place around the edge of the buttercream. Sprinkle over some crushed walnuts directly on the middle of the cake, if desired.
  • Decorate further as desired, even a light dusting of cocoa powder, or chocolate-coated coffee beans would look great. The cake is ready to be served. It's best eaten on the day, or day after baking, but it'll last for up to 3 days covered at room temperature.

Love cake as much as me? Try these amazing cake recipes next!

School Cake

Eton Mess Cake

Classic Victoria Sandwich

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

Valentine’s Shortbread Hearts

What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Special shortbread biscuits to celebrate Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day next month! Show your love with these adorable shortbreads.

Starting 2024 on WJBN on a sweet note with a stunning shortbread biscuit recipe.

2023 was a brilliant year, memorable for so many good reasons, both personally and professionally. December saw the most blog views all year, so we ended the year on a real high! Lots of you were viewing recipes and making these over the festive period from all corners of the world.

I’m ready to start the year, and I have many ideas ready to bring to the blog. In the past, I haven’t shared a lot of ‘Valentine’s’ themed recipes, but I wanted to do something about that and start a new tradition this year!

So here we have some delicious shortbread biscuits, dipped in chocolate, and the prettiest pink heart sprinkles.

I already have a Shortbread Biscuits recipe on the blog, but recently I discovered a different shortbread and adore it.

The new recipe has semolina added to the shortbread dough. Semolina gives shortbread an extra crunchy texture and reminds me of shortbread you can get in tins, but of course better because they’re homemade.

Shortbread is a bake that just cannot be beaten. It’s simple, but when made well, it’s hard to beat.

What Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • Butter – salted or unsalted is absolutely fine. Butter is essential in shortbread dough, no margarine or alternative, it just won’t taste like shortbread should, and they will spread/not keep their shape!
  • Sugar – only a little caster/granulated sugar is needed, shortbread is all about the buttery flavour, but isn’t overly sweet.
  • Plain Flour – just enough to bind the dough together.
  • Semolina – adds a lovely crunch to the shortbread biscuits. It’s optional, but I really recommend it!
  • Chocolate – any type of chocolate you like. You can half dip the shortbread hearts, or drizzle them with the chocolate.
  • Sprinkles – pretty ‘n’ pink sprinkles are great for Valentine’s! Even some freeze dried strawberries/raspberries would be great.

I refilled a tin of already eaten shortbread from Christmas with this new batch

Show your love and appreciation for someone special with a surprise batch of homemade chocolate-dipped shortbread.

Get your friends around, have a Galentine’s night, and bake and decorate these biscuits. Decorate with a combination of chocolate. I did half my shortbread half-dipped in milk chocolate and the remaining dipped in white chocolate. I then piped some remaining contrasting chocolate on top of the chocolate already on each shortbread.

Fun to make and wonderful for the upcoming Valentine’s Day! I can’t think of a more delicious way to say I love you than with these!

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Valentine's Shortbread Hearts

Special shortbread biscuits to celebrate Galentine's/Valentine's Day! Show your love with these adorable shortbreads. I can't think of a more delicious way to say I love you than with these!
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 20
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 200 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 100 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 300 g plain flour
  • 50 g semolina
  • 100 g dark or milk chocolate
  • 100 g white chocolate
  • Sprinkles I used cute pink heart sprinkles

Instructions

  • Start by preparing the shortbread dough - cream the softened butter and sugar until light and creamy.
  • Now add the flour and the semolina, mix until a crumbly dough forms. Be careful not to overwork the dough at this point, only mix until it comes together.
  • Wrap the dough up in clingfilm and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This step stops the biscuits spreading when baking.
  • Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
  • Lightly flour a work surface with extra flour, roll the shortbread dough out until it's roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Take a 6cm heart cutter, and cut out roughly 20 from the dough, re-rolling and continuing to cut out more biscuits.
  • Transfer the unbaked shortbread biscuits onto the baking trays, sprinkle with a little extra sugar, and bake for 15-20 minutes until pale golden in colour - you don't want these too golden. They should be slightly firm to the touch when ready. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking trays, then move to a wire rack and leave the biscuits to cool completely on there.
  • Once the biscuits are cool, melt the two types of chocolate. Dip one biscuit at a time on one side into the chocolate. Allow to set, before drizzling the remaining chocolate on each biscuit. Finish with some sprinkles of your choice.
  • Once the chocolate has set, the biscuits are ready to enjoy. They'll keep in an airtight container/tin for up to 1 week.

Valentine’s Day Recipe Inspiration!

Chocolate Truffles 

Homemade Crêpes

Jammy Dodgers

Chocolate Shortbread

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis

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Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Christmas · No-Bake

Christmas Crunch Snack Mix

What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

A scrumptious snack mix that’s perfect for festive parties and snacking on while watching Christmas TV or films. It’s a great recipe to make with kids, but adults will have just as much fun making this!

The countdown to Christmas is on! We’re only 5 sleeps away from the big day. It feels as though December has gone by in a flash!

We’re waving goodbye to 2023 soon. It’s been another fantastic year of blogging; I’ve shared some more tasty bakes, and I cannot wait to see what recipes feature on the blog next year. I want to take the opportunity to thank you for all your continued support in reading my blog and baking the recipes (new and old). WJBN means so much to me, and I get so much satisfaction from creating content.

This will be my last recipe of the year. I was inspired to make this snack mix after seeing this idea on the shelves in the supermarket. This homemade mix is fun to make, and in the end, you get a larger quantity overall to serve, and it can be tailored to your own budget and flavour preferences.

Not everything has to be made from scratch over Christmas. I’m all for cutting corners, less prep time, and easy and impressive recipes!

Serve this crunch mix at parties, or transfer to gift bags, tie with a ribbon, and give as an edible gift. This will take less than an hour to make from start to finish, and lasts in an airtight container for up to one week.

I’ve taken a bag of my favourite popcorn – you can make your own, but for ease I bought a bag.

I use sweet ‘n’ salty’ popcorn for my mix. I love the combination of sweetness and saltiness in each mouthful. Then I added a combination of our favourite chocolates and sweets. My recipe is just a guide; I used Oreos, chocolate-coated pretzels, festive-coloured M&M’s, and Galaxy Minstrels.

I made this mix, and it was served at a Christmas party. It got some good reviews, so I thought I would share it with you this Christmas!

This Christmas Crunch Snack Mix will become a Christmas tradition from now on in our house!

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Christmas Crunch Snack Mix

A scrumptious snack mix that's perfect for festive parties and snacking on while watching Christmas TV or films. It's a great recipe to make with kids, but adults will have just as much fun making this!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Servings 15
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 100 g popcorn (already popped not kernels) I went for sweet 'n' salty', but just regular sweet would work
  • 100 g white chocolate melted
  • 154 g pack Oreos broken into pieces
  • 90 g chocolate-coated pretzels
  • 50 g M&M's I picked the festive colours for my mix - you can use any colours
  • 125 g Galaxy Minstrels

Instructions

  • Place the popcorn in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the melted white chocolate and stir to coat the popcorn in the chocolate.
  • Line a large baking tray/sheet with parchment paper/silicone baking mat, spread the popcorn out in an even layer. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, until the chocolate is set.
  • Once the chocolate is fully set, stir through the crushed Oreos, pretzels, M&M's, and the Galaxy Minstrels. Store the mix in an airtight container - it will last for up to a week.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate · Christmas

Chocolate Shortbread

What Jessica Baked Next7 Comments

Rich, homemade Chocolate Shortbread. Divine cocoa flavour is celebrated in this buttery, crumbly, and slightly salted chocolate shortbread recipe. Made in one bowl AND no chilling!

This intensely chocolatey shortbread recipe is a perfect Christmastime treat. It’s not overly sweet, slightly bittersweet, and has a salty hit in each bite.

A slice of shortbread anytime of the year is lovely, but around Christmas, I feel it’s even more special. Whether you have friends or family stopping by, want a gift to share with neighbours, or simply want to treat yourself to some baking and a sweet for an afternoon or evening dessert.

My chocolate shortbread has the flavour of a chocolate brownie. Rich, decadent, but without either a cake or fudgy texture, but instead the delectable, crumbly texture of shortbread.

When I made my Scottish Shortbread recipe for the blog back in 2015, I fell in love with the idea of baking shortbread by pressing the dough straight into a tin rather than rolling, then cutting the dough into shapes. We’re cutting the prep in half, which means we get to eat our shortbread even sooner!

Saving time is always helpful around December and the weeks leading up to Christmas, when we’re often pushed for time.

Like with most biscuit or cookie recipes, this one is just a base recipe.

Switch the recipe up by adding some freshly grated orange zest, tossing in some nuts, or combining some dark, milk, or white chocolate chips into the shortbread dough.

Once baked, you can dip the shortbread pieces into melted chocolate or drizzle it over.

There are so many exciting ways to make this recipe your own!

This recipe is found in ‘The Great British Book of Baking’. I was given this as a Christmas present from a work colleague last Christmas, and ever since spotting this recipe in the book, I’ve been excited to try it! It certainly did not disappoint, and it has me intrigued to try more!

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Chocolate Shortbread

Rich, homemade Chocolate Shortbread. Divine cocoa flavour is celebrated in this buttery, crumbly, and slightly salted chocolate shortbread recipe. Made in one bowl AND no chilling!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 200 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 260 g plain flour
  • 40 g cocoa powder
  • Pinch of salt omit if using salted butter

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a 20cm cake tin with extra butter.
  • Cream the butter for a minute to soften. Now add the sugar and cream for a further 2 minutes until lightened in colour and fluffy.
  • Add the flour, cocoa powder, and the pinch of salt (if using), and mix until a dough comes together - don't over work the dough, just mix until there's no visible specks of flour remaining.
  • Transfer the shortbread dough to the greased cake tin and press down until compact. Score into 12 triangles, making sure you don't slice all the way through. Prick each piece of shortbread once or twice with a fork, and bake the shortbread for 25-30 minutes until the top is firm to the touch - mine was in the oven for a full 30 minutes.
  • Once baked, allow the shortbread to cool in the tin. Remove from the tin and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar/or icing sugar if you prefer. Slice into 12 triangles and serve. The shortbread will keep for up to 1 week, stored in an airtight container/or a covered plate.

Try these festive-inspired biscuit/cookie recipes next!

Snowball Cookies

Butter Cookies

Scottish Shortbread

Terry’s Chocolate Orange NYC Cookies

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Christmas

Snowball Cookies

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5 Ingredient Snowball Cookies – whipped shortbread filled with pieces of toasted pecan, and a generous coating of icing sugar.

Last year I ran out of time to bake these for Christmas. I had so many ideas, but I knew I needed to make sure I baked these cookies this year.

Being from the UK, these Snowball Cookies aren’t something I was too familiar with. I’m sure my US/North American readers will be familiar with these. I now know they’re a popular cookie that features on Christmas cookie platters. They’re also known as Mexican wedding cookies/Russian tea cakes.

I love that these cookies look like little snowballs, they’re super fun and perfectly festive!

I added toasted pecans to my batch, but you can substitute the pecans for other nuts, such as hazelnuts, pistachios, or even walnuts. Also, mini chocolate chips can be used instead.

The cookie dough is a shortbread dough, but this is possibly one of the lightest shortbread textures I’ve eaten before. It’s just like the texture of whipped shortbread, super airy, with a texture that melts once it hits your mouth.

To make the dough, you start by creaming the softened butter until smooth, then right after that add icing sugar and beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Now, a couple of teaspoons of vanilla is added, followed by the flour – which is mixed until a soft dough comes together. Finally, some chopped and toasted pecans are added. After this, the dough is covered and chilled for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Once chilled, small portions of the dough are rolled out, and then baked. Once baked, the cookies are cooled for 5 minutes, then they’re rolled in more icing sugar. Then the cookies are left to cool completely, before being rolled in a second coating of icing sugar. The finished cookie has a snowy whiteness, resembling a snowball!

These cookies would make a wonderful addition to a Christmas treat box gift for family and friends.

You’ll enjoy these cookies for their delectable melt-in-the-mouth texture, and beautiful buttery flavour. I really mean it when I say, it’s hard to stop at just one!

I lost count of how many I devoured while taking photos! My hands/camera, just about everything was covered in icing sugar…

But, I’m not complaining, as these cookies are simply divine!

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Snowball Cookies

5 Ingredient Snowball Cookies - whipped shortbread filled with pieces of toasted pecan, and a generous coating of icing sugar.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 36
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 100 g pecans (substitute with hazelnuts, pistachios or walnuts optional
  • 225 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 90 g icing sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 280 g plain flour

Coating:

  • 150 g icing sugar you might not need all of this

Instructions

  • Start by toasting the pecans (or nut of your choice), if using. Heat oven to 150°C / 130°C Fan / 300°F / Gas Mark 2. Spread the pecans out on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Allow the nuts to cool, before chopping finely.
  • To make the cookie dough: Cream the butter for a minute until softened. Now add the 90g portion of icing sugar and cream for another 2-3 minutes, until fluffy and lightened in colour.
  • Now add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour and continue to mix until it's incorporated fully. Finally, fold through the chopped nuts, if using.
  • Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes, or up to 3 days. If you chill the dough longer than a few hours, it will need about 30 minutes at room temperature to warm up before rolling. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line 3 large baking trays with parchment paper.
  • Take 20g portions of the dough and roll into balls. Place the balls of cookie dough at least 2 inches apart - you'll need about 3 large baking trays to bake all the cookies at once.
  • Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, until the bottoms are just turning golden, and the tops are lightly browned. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes, then take the remaining icing sugar (150g), and roll each cookie lightly and very carefully in the icing sugar. They will be slightly sticky at this point.
  • Now place each cookie on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Once cool, take the cookies and coat in the icing sugar once again - this is when the sugar really coats the cookies.
  • Enjoy the cookies right away, or keep them stored in an airtight container/or covered plate for up to one week.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate · Christmas

Terry’s Chocolate Orange NYC Cookies

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A chocolate orange flavour spin on the popular NYC cookies! Thick cookies filled with chunks of Terry’s Chocolate Orange segments, vanilla, orange zest, and chocolate chips!

I’m kicking off the run of Christmas recipes today with these decadent NYC cookies! As I do from November onwards every year, I’m sharing Christmas-inspired recipes right through until the New Year! This year, I hope to entice you to make some festive recipes, and I have plenty for you to choose from.

My Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake, No-Bake White Chocolate Orange Cheesecake, Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cookies, Terry’s Chocolate Orange Traybake, Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cupcakes, or how about some Vegan Chocolate Orange Brownies?

Can you tell I’m obsessed with Terry’s Chocolate Orange?!

I’ve made sure these cookies are well and truly packed with TCO, with three whole chocolate oranges needed!

I have shared a Terry’s Chocolate Orange cookie recipe previously, but this time, rather than a chocolate cookie dough, I went for an orange-flavoured cookie dough (without cocoa powder added).

I baked a NYC-style cookie similar to Levain Bakery/Crème in London a few years ago, sharing my Chunky Milk Chocolate Pecan Cookies. It’s been a while since I baked some super chunky/thick cookies, so I couldn’t wait to get in my kitchen and bake some!

Enjoy one of these cookies dipped in a mug of hot chocolate or warm with a scoop of ice cream!

They’re the taste of the Christmas season, filled with gooey chocolate orange segments and freshness from orange zest. I add some vanilla extract to my cookie dough, but this can be substituted with orange extract for a more delicious orange flavour.

I love a bit of festive baking; it’s lovely filling the house with freshly baked goods.

It’s my favourite time of year, with so many recipes featured on my Christmas menu. Butter Cookies, Gingerbread Men, Vegan Sausage Rolls (Easy Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls), Cheese and Mustard Puff Pastry Pinwheels, and Cinnamon Rolls.

You need a little patience with this cookie recipe. The secret to a super-thick cookie with crisp edges and a gooey centre is freezing the cookie dough for at least 90 minutes before baking. I leave mine overnight for an even thicker cookie and bake the cookies for exactly 17 minutes (until the edges are nicely browned), so they have incredible soft centres.

As the cookies cool on the baking trays, another finishing touch I do is press a few extra chocolate chips and a segment of Terry’s Chocolate Orange on the top of each cookie.

I hope you enjoy baking these in the lead-up to Christmas!

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Terry's Chocolate Orange NYC Cookies

A chocolate orange flavour spin on the popular NYC cookies! Thick cookies filled with chunks of Terry's Chocolate Orange segments, vanilla, orange zest, and chocolate chips!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 2 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 230 g butter (salted or unsalted) cold and cut into small cubes
  • 160 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 160 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 1 large orange zest only
  • 300 g plain flour
  • 200 g self-raising flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 Terry's Chocolate Oranges save 12 segments for decoration and break the remaining chocolate into chunks - I used 1 dark chocolate and 2 milk chocolate
  • 100 g dark/milk or white chocolate chips
  • 2 medium or large eggs beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract this can be substituted with orange extract or left out

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the cold butter for about 30 seconds until softened slightly. Add the orange zest to the sugars, and rub the orange zest into the sugars until combined. Now add the sugars to the butter and mix again until just combined. You don’t want to make this mixture creamy and fluffy.
  • Now add both types of flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Mix until you have a fine, breadcrumb texture. Save 12 segments of Terry's Chocolate Orange for decoration later on. Now stir through the remaining chocolate.
  • Add the beaten egg and vanilla and just mix until a dough comes together; be careful not to overmix. Weigh roughly 125g portions of the cookie dough and roll into a ball - this doesn't need to be perfect just lightly press them together. Place on a lined baking tray or container and freeze for at least 90 minutes, or overnight for a thicker cookie.
  • When ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper and place the trays in the oven for 5 minutes to heat before spacing the rolled cookie dough balls out leaving at least 2 inches between each to allow room for spreading.
  • Bake the cookies for 17 minutes, until lightly golden and crisp around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes, then if you desire, press a few extra chocolate chips and top each cookie with a Terry's Chocolate Orange segment.
  • Leave the cookies to cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes then transport to a wire rack and allow the cookies to cool slightly before serving. Cookies will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Some favourite Christmas recipes!

Gingerbread Men

Butter Cookies

Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake

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