Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns

March 13, 2023March 12, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next83 Comments

A savoury spin on hot cross buns! These Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns are packed with flavour from mature Cheddar, they’re topped with a cheesy cross and even more cheese. I serve mine with a quick, homemade chive butter.

Recipe originally posted in March 2014. Recipe and photographs updated March 2023.

This is a recipe redo from 9 years ago! The recipe and photographs were in need of a little update.

You’ll find hot cross buns in supermarkets all across the UK. The traditional hot cross bun is filled with dried fruit and mixed spice, but in recent years, new flavours have appeared and become equally popular choices.

We’re talking chocolate hot cross buns, some with cocoa powder in the dough and others with chocolate chips added. I have a recipe for Vegan Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns.

Red velvet is another flavour I’ve come across, along with apple and cinnamon, and caramelised white chocolate and fudge.

All these sweet hot cross buns are great, but you can also get savoury hot cross buns, with many, including one of my favourite ingredients. Cheese.

These Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns consist of a simple dough that’s flavoured with cayenne pepper and grated mature Cheddar cheese. The cross-topping is usually made by mixing flour and water, but mine is made by mixing together grated Pecorino cheese, flour and water. The cheese adds that extra salty, cheesy deliciousness to each hot cross bun!

Right before baking, I sprinkled the tops of each HCB with even more Pecorino – if you’re not vegetarian, then you can use Parmesan instead.

Serve your cheesy hot cross buns with a liberal amount of salted butter. I made my own chive butter, by mixing softened butter with chopped chives from the garden and a little bit of black pepper.

Also, why not fill your savoury hot cross bun with some crispy bacon – I love vegetarian bacon and think this would pair wonderfully for brunch/lunch. Or spread with butter, followed by your favourite chutney and some extra cheese.

The recipe is time-consuming, but there’s no better feeling than eating a batch of homemade bread you’ve baked right in your own kitchen.

Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns

A savoury spin on hot cross buns! These Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns are packed with flavour from mature Cheddar, they're topped with a cheesy cross and even more cheese. I serve mine with a quick, homemade chive butter.

Prep Time 3 25

Cook Time 30

Total Time 3 55

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Hot Cross Bun Dough:

250 ml milk
50 g butter (salted or unsalted)
500 g strong white bread flour
14 g dried yeast 2 x standard 7g packets
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
1 medium or large egg
150 g mature Cheddar coarsely or finely grated

Cheese Cross Topping:

5 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Cheddar can be substituted
5 tablespoons plain flour
5 tablespoons water

Cheese Topping:

25 g Cheddar or Pecorino grated

Instructions

In a small pan, heat your milk and butter until the butter has melted and the milk is just warm to the touch - you don't want the milk boiling hot.
In a large mixing bowl, add your bread flour, yeast (to one corner), salt (to the opposite corner to the yeast) and the cayenne pepper (if using). Give these ingredients a good stir so they're evenly mixed.
Now add the warmed milk/butter mixture, along with the beaten egg and stir until a soft dough comes together.
Knead by hand or in a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.
Cover the bowl and leave the dough somewhere warm for 2 hours or until it's doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, mix the grated Cheddar into the dough by hand. Divide it equally into 12 pieces (I weigh for accuracy and each dough piece weighs roughly approx. 80g) and roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place the balls of dough on a large, lightly greased baking tray, leaving space for them to rise. Leave for the dough to rise for another hour, or until the dough has risen and joined up.
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Make the cheesy cross topping by mixing the grated cheese, flour and water gently until it's just come together - try not to over mix this, otherwise it becomes tough when baked.
Transfer the cheesy cross topping to a piping bag, snip the end a little just to make a small hole. Pipe a line across the top of the buns and then pipe another line the opposite way, so each bun is topped with a cross. I went over the top of each line again to use up the majority of my mixture - don't worry if you don't use it all.
Sprinkle over the grated cheese and then bake the buns for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden - mine took 25 minutes. Allow to cool and then serve with plenty of butter!

Vegan Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns

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Baking · Cakes

School Cake

March 1, 2023May 31, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

A true British classic – this is my take on the popular old-fashioned School Cake. This simple, fluffy vanilla traybake is topped with icing and lots of colourful sprinkles!

When it comes to cake, the simplest of cakes is definitely a winner in my opinion.

The cake I have for you today is easy to make and even easier to eat!

School Cake is a nostalgic bake that often reminds many British people of their childhood at primary school. My sister and I went to school in the 2000’s. We actually don’t remember having this cake, but I’ve seen this recipe everywhere!

When talking to my family, we discussed our memories of school food, and obviously, pudding was our main topic of conversation. Sweet treats we remember enjoying at school included chocolate shortbread and flapjacks.

If you love flapjacks, then you just have to try my popular British Flapjacks recipe ASAP!

I bake cakes like this at work very often, so I thought about sharing one on my blog. You can make this cake one of two ways. The all-in-one method or creaming method. I like to cream my margarine and sugar first, then add the eggs, along with the vanilla extract, flour and milk.

I would recommend using margarine over butter. Butter adds amazing richness, but personally, for me, the margarine keeps the cake super moist and tastes more traditional. Plus, a bonus of using margarine, is that you can use it straight from the fridge, unlike butter which needs to be softened.

Decorate this amazing vanilla traybake with a simple white icing. Then follow that with a generous amount of sprinkles (either sugar strands or hundreds and thousands).

Leave the icing to set, then slice into squares as big or small as you like.

We ate this cake as it is, and also with some custard. This divine cake stays moist for days, it’s perfect for all occasions. Whether that be for a weekday/weekend pudding, or for a birthday party.

Take a step back in time to your school days with this fabulous, retro cake!

School Cake

A true British classic. My take on the popular old-fashioned School Cake. This simple, fluffy vanilla traybake is topped with icing and lots of colourful sprinkles!

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

300 g butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine margarine produces a lighter sponge
300 g caster or granulated sugar
5 medium or large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 g self-raising flour
4 tablespoons milk
325 g icing sugar
4-5 tablespoons water or enough for a thick, spreadable icing
Sprinkles (either sugar strands or hundreds and thousands) to decorate

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 23cm x 30cm (9 x 13-inch) baking tin with baking parchment.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter/margarine with the sugar for about 2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add one egg, along with the vanilla extract, and a tablespoon of the flour. Mix well to incorporate, then repeat with the remaining eggs and the flour. Finally, add the milk and continue mixing to combine - don't over mix.
Transfer the cake batter to the lined baking tin and smooth the top with the back of a spatula or spoon. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden, risen and a cake tester, when inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transport it to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Once the cake is cooled, prepare the icing. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick, spreadable icing - start adding a teaspoon of water and keep adding until you get the consistency you desire.
Spread the icing over the top of the cake, then cover with a generous amount of sprinkles. Leave the icing to set, before slicing up into 12-16 squares. The cake will keep for up to 3 days stored at room temperature.

Try these cake recipes next!

Classic Victoria Sandwich

Chocolate Traybake

Carrot Cake Traybake

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Baking · Muffins

Magdalenas (Spanish Lemon Muffins)

February 9, 2023February 8, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Magdalenas are delicious, light and fluffy Spanish lemon-flavoured muffins.

Today, I’m channeling all the springtime vibes with this gorgeous, zesty lemon muffin recipe.

I’ve been enjoying Magdalenas since first visiting Spain. When I visit Spain, I always pick up a pack of Magdalenas for breakfast to enjoy, but I also find myself eating these for a mid-afternoon snack, or after dinner for dessert.

We love sharing recipes from all over the world here on WJBN and celebrating different cuisines.

Magdalenas are soft, citrus-y muffins that are beautifully light. You’ll find them in supermarkets and in bakeries all across Spain, among other baked goods.

Towards the end of January, I made my Crunchie Cheesecake again. That recipe is pure chocolate indulgence, but after eating several slices of cheesecake, I wanted something not as rich as my next bake.

Last month, I also shared my first muffin recipe on this blog and said this year, I would definitely be sharing more muffin recipes with you. If you haven’t seen them yet, here are my Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins.

This isn’t my first attempt at baking Magdalenas. I baked these a couple of years ago. However, the muffins I made were yummy, but they weren’t exactly what I remembered Magdalenas to be like.

I decided to find another recipe to follow and landed on this one by Anna Recetas Fáciles.

The previous recipe I used contained extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. I found the olive oil flavour too strong. I much prefer using a combination of vegetable oil and melted butter.

These Magdalenas are made differently to the muffin recipe I shared with you last month. In the first step, rather than creaming the butter with the sugar, we whisk the eggs with the lemon sugar until frothy.

Once you’ve done that, you will add the milk, melted butter and oil, and then fold the dry ingredients in and allow the muffin batter to rest in the fridge for at least one hour. Resting time is essential and will aid the rise and help keep the muffins super tender.

Magdalenas are very similar in texture to a classic French Madeleine. The only difference here, is that Madeleines are baked in a shell-shaped tin. They have the same lemon flavour and textured sponge.

The lemon can be substituted for orange or lime zest. I want to try orange zest next time I make these and also add some chocolate chips in too!

Magdalenas (Spanish Lemon Muffins)

Magdalenas are traditonal Spanish lemon muffins, with a light and fluffy texture.

Prep Time 1 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 1 30

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

150 g granulated or caster sugar plus extra for the muffin tops
Zest from one large lemon
4 eggs
60 ml milk
100 g butter (salted or unsalted) melted and warm
80 ml vegetable oil
200 g plain flour
10g baking powder
Pinch of salt

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingertips, rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release the oil.
Crack the eggs into the mixing bowl and whisk for 2-3 minutes or until they're foamy and have lightened in colour.
Add the milk, melted butter and vegetable oil. Whisk again to combine fully.
Sift the flour, baking powder and a smallish pinch of salt over the other ingredients and gently fold to incorporate until no lumps of flour remain. Be gentle when folding and try not to over mix.
Cover and chill the cake batter for at least one hour. When ready to bake the magdalenas, preheat the oven to 220ºC / 200ºC Fan / 425ºF / Gas Mark 7. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper liners. Evenly distribute the cake batter between the paper liners. Sprinkle the tops with a little extra sugar.
Bake the muffins for 10 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 200ºC / 180ºC Fan / 400ºF / Gas Mark 6 and continue baking the muffins for a further 5 minutes until the muffins are well risen and a skewer, when inserted in the centre, comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining.
Leave the muffins to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin, then transport them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. These muffins are best eaten fresh on the day of baking, but they will keep for up to 3 days stored at room temperature.

Try these lemon recipes next!

Lemon Poppyseed Drizzle Cakes

Lemonade Scones (3 Ingredients)

Pistachio Lemon Drizzle Cake

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Baking · Chocolate · Muffins

Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins

January 23, 2023January 26, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

The fluffiest blueberry muffins studded with creamy white chocolate chips.

This comes as a shock to me, but this is the FIRST muffin recipe I’ve shared on WJBN!

Muffins are something I don’t tend to make often, but I’m going to rectify that now.

I love how simple they are to make, no different to a cake but without all the need for elaborate decoration. Simplicity is key here.

When it comes to muffins, the ultimate muffin, in my opinion, is the classic blueberry muffin. A chocolate chip muffin and a chocolate muffin are both close behind.

So, as blueberry muffins are my favourite, that’s where I thought I’d start with my muffin recipe creations.

These Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins are beautifully rustic. They are seriously light, fluffy, not at all dense thanks to the addition of yoghurt (which makes the softest muffins) and gentle mixing.

This muffin is filled with lots of blueberries, meaning you get plenty of sweet and juicy blueberries in each bite. The blueberries burst as they bake in the oven and will fill your kitchen with a gorgeous aroma.

I also decided to add a pack of white chocolate chips, because chocolate always makes everything better, in my opinion!

The creamy white chocolate works wonderfully with the blueberry flavour. You can use dark or milk chocolate chips instead, or just skip the chocolate all together and add even more blueberries to your muffin batter.

Once the muffins come out of the oven, they only need to cool for about 10-15 minutes and they’re ready to eat.

Even after a couple of days, if we do have any left, I heat one up in the microwave and it’s just like a muffin fresh from the oven!

When I start early at work, I love to wake up to a plate of these on the kitchen countertop for breakfast.

Or at the weekend, instead of having to flip pancakes, these muffins make an easy breakfast to grab along with a glass of juice or cup of coffee.

Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins

Homemade blueberry muffins studded with white chocolate chips.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

100 g butter (salted or unsalted) or baking spread (I use Stork) at room temperature
140 g caster or granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
140 g full-fat natural yoghurt substitute with buttermilk or sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
250 g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
150 g blueberries fresh or frozen
100 g white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter/baking spread with the sugar for 2 minutes until fluffy and lighter in colour.
Now add the eggs and beat to combine - don't worry if it looks curdled at this point, as once you add the dry ingredients, they will come together. Mix in the vanilla extract along with the yoghurt and milk.
Now take one tablespoon of the weighed out flour and stir that through your chocolate chips (this stops the chocolate sinking to the bottom of the muffins. You don't need to do this with the blueberries though). In a medium sized bowl, stir together the remaining flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt (omit this if you're using salted butter).
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Now add the blueberries and white chocolate chips and gently fold to combine - be careful not to over mix at this point.
Divide the muffin batter between the paper liners. Bake for 5 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 and continue baking the muffins for 15-18 more minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
Once the muffins are baked, allow them to cool for a few minutes and then transport them to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins will keep for up to 3 days.

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Baking · Dips and Sides · Gluten-Free · Vegan

Spanish Roasted Almonds (Almendras Fritas)

January 20, 2023January 19, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next5 Comments

Spanish-style almonds flavoured with olive oil, smoked paprika and garlic. A quick recipe to prepare ready for snacking on.

Almendras Fritas is a traditional Spanish tapa. The almonds are usually fried, but instead I’ve roasted mine and once lightly toasted and still hot from the oven, I’ve mixed the almonds with olive oil, garlic and paprika seasoning, and flaky sea salt.

In Spain, you’ll typically find fried almonds (only seasoned with salt) on the side in bars, ready to devour with a beer or glass of wine.

They also make a fabulous, healthy snack to munch on. They’re perfect for all occasions, whether it be for a mid-morning/midday snack to re-engerise yourself with, or served up at a party alongside other tasty nibbles.

Last summer, I went on a holiday to beautiful Nerja in Andalusia. It was on that trip that I discovered the Spaniards’ love of savoury and sweet nuts.

Walking around most cities or towns, there are many stalls selling warm almonds. We also found a shop that sold caramelised nuts. They took anything from almonds, to cashew nuts, to sunflower seeds and coated these nuts and seeds in caramel – some with salt added too.

I brought back a few packs to eat at home, but this is something I’ve wanted to recreate for the blog since my holiday.

But first, I chose to make a savoury version of roasted nuts.

I intended to share this recipe before Christmas/New Year and wanted to post it alongside these Cheese and Mustard Puff Pastry Pinwheels. In the end, time got the better of me, but I made sure this recipe went straight to the top of my 2023 recipe planner.

Spanish Roasted Almonds (Almendras Fritas)

Spanish-style roasted almonds, flavoured with smoked paprika and garlic.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings 6

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

300 g raw almonds
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt I use sea salt, but table salt is fine too
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
Evenly spread the almonds out on a large baking tray. Toast the almonds for 5-8 minutes until slightly darkened in colour - watch them carefully as the nuts toast very quickly.
While the almonds are toasting, prepare the spice mix. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic granules, smoked paprika and the salt.
When the almonds are ready, transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and the spice mix and toss to combine.
Serve the almonds warm or at room temperature. The almonds will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

The recipe makes enough almonds to generously fill a medium sized serving dish and will roughly serve about 6 people.

Deliciously crunchy and each almond has a tasty coating of smoky paprika and garlic.

You’ll find these addictive and will be eating them constantly by the handful…

Similar recipes to try next!

Patatas Bravas – my most popular savoury recipe

Paprika Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Cheese and Mustard Puff Pastry Pinwheels (3 Ingredients)

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Baking · Chocolate · Crêpes and Pancakes

Homemade Crêpes

January 16, 2023January 15, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next45 Comments

Soft and fluffy traditional French Crêpes are quick and easy to make from scratch. This 4 ingredient recipe is one to have ready for Pancake Day!

Originally posted in February 2015, recipe and photographs updated January 2023.

When I’m craving homemade soft, buttery and fluffy crêpes this recipe ticks all the boxes for me.

These crêpes are incredibly easy to make as the batter can be made in a blender or just in a mixing bowl with a whisk. The batter also doesn’t require chilling before cooking, but it can also be made ahead of time.

I enjoy serving my homemade crêpes with chocolate hazelnut spread, Chantilly cream and berries, but the neutral flavour of these means you can serve and top them with anything that takes your fancy!

With Shrove Tuesday approaching next month, I’m sharing one of my favourite pancake recipes.

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is a day we celebrate and eat lots of homemade pancakes. The reason is that it uses up butter, eggs and other items that are given up for Lent.

I have very fond memories of Pancake Day growing up. We ate plate after plate of pancakes, all with different toppings!

I love big, fluffy American-style pancakes equally as much as I adore crêpes, and this Nigella recipe has never let me down – it’s a recipe I’ve made for years.

This is the kind of dessert I could eat forever and I would be happy. I love a thin crispy pancake packed full of warm Nutella, that really is dessert heaven for me!

These crêpes make an awesome weekend breakfast. They’re light, airy, and delicious with the warm, oozy Nutella spilling out.

Crêpes are great served with savoury fillings such as ham (a vegetarian option is also brilliant too), cheese and mustard. Another favourite of ours is lemon juice and sugar, it’s such a fresh and sweet flavour combination.

The list and choices are endless!

You can even make a Crêpe Cake too! Layer each crêpe, spread with your choice of filling and continue going until you’ve used all your crêpes up – you will probably need to make a double batch of this recipe to make enough crêpes for a cake.

Bookmark this recipe to make right away or next month for Pancake Day! You might also like to try my popular Fluffy American Pancakes or Fluffy Vegan Pancakes too!

I made a double batch of this recipe, and that made plenty of crêpes for dessert one night and breakfast the next day. We can’t get enough of these and they use very little ingredients, which is an added bonus!

Homemade Crêpes

How to make traditional French Crêpes! These thin pancakes are great served with your favourite savoury or sweet fillings.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings 6

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

30 g butter (salted or unsalted)
150 g plain flour
325 ml milk
1 egg

Instructions

Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly.
In a blender or mixing bowl blend/whisk the flour, milk and egg until combined. Now add the melted butter and combine until you have a smooth and thin pancake batter. If there are any lumps in your batter, pass through it through a sieve. At this point you can chill the batter for up to 2 days before using - I always allow my batter to rest overnight, but this is optional.
Heat a small amount of extra butter in a small pan (the pan I use is approx. 20cm / 8-inch in diameter). Once melted carefully wipe away any excess butter. Take roughly 2-3 tablespoons of the pancake mixture into the pan and swirl around until a thin, crisp pancake forms covering the base of your pan. It will only take about a 1 minute to cook on one side. Now flip over and cook on the other side for about another 30 seconds until lightly coloured. Once cooked place on some parchment paper and keep warm in the oven - placing a layer of parchment paper in between each crêpe to avoid them sticking together.
Repeat the above step with the remaining batter. Fold or roll the crêpes and serve warm with a choice of fillings and toppings.
Crêpes will keep once cooked, covered for up to 3 days. They can be frozen, wrapped well for up to 3 months - when ready to serve, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave in 20 second bursts until hot.

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Baking · Vegetarian Recipes

Cheese and Mustard Puff Pastry Pinwheels

December 20, 2022December 19, 2022 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

An easy canapé to serve at upcoming Christmas, New Year parties or to take out for a picnic. These puff pastry pinwheels are made with only 3 ingredients!

Looking for a last minute, sophisticated canapé you can make in time for Christmas and New Year?

My Cheese and Mustard Puff Pastry Pinwheels are a couple of bites of gooey cheesy, flaky pastry deliciousness.

We’ve made these pastry pinwheels for years and love serving them at all kinds of gatherings.

Both sets of our grandparents love these, whenever we made them (which was usually every Christmas or party) where we served a buffet for tea, these pastry pinwheels would disappear very quickly!

When I want to make something quick and easy, I always grab a pack of ready made puff pastry. It’s great to have a pack in the fridge ready for any occasion. I love how effortlessly easy these pinwheels are to make and how very little ingredients you need on hand to make them.

Ingredients can be switched around depending on your dietary requirements. For gluten-free, use gluten-free puff pastry, for dairy-free/vegan, use a dairy-free cheese you like.

Try some different cheese too, swap the Cheddar for Gruyère, Mozzarella or even Red Leicester.

Once they’re baked until golden, it’s very hard to stop at just one…

Cheese and Mustard Puff Pastry Pinwheels

An easy and impressive canapé to put out at upcoming Christmas, New Year parties or to take out for a picnic. These puff pastry pinwheels only use 3 ingredients too!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Servings 22

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

375 g pack ready rolled puff pastry
2 tablespoons mustard I use 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard and 1 tablespoon Dijon or English mustard
100 g mature Cheddar grated

Instructions

Take your puff pastry and unroll it. Spread the mustard evenly across the sheet of puff pastry and top with the grated cheese.
Starting at the long end of the pastry, tightly roll the pastry. Cover and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes - this makes slicing easier.
Once you're ready to bake the pinwheels, preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
Take a serrated knife, trim the edges and slice the pastry roll into 1cm pieces and distribute evenly between the baking trays. The recipe makes approx. 22-24 pinwheels. (At this point you can freeze the (unbaked) pinwheels for up to one month.)
Bake the pinwheels for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. They can be eaten both hot and cold, store the pinwheels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies

Butter Cookies

November 20, 2022May 3, 2023 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Butter Cookies are a wonderfully delicious bake all year round, but they’re extra special baked over Christmas. Serve with a light dusting of icing sugar or dipped/drizzled with chocolate. It’s love at first bite with these cookies…

I’ve been working on perfecting these Butter Cookies for over a year now. There’s been many struggles to find a recipe I was one hundred percent happy to share. When you finally get a recipe perfected, it’s the best feeling!

When I first made these, every time I tried to pipe the dough on my baking trays, I could never easily pipe the dough and countless times, my piping bag would end up splitting! Even though I was feeling frustrated, I wasn’t going to give up, so I kept experimenting with different methods of making these cookies.

I’m so glad I did, because the cookies are absolutely divine.

This recipe doesn’t involve creaming the softened butter and sugar like most butter cookie recipes instruct. Here we’re combining all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and creaming on medium speed until super light and fluffy – this takes just 30 seconds to achieve and, best of all, it’s EASY!

These are the biscuits you get around Christmas, very similar to Danish butter cookies, with a beautiful texture that’s like shortbread. Though I love buying tins of biscuits at Christmas, making your own is a fun activity and of course, they taste amazing because they’re homemade.

Why You’ll Love These Butter Cookies

Deliciously soft and buttery
Crispy edges
Quick to make with no chilling time required, the cookies keep their defined swirls even without chilling. These cookies are ready in 30 minutes!

These cookies look chic, they take only half an hour to make and all you’ll need is 4 ingredients! Swap the vanilla extract for almond or orange for a flavour twist if you like.

Decoration is where the fun continues. Before baking, top each cookie with half a glacé cherry. Once baked, dip half in melted chocolate or drizzle with (dark, milk or white) chocolate. Then top the chocolate with toasted nuts or sprinkles.

Butter Cookies

Four ingredient Butter Cookies are soft, buttery and will just melt in your mouth.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings 12

Ingredients

175 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
175 g plain flour sifted
50 g icing sugar sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 300°F / Gas Mark 2. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the softened butter, flour, icing sugar and vanilla. Cream on medium speed for 30 seconds, then stop the mixer, scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for a few seconds to fully combine. The mixture should be creamy and light.
Fit a piping bag with a medium sized star nozzle and fill the piping bag with the cookie dough. Pipe even swirls of cookie dough on the baking trays. This recipe makes 10-12 cookies, depending on how big or small you pipe the cookies.
Bake the cookies for 20 minutes or until a light golden colour. All ovens are different, so yours might not need as long in the oven. Leave the cookies to cool on the trays for 5 minutes, before transporting to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Decorate with melted chocolate or dusting with icing sugar before enjoying.
The cookies will keep for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Now grab your apron, put some festive music on and get baking these gorgeous Butter Cookies!

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Baking

Best Yorkshire Puddings

November 12, 2022November 11, 2022 What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

An easy and simple recipe for making the best Yorkshire Puddings. This recipe won’t let you down and will become a staple of your Sunday roast dinner.

From now on until the New Year, I’ll be sharing festive-inspired recipes.

This is my mum’s foolproof Yorkshire Puddings recipe. With Christmas next month, you might be getting your Christmas dinner menu planned and ready.

The trimmings are my favourite part of a Xmas dinner, give me a plateful of crispy roast potatoes, sage and onion stuffing and fluffy Yorkshire puddings, and I’m content!

Yorkshire Puddings are simple to make. Made from a batter of flour, cornflour (in our recipe), salt, eggs and milk. They’re cooked in oil in a very hot oven until golden brown and crispy on the outside, with a deliciously spongey inside.

The secret to perfect yorkies is chilling the batter for at least 30 minutes. I chill mine for a couple of hours, but you can leave it overnight. Chilling helps the gluten in the flour relax and develops the flavour. Having the oil extremely hot is also super important – this helps with the rise.

I know it’s tempting, but try not to open the oven door until the timer goes off. If you do, then they’re likely to deflate!

Remember these are meant to look rustic, it’s all about the taste and texture here! Once you’ve made these, you’re going to be so proud when you take them out the oven.

These Yorkshire puddings go wonderfully enjoyed part of a Sunday roast. They also taste great with sausages (meat or vegetarian) with onions and gravy. You can also make toad in the hole (another yummy British recipe) and cook in a baking tray.

If you want to make these in advance, then once baked and cooled, transfer to a freezer bag, seal and freeze for up to one month. Take out of the freezer, place on a baking tray and cook in a preheated oven until crisp and warm.

I can’t wait for you to share and wow your friends and family with these wonderful Yorkshire Puddings!

Best Yorkshire Puddings

Crisp and perfectly fluffy Yorkshire Puddings! These make any roast dinner extra special and taste fabulous with lashings of gravy.

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1 5

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

100 g plain flour
25 g cornflour (cornstarch) If you don't have this, substitute with plain flour
Generous pinch of salt
3 large eggs
225 ml milk
12 teaspoons vegetable oil

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl or jug, add the plain flour, cornflour and salt. Give it a good whisk to combine. Add the eggs and the milk, and whisk until you have a smooth batter.
For best results, chill the batter for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. If you haven't mixed the batter in a jug, then transfer it to a jug ready for pouring into the tin later on.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Pour a teaspoon of oil into each hole of the bun tin, and once the oven is hot enough, place the tin in the oven for 5-7 minutes until the oil is piping hot.
Give the batter another good whisk before carefully pouring the batter equally between the holes in the tin. Return to the oven quickly and bake for 20-25 minutes or until well risen and nicely golden in colour. Serve and enjoy.

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Baking · Brownies · Chocolate

Malteser Brownies

November 1, 2022May 24, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

These malt chocolate brownies are topped with crunchy malted chocolate spread and chocolate-coated malt balls!

There’s SO many reasons to love these Malteser Brownies.

Incredibly rich and decadent brownies, that are sensationally soft and fudge-like. Malt flavour is incorporated in the brownie batter with the addition of malted milk powder and malt chocolate spread is placed on top of the brownie before and after baking!

Fnally, the brownies are decorated with crunchy Maltesers!

I’ve shared a couple of brownie recipes on my blog; these Vegan Brownies are incredible, but these Chocolate Fudge Brownies are spectacular too.

For my next brownie creation, I thought about combining a favourite chocolate sweet of mine in a brownie. If you’re a Malteser fan like I am, then prepare yourself for this heavenly brownie!

I used a wonderful recipe from Kelly over at Maverick Baking and I’ve been eyeing up lots of her other brownie recipes, all of which have got my mouth watering.

You can see by the photos of the brownies, just how fudgy they are. The fudgy texture is due to this recipe having a higher fat content from the quantity of chocolate and butter included, whereas cakey brownies have more flour added.

This brownie has that just-baked texture, so if you want you can leave them in the oven for a few more minutes longer if you want them slightly more cooked.

We ate these brownies throughout the week and popped a couple in the microwave to warm through and that was the BEST decision.

After being heated through, the brownies reminded us of a gooey chocolate fondant pudding!

The recipe makes 12-16 brownies. Decorate with the extra Maltesers just before serving, otherwise the malt balls lose their crunchiness.

Change the decoration up depending on the season, around Christmastime; top the brownies with Malteser reindeers, or when it’s Easter, switch the decorations with scrummy Malteser bunnies.

Malteser Brownies

These malt chocolate brownies are topped with crunchy malted chocolate spread and chocolate-coated malt balls!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 20

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

250 g dark chocolate
230 g butter (salted or unsalted)
40 g malted milk powder (such as Horlicks or Ovaltine)
40 g plain flour
60 g cocoa powder
250 g caster sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100 g Malteser spread (plus extra for decoration)
Maltesers for decoration

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Line a 20cm x 20cm tin with parchment paper and set aside.
Place your chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Set this aside to cool for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the malted milk powder, plain flour, cocoa powder and, sugar along with a small pinch of salt.
In a jug, combine the eggs and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to chocolate/butter mixture and whisk together until just combined.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Transfer the brownie batter into the lined tin. Top with 100g of Malteser spread - dollop this all over the top of the brownie batter. Bake the brownies for 40-50 minutes. When the brownies are ready, you should be able to shake the tray and see no wobble in the centre.
Allow the brownies to cool completely to room temperature - I usually leave mine overnight.
Decorate with extra Malteser spread and Maltesers before serving. The brownies will keep stored at room temperature for up to one week.