Category: Biscuits and Cookies

Including traditional biscuits like shortbread and chewy, traditional bakery-style cookies.

Baking · Biscuits and Cookies

Butter Cookies

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.

Print

Butter Cookies

Four ingredient Butter Cookies are soft, buttery and will just melt in your mouth.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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!

Keep up to date with me on:

Like my Facebook page here

Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

Twitter: @jessbakednext

Pinterest: @jessbakednext

Baking · Biscuits and Cookies

Easy Oat Biscuits (Homemade Hobnobs)

What Jessica Baked Next5 Comments

Homemade Hobnob-style biscuits. These oat biscuits are slightly chewy and perfectly sweet. 

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a new recipe, but during that time I’ve been busy updating some older recipes including this Biscoff Chocolate Tart and this Creamy Homemade Hummus.

I’ve shared quite a few biscuit recipes on this blog: Jammy Dodgers, Shortbread and Gingernuts are a few of my personal favourites. The biscuit recipe I have for you today is similar to my gingernut biscuits recipe, as you don’t need to chill the biscuit dough before baking and they don’t take long to bake either.

If you’re from the UK like me or have lived/been to the UK, then you might well be familiar with Hobnobs?

They’re a British brand of biscuit and make a yummy biscuit base for a banoffee pie or cheesecake, or simply devoured straight from the packet…

Though readymade Hobnobs are totally addictive, homemade Hobnobs are definitely superior.

This recipe starts with mixing together self-raising flour, brown sugar, porridge oats, bicarbonate of soda, and a smallish pinch of salt. Then, adding melted butter and golden syrup, then folding this mixture into the dry ingredients to combine.

Divide the biscuit dough into 16 portions and roll into balls. Spread out evenly on a couple of large baking trays, then flatten slightly and bake until golden.

If you want a softer biscuit, check the biscuits after 12 minutes of baking then continue baking longer for a crispier biscuit.

Ready to eat in only 30 minutes and they taste incredible still warm from the oven!

The oat biscuit dough before baking is easy to roll, not too sticky and bakes into delicious, crunchy biscuits

Once the biscuits are baked you can serve them up right away. A drizzle of melted chocolate isn’t needed as these biscuits taste amazing without it, but the chocolate adds that extra touch of indulgence.

Print

Easy Oat Biscuits (Homemade Hobnobs)

Homemade Hobnob-style biscuits. These oat biscuits are slightly chewy and perfectly sweet. 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 16
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 125 g self-raising flour
  • 125 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 125 g porridge oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 125 g dairy-free baking block (you can use regular butter)
  • 1 tablespoon golden syrup
  • 125 g dark or milk chocolate (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, oats, bicarbonate of soda and salt until thoroughly mixed.
  • Now gently heat the dairy-free baking block/butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and stir until melted.
  • Add the melted butter/syrup mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix to combine.
  • Divide the mixture into 16 equally sized portions and roll into balls. Spread the balls of dough out onto the baking trays, leaving some space between each to allow for spreading and with the palm of your hand, flatten each ball of biscuit dough down slightly. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. If you like a slightly crispier biscuit, then bake the biscuits for nearer to 15 minutes.
  • Allow the biscuits to cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes, then transport to a wire rack to finish cooling to room temperature.
  • Serve or if you want to decorate, dip or drizzle each biscuit with melted chocolate of your choice and allow to set before serving. The biscuits will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Love biscuits/cookies? Try these recipes below next!

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Shortbread

Jammy Dodgers

Gingernut Biscuits

Keep up to date with me on:

Like my Facebook page here

Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

Twitter: @jessbakednext

Pinterest: @jessbakednext

Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Vegan

Easter Bunny Shortbreads

What Jessica Baked Next1 Comment
Easter bunny-shaped shortbread biscuits, a simple and easy bake for your Easter table.

 

I made these cute bunny shortbread biscuits a couple of weeks ago in preparation for Easter. I’ve been cracking on with my Easter recipes, having recently updated my favourite Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns.

For my latest recipe idea, because that hot cross bun recipe that takes a fair amount of time to make, I wanted my next Easter bake to be easier and something kids and adults alike will enjoy baking!

I took this Vegan Shortbread recipe and used a bunny biscuit/cookie cutter I’ve had for years and only really ever used occasionally. I used the cutter to stamp out adorable bunny-shaped shortbreads. They might even be too cute to eat?!

Then once the shortbreads were baked and then cooled down, I made a very small amount of white glacé icing – I made sure the icing was quite thick and then I popped it in a piping bag, snipped the end and piped small ‘blobs’ of icing on the tail end of each bunny shortbread. If you don’t use homemade glacé icing, you can also use those tubes of readymade icing or melted chocolate of your choice instead.

The final decoration was a mini chocolate egg on the end of each biscuit to resemble a bunny tail. I used a 75g bag of vegan mini chocolate eggs. Some of the biscuits I didn’t decorate, so I made do with one bag of chocolate eggs, so if you want to decorate every biscuit, you might want to grab another bag of mini chocolate eggs.

You might also need more chocolate if you’re like me and find yourself snacking your way through the bag as you decorate…

This shortbread recipe was one of my late grandma’s favourite biscuits. My grandma was half Scottish and she always loved her shortbread. When I first made them, she enjoyed them so much, she asked me to bake them again. I unfortunately never got the chance to, but this recipe will hold a special place in my heart, because I know just how much she loved it.

I’ll be baking these shortbread biscuits again over Easter. They’re fun, cheap to make and are a great Easter baking project!

Further decoration of these biscuits is optional, you can leave them as they are with an extra sprinkle of sugar, or drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkles.

Print

Easter Bunny Shortbreads

Easter bunny-shaped shortbread biscuits, a simple and easy bake for your Easter table.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 20 biscuits
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 200 g vegan baking block softened
  • 100 g sugar I use vanilla sugar
  • 150 g plain flour
  • 150 g self-raising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Glacé icing or melted chocolate of your choice
  • 75 g mini chocolate eggs (I use vegan)

Instructions

  • Line two large baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Cream the softened vegan baking block and the sugar until light and pale in colour (about 1-2 minutes).
  • Now sift the flours and add to the creamed baking block and sugar mixture along with the vanilla extract. Continue to mix until a crumbly and soft ball of dough comes together. Don’t overwork the dough, try to touch it as little as possible. At this point you can wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill it for 15 minutes, however this is an optional step - it does make rolling the dough out easier.
  • On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to about 1/2 cm thickness. Using your favourite biscuit/cookie cutters (I use a bunny-shaped cutter), cut out shapes from the dough and transfer to the lined baking trays. Sprinkle the top of each biscuit with a little extra sugar or you can dust each baked biscuit with icing sugar after baking if you prefer.
  • Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes until they’re crisp and slightly golden around the edges - all ovens are different so they may need baking for longer. I like adding a little extra sugar to the tops at this point.
  • Once baked, leave to cool on the baking trays for 5-10 minutes, then carefully transport to a wire rack and allow the biscuits to cool completely to room temperature. 
  • Now decorate with a dab of glacé icing on the end of each bunny shortbread to attach the mini chocolate egg, which will look like the bunny tail. Allow the icing to set before serving.
  • Shortbread will keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

Keep up to date with me on:

Like my Facebook page here

Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

Twitter: @jessbakednext

Pinterest: @jessbakednext

Biscuits and Cookies · Cheesecake · No-Bake · Vegan

Vegan Oreo Cheesecake

What Jessica Baked Next1 Comment

No-bake vegan white chocolate Oreo cheesecake. Ultra creamy and mousse-like cheesecake made without any dairy.

This is officially my first new recipe in 2022, it’s been two months since I last posted on here. As you might have read from my Facebook post here, the end of 2021 and start of this year have been a difficult time for me and I needed to take a break. I have my mojo back and I’m ready to crack on with blog content and sharing new recipes.

I finally picked up my camera again, after last working on my blog properly in November. It’s been nice to get back to blogging, taking the time off made me realise how much I missed it!

After sharing my Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake last year, this recipe has become one of the most viewed vegan dessert recipes on the blog.

So far, I’ve made a Biscoff version and a classic No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake. There’re three vegan cheesecake recipes on this website, if you have any cheesecake flavours you want to see, then just comment below and let me know your ideas!

Recently, I incorporated one of the best accidentally vegan biscuit/cookies into my classic vegan cheesecake recipe.

Oreos are my guilty pleasure. They’re sweet, chocolatey and an opened pack never seems to last long when I’m around!

To make this cheesecake, start by picking your favourite biscuit for the cheesecake base. I went for Oreos, but digestives or another chocolate cream filled biscuit would work (such as bourbon creams).

Because I used Oreos, I use slightly less butter – you don’t want the base too wet, with these measurements it’s just perfectly crumbly but still holds together when sliced. If you choose to use digestives instead of Oreos, increase the butter in the biscuit base part of the recipe to 140g instead of 75g (if using Oreos).

The cheesecake filling is made by combining vegan cream cheese with icing sugar, vanilla extract and melted dairy-free white chocolate, then folding through whipped dairy-free cream and crushed Oreos.

I said before, I didn’t think cheesecake would be on the menu anymore for me following a vegan lifestyle. But how wrong I was!

This Vegan Oreo Cheesecake is not only dairy-free, it’s nut-free and easy to make gluten-free. It’s a great make-ahead dessert and perfect for feeding a hungry crowd!

Print

Vegan Oreo Cheesecake

No-bake vegan white chocolate Oreo cheesecake. Ultra creamy and mousse-like cheesecake made without any dairy.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Oreo Biscuit Base:

  • 300 g Oreo cookies
  • 75 g baking block or dairy-free spread (salted or unsalted) melted

Oreo Cheesecake Filling:

  • 200 g vegan cream cheese
  • 3 tablespoons icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 100 g vegan white chocolate melted and cooled slightly
  • 250 ml vegan cream
  • 154 g Oreo cookies roughly crushed

Instructions

  • To make the biscuit base: Mix the crushed Oreos with the melted dairy-free spread until moistened. Press the Oreo crumbs into a 23cm springform tin until compact. Put to one side while you make the cheesecake filling.
  • To make the cheesecake filling: In a large mixing bowl whisk the vegan cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold through the melted vegan white chocolate until combined. In another large mixing bowl, whisk the dairy-free cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the white chocolate cream cheese mixture until all the ingredients are incorporated, then finally fold through the crushed Oreos - be careful not to over mix. 
  • Spread the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base you prepared earlier and smooth the top with either the back of a spoon, a spatula or a palette knife. Cover the cheesecake and leave it to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight. 
  • When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform tin and decorate as desired. I love serving it with extra whipped cream and some crushed Oreos. The cheesecake will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Keep up to date with me on:

Like my Facebook page here

Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

Twitter: @jessbakednext

Pinterest: @jessbakednext

Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Vegan

Vegan Shortbread

What Jessica Baked Next3 Comments

Easy 5 ingredient recipe for vegan Scottish-style shortbread biscuits. 

We’re edging closer to Christmas and now it’s November, I think it’s about time to let the festive baking truly begin. My first one of which I shared last week with these Orange Chocolate Orange Chip Cookies. As well as my previous recipe and this one I’m sharing with you today, over the weekend I photographed another Christmas recipe too. I’m on a roll with my festive creations for the blog and can’t wait to bake more!

One bake we indulge with over the festive season is shortbread. My shortbread recipes are greatly popular, with this Scottish Shortbread being one of the most viewed recipes ever and many of you have made this recipe and enjoyed it.

These shortbread biscuits have a delicate vanilla flavour and are crisp, crumbly and will just melt in your mouth. I used this Shortbread Biscuits recipe and swapped the butter for vegan baking block and upped the amount of sugar in the recipe slightly.

I use vanilla sugar and find that really enhances the flavour in this shortbread dough. You could also add some grated lemon, lime or orange zest. If you don’t have vanilla sugar, then add the seeds from a vanilla pod to your shortbread dough.

The shortbread dough is easy and speedy to make. Take softened vegan baking block and cream together with the caster sugar until fluffy. Now add the sifted flours (this recipe uses a mix of plain and self-raising flour, but using just plain flour is fine). Mix until a crumbly dough has formed and then wrap the dough up in clingfilm and chill it for a recommended 15 minutes.

Chilling the shortbread dough makes it easier when rolling the dough out and ensures that the biscuits will hold their shape during baking.

I sprinkle my shortbread biscuits with sugar before baking and little extra sugar after they’ve baked. But a light dusting of icing sugar also looks and tastes great too!

Once baked, decoration is optional, I add another sprinkling of caster sugar to the tops of my shortbread biscuits. You could dip or drizzle the biscuits with melted chocolate also.

Beautiful, sweet and crumbly shortbread biscuits. Skip buying tins of readymade shortbread this Christmas and make your own instead!

Print

Vegan Shortbread

Easy 5 ingredient recipe for vegan Scottish-style shortbread biscuits. 
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 20 biscuits
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 200 g vegan baking block softened
  • 100 g caster sugar (I use vanilla sugar)
  • 150 g plain flour
  • 150 g self-raising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Decoration:

    Instructions

    • Line two large baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Cream the softened vegan baking block and the sugar until light and pale in colour (about 1-2 minutes).
    • Now sift the flours and add to the creamed baking block and sugar mixture along with the vanilla extract. Continue to mix until a crumbly and soft ball of dough comes together. Don’t overwork the dough, try to touch it as little as possible. At this point you can wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill it for 15 minutes, however this is an optional step - it does make rolling the dough out easier.
    • On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to about 1/2 cm thickness. Using your favourite biscuit/cookie cutters, cut out shapes from the dough and transfer to the lined baking trays. Sprinkle the top of each biscuit with a little extra sugar or you can dust each baked biscuit with icing sugar after baking if you prefer.
    • Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes until they’re crisp and slightly golden around the edges - all ovens are different so they may need baking for longer. I like adding a little extra sugar to the tops at this point.
    • Once baked, leave to cool on the baking trays for 5-10 minutes, then carefully transport to a wire rack and allow the biscuits to cool completely to room temperature.
    • Shortbread will keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

    Keep up to date with me on:

    Like my Facebook page here

    Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

    Twitter: @jessbakednext

    Pinterest: @jessbakednext

    Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Cheesecake · Chocolate · No-Bake

    3 Ingredient Oreo Truffles

    What Jessica Baked Next65 Comments

    Cookies and cream cheesecake truffles. Crushed Oreo cookies are mixed with cream cheese, rolled into balls and coated with melted chocolate. This is an easy and fun recipe everyone will enjoy getting involved in making!

    Originally posted in February 2015, recipe and photographs updated October 2021.

    Oreo + cheesecake + chocolate = one heavenly creation!

    I first made this recipe for my blog in 2015 and now years later, I’ve updated the recipe with clearer instructions and improved photography.

    This year I’ve been focussing on vegan baking and cookery, but some recipes like this one can easily be veganised with some simple ingredient swaps.

    The biscuit/cookie we’re using is a Oreo. If you weren’t already aware, Oreos are 100% vegan-friendly so there’s no need to substitute. If you fancy something different to Oreos, why not try bourbon cream biscuits instead or another biscuit/cookie you enjoy.

    My original recipe uses full-fat cream cheese, I’m using a tub of my go-to vegan cream cheese, which is a coconut based cream cheese alternative. I use it in my Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake and No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake recipes.

    So to make this easy truffle recipe, you start by crushing the Oreos – there’s no need to remove the crème filling.

    Tip the Oreo crumbs into a mixing bowl and add the cream cheese. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix the two ingredients together until the mixture has begun to clump/stick together.

    Take a teaspoon measure and scoop pieces of the creamy Oreo mixture and roll into balls. Continue doing this until all the mixture is used up. I made 25 truffles in total, but how many you make will depend on how big or small you roll the truffles.

    Place the Oreo truffles on a tray or container that’s been lined and chill for at least one hour. This allows the Oreo balls to firm up enough, so they won’t fall apart when dipping into the melted chocolate in the next step.

    You can make the recipe up to this step and leave them to chill overnight, I did this and found coating the truffles easier.

    To coat the truffles, take your favourite chocolate, either dark chocolate, milk or white chocolate and melt the chocolate. Dip each Oreo ball one at a time in the melted chocolate, coating the entire Oreo ball completely, shake off the excess chocolate using a fork and place the Oreo balls on a lined baking tray.

    Once they’re all coated in chocolate, place the Oreo truffles back in the fridge for another 30 minutes or until the chocolate has set – at this point you can decorate further by drizzling the tops of each truffle with melted white chocolate and scatter over extra Oreo crumbs.

    Print

    3 Ingredient Oreo Truffles

    Cookies and cream cheesecake truffles. Oreo cookies are crushed and mixed with cream cheese, rolled and then generously coated in melted chocolate.
    Course Dessert
    Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings 25
    Author What Jessica Baked Next

    Ingredients

    • 400 g Oreos (don't remove the crème filling)
    • 200 g cream cheese
    • 375 g chocolate (dark, milk or white chocolate)
    • 35 g white chocolate (optional for decoration)

    Instructions

    • Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Crush the Oreos in a food processor or in a sealed food bag until they're fine crumbs.
    • Tip the Oreo crumbs into a large mixing bowl and add the cream cheese. Stir the Oreo crumbs and cream cheese together until the mixture starts to clump/stick together.
    • Take a teaspoon of the Oreo mixture at a time and roll into a ball. Place the Oreo truffles on the lined baking tray and chill for one hour until firm. You can chill these overnight if you want to.
    • Melt the chocolate and dip each Oreo truffle one at a time in the melted chocolate, coating the truffles completely. Using a fork, carefully remove the truffles and leave and place on the lined baking tray. Pop the truffles back in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate has set.
    • This step is optional, but I like to decorate my truffles with some melted white chocolate and extra crushed Oreos. Once I've decorated the truffles, I place them back in the fridge until the chocolate drizzle has set and then serve.
    • The Oreo truffles will keep stored in the fridge in an airtight container/covered plate for up to one week.

    The truffles will keep in the fridge for up to one week, but they can frozen for up to 3 months. I saved some truffles and stashed them away in the freezer ready for when a chocolate craving hits!

    Keep up to date with me on:

    Like my Facebook page here

    Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

    Twitter: @jessbakednext

    Pinterest: @jessbakednext

    Biscuits and Cookies · Cheesecake · Vegan

    Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake

    What Jessica Baked Next8 Comments

    No-bake vegan Biscoff cheesecake. Vegans shouldn’t miss out on enjoying cheesecake, this dairy-free dessert is quick and easy to make and super delicious. 

    So we’re more than halfway through the year and I now have lots more vegan bakes under my belt. I wanted to focus on sharing basic vegan recipes at first and as I get my mojo and gain confidence, I’ll explore more vegan recipe options.

    I’ve had creating a vegan cheesecake on my mind for a while and today I have my FIRST completely vegan cheesecake recipe. It’s no-bake, has 6 ingredients and reminds me of this No-Bake Biscoff Cheesecake!

    Not everything goes perfectly when food blogging and creating recipes in my kitchen. This cheesecake was a disaster when I first tested the recipe. I made the silly error of over mixing the cheesecake filling and from the moment I realised what I’d done wrong, I instantly regretted it! The cheesecake tasted great so I knew I was onto a winner in the taste department, but the texture was wrong because of over mixing it.

    Being the perfectionist I am, I wasn’t happy at that point to share the cheesecake, so I decided to make it again as soon as I could!

    The biscuit base is soft and crumbly and you can make it with any biscuit/cookie you want. Gingernuts, speculoos or digestives/graham crackers are all brilliant choices.

    For the biscuit base, mix the biscuit crumbs with melted dairy-free butter/spread until the biscuit crumbs are moistened, then transfer to a 23cm / 9-inch springform cake tin and press down until firm.

    The cheesecake filling is made with a pack of dairy-free cream cheese. This can be quite pricey, but my recipe uses just one pack to keep costs down, however that doesn’t mean we’re skimping on flavour or that perfect creamy cheesecake texture.

    To the dairy-free cream cheese I mix in Biscoff spread (crunchy or smooth) – I used the crunchy spread this time as I got 1.5kg as a birthday present and am finding numerous ways of incorporating it into my recipes!

    To that I added some icing sugar and whisked until the mixture was combined and smooth (if you use the crunchy Biscoff spread it won’t be completely smooth because of the biscuit chunks).

    In a separate bowl, whisk dairy-free cream until soft peaks form. Add the whipped cream to the Biscoff mixture and fold until everything is just combined. Pop the cookie butter cheesecake layer on top of the biscuit base and smooth it over. Chill the cheesecake for at least 6 hours or overnight if you’re not in such a rush to eat it!

    The cheesecake serves 10-12, we found it produced 10 generous slices. I’m excited now to crack on and create lots of vegan cheesecakes, it certainly won’t be long before you see more!

    Print

    Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake

    Divine no-bake vegan cookie butter cheesecake with spiced biscuit base and a layer of dairy-free Biscoff flavoured cheesecake!
    Course Dessert
    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
    Servings 12
    Author What Jessica Baked Next

    Ingredients

    • 360 g speculoos biscuits (such as Lotus brand) finely crushed
    • 140 g baking block or dairy-free spread (salted or unsalted) melted
    • 200 g vegan cream cheese
    • 200 g Lotus Biscoff spread (crunchy or smooth)
    • 50 g icing sugar
    • 250 ml dairy-free cream

    Instructions

    • To make the biscuit base: Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted dairy-free spread until moistened. Press the biscuit crumbs into a 23cm springform tin until compact. Put to one side while you make the cheesecake filling.
    • To make the cheesecake filling: In a large mixing bowl whisk the vegan cream cheese, Biscoff spread and icing sugar until smooth (this mixture won't be completely smooth if using the crunchy Biscoff spread). In another large mixing bowl, whisk the dairy-free cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the Biscoff cream cheese mixture until all the ingredients are incorporated - be careful not to over mix.
    • Spread the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base you prepared earlier and smooth the top with either the back of a spoon, a spatula or a palette knife. Cover the cheesecake and leave it to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight. 
    • When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform tin and decorate as desired. I melted some extra Biscoff cookie butter spread and drizzled that over each slice of cheesecake and scattered over some Speculoos biscuit crumbs.  
    • The cheesecake will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

    Keep up to date with me on:

    Like my Facebook page here

    Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

    Twitter: @jessbakednext

    Pinterest: @jessbakednext

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

    3 Ingredient Oreo Fudge

    What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

    Amazing three ingredient white chocolate Oreo fudge – this scrummy fudge recipe takes less than 15 minutes to make and no scales or specialist equipment is needed! 

    Fudge is a quintessential Christmas recipe to make and one type of confectionery I’m sure we all make over the holidays. I’ve previously shared an Oreo fudge recipe, but with that recipe I used this Vanilla Clotted Cream Fudge as a base and added some chopped up pieces of Oreo. This Oreo white chocolate fudge is SO much easier and quicker to make and saves you all the elbow grease that my other recipe requires!

    Several fudge recipes have appeared on my blog over the years I’ve created content for it. I love adding pieces of chopped up biscuit/cookie to fudge mixes. I’ve added bourbon cream biscuits and custard creams to make Bourbon Biscuit Fudge and Custard Cream Fudge. Now it’s time to turn to one of my other favourite biscuits/cookies: Oreos!

    Oreo fudge is completely fail-proof, there really isn’t much skill involved but the end result is utterly delicious. The white chocolate flavour is incredibly good, it’s super creamy and every bite of the fudge you get a taste of the chocolatey Oreos.

    Oreo + white chocolate = an absolutely heavenly combo!

    To make the fudge you’ll start by simmering a some water in a pan and then place the white chocolate and condensed milk in a heatproof bowl and place that atop the simmering water (make sure the base of your bowl is not directly touching the water). Heat it very gently and stir until it’s melted and smooth. By the time these two ingredients are melted you’ll have a thick mixture. Now off the heat add 3/4 of the chopped Oreos and stir until they’re mixed through the fudge.

    Transfer the fudge mixture to a lined square tin and top with the remaining Oreos. At this point you can decorate the top of your fudge with any other decorations/sprinkles – I topped mine with some mini white chocolate chips I had in my kitchen.

    When you come to cut up your fudge you’ll get approx. 36 squares of fudge. This fudge is super sweet so you might get more if you cut the fudge into smaller squares.

    The fudge will keep stored in the fridge or at room temperature for up to a week. The Oreos will soften slightly but the fudge is still delicious nonetheless.

    Oreo fudge is a wonderful no-bake treat and a fantastic gift to wrap up for your loved ones this holiday season!

    (Makes 36 pieces)

    500g white chocolate, broken into small pieces

    1 x 400g (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

    1 x 154g pack Oreos, roughly chopped – this can be substituted with Golden Oreos or another biscuit/cookie you like

    Method:

    1. Line a 20cm square tin with parchment paper – leave a little overhanging the sides to make it easier to lift the fudge from the tin later on.
    2. Place the chocolate and condensed milk in a medium sized bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water – make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t directly touch the water. Heat gently on a low heat and stir until completely melted and smooth.
    3. Take off the heat and stir through approx. 3/4 of the chopped Oreos. Spread the fudge out into the lined tin and top with the remaining chopped Oreos. At this point you can decorate the top of the fudge with any other decorations.
    4. Cover the fudge and leave it to set in the fridge for for 2-4 hours or overnight.
    5. Cut the fudge up into squares as big or small as you want – this makes roughly 36 servings. The fudge will keep for up to a week in the fridge or at room temperature.

    Keep up to date with me on:

    Like my Facebook page here

    Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

    Twitter: @jessbakednext

    Pinterest: @jessbakednext

    Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Gluten-Free · No-Bake

    Passionfruit and Lime Cream Pots

    What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

    These 4 ingredient tropical inspired cream pots are flavoured with passionfruit and zesty lime. They’ll make a lovely addition to your Christmas menu.

    Happy first day of December! It’s the last month of the year and what a rollercoaster 2020 has been. It’s crazy to think Christmas Day is less than a month away!

    Have you started planning your Christmas festivities yet? I’m feeling quite organised this year, I’ve nearly got all my presents sorted out and we have our menu planned. We put our Christmas tree and all the decorations up this past weekend and I’m loving how bright and festive the house is looking with the twinkly lights and ornaments hanging on the tree.

    This year we’re going partly vegan ready for starting Veganuary in January. We’ve discovered so many vegan recipes and are excited to find more. My sister and I made some delicious mushroom wellingtons for dinner one evening and they went down so well we decided they’d make a fabulous Christmas dinner, we have those planned to enjoy on Christmas Day along with all the trimmings – aka the best part of a roast dinner!

    Last month I shared this divine Terry’s Chocolate Orange Traybake. That cake is super delicious and chocolatey, admittedly I can’t believe anyone could dislike chocolate, I do understand that not everybody likes chocolate as much I do and might be looking for an alternative idea. After a heavy main meal that’s rich in different flavours, it’s nice to end your meal with something light and refreshing.

    For this recipe I took inspiration from these Lemon Posset. I’ve changed the flavours by adding a tropical twist and made it into a mousse textured dessert. It’s not like a manufactured mousse, these cream pots have more body and substance.

    What gives these cream pots a tropical vibe is the delicious combination of passionfruit and lime. I know passionfruit can be a little pricey but it is Christmas after all and 2020 has been a year with plenty of ups and downs, so we deserve to treat ourselves as much as possible. Passionfruit is one of my favourite fruits, but when paired with a citrus fruit such as lime, it comes to life!

    So let me do a run through of how to prepare these cream pots. Don’t worry if you don’t have much experience in the kitchen, this recipe isn’t overly complicated!

    Start by straining the passionfruit pulp into a sieve set over a bowl or jug. Discard the seeds and squeeze and stir the lime juice into the passionfruit juice. Heat half the cream with sugar, stir until the sugar has dissolved then bring the cream mixture up the boil and simmer gently for 3 minutes exactly. Once the cream has cooked pour it into the fruit juices and stir – it will thicken up quickly and you’ll now need to leave this mixture to cool for 20 minutes. After it’s cooled, whisk the remaining cream until soft peaks have formed and then fold the passionfruit lime cream into the whipped cream. Fold until there’s no lumps of cream left and then transfer the mixture into your serving dishes.

    I use a few recycled ramekins that you get those popular gooey chocolate puddings in (UK readers will know what I’m talking about) and some small glasses that had chocolate hazelnut spread in them. You can use whatever serving dishes you have, even small espresso cups would be great if you’re planning to serve more or want a petit fours sized treat.

    A delicious Scottish-style shortbread biscuit is the perfect accompaniment to these tropical cream pots

    Serve these cream pots with homemade Shortbread Biscuits. I wasn’t sure whether to add some desiccated coconut to the shortbread dough but in the end I stuck with my shortbread recipe as it’s always popular with my taste testers and this classic biscuit allowed the flavours in the cream pots to take centre stage. But who knows, next time if I’m feeling slightly more adventurous, then I might be tempted to give that idea a try!

    Once the cream pots have had at least 6 hours to set (overnight is best as this allows the flavours to develop) they’ll be ready to serve. I recommend taking the cream pots out of the fridge and letting them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

    I hope you enjoy these cream pots as much as we did. They’re a refreshing end to a meal, aren’t too heavy and leave you wanting more!

    (Serves 6)

    Ingredients:

    1 lime, zested

    5 passionfruit

    100g caster or granulated sugar

    600ml double cream

    Decoration:

    1 passionfruit – spread this out on the top of the cream pots when serving

    Fresh berries – blueberries are my favourite to serve with these but raspberries or chopped strawberries taste great

    Method:

    1. Firstly start by zesting your lime and set the zest aside for later on. Scoop the flesh from the passionfruit into a sieve that’s set over a bowl or jug. Push the passionfruit pulp through the sieve using the back of a spoon to extract all the juice. Discard the seeds. Squeeze the lime juice into the passionfruit juice and mix together.
    2. Put the sugar and 300ml of cream in a pan. Heat this mixture gently over a medium heat until the sugar has all dissolved, bring the mixture up to the boil and allow it to gently bubble away/simmer for 3 minutes. Take it off the heat and pour into the passionfruit and lime juice stirring to combine. Set this mixture aside to cool for 20 minutes.
    3. Now in a large mixing bowl whisk the remaining 300ml of cream until soft peaks form. Take the passionfruit and lime cream mixture and fold gently into the whipped cream. Finish by folding through the lime zest.
    4. Transfer the mixture into glasses, ramekins or small pots. Loosely cover the tops (make sure the cling film doesn’t directly touch the tops of cream pots) and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight ideally if you have the time.
    5. Serve the chilled cream pots with shortbread biscuits. The cream pots will keep stored and covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    Keep up to date with me on:

    Like my Facebook page here

    Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

    Twitter: @jessbakednext

    Pinterest: @jessbakednext

    Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

    Chunky Milk Chocolate Pecan Cookies

    What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

    Thick and chunky chocolate and pecan cookies are chunkier and even yummier than your average cookie. These decadent cookies are packed with gooey milk chocolate chips/chunks and toasted pecans – a flavour match made in heaven! 

    Thick and chunky (copycat London’s Crème dessert shop / New York City’s Levain Bakery) cookies have been popular on the internet recently and I couldn’t resist any longer so I’ve decided to share my new favourite chunky cookie recipe with you today!

    Cookies make me so happy, I’m 100% sure eating cookies will put a smile on your face even during these tough, uncertain times. It’s something about that chewy texture with the incredible and totally irresistible gooey chocolate that’s delicious when melted as you take a bite in to a cookie that’s fresh from the oven!

    I like sprinkling a pinch of Maldon sea salt on top of some of the cookies before baking. Once your cookies are ready you’re in for a treat enjoying them with a glass of milk or with scoops of ice cream!

    I love all types of cookies, on my blog I have shared the classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, White Chocolate Cookies, Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cookies and these insanely delicious Triple Chocolate Cookies. It’s safe to say this blog is not short of cookie recipes for you to try!

    I’ve never shared a super thick and chunky cookie before and having seen these on Cupcake Jemma’s website and YouTube channel, I’ve been desperate to have a go at this recipe. Every time I watch Jemma’s team over at Crumbs & Doilies making these amazing cookies, I’ve wanted to reach right through the screen and grab the tray of freshly baked cookies instantly!

    Milk chocolate pecan cookie dough tastes so good there might not even be any left to bake! I’m a sucker for tasting cookie dough, I can’t get enough of it!

    I’ve tested out different chocolate and pecan cookies and found a couple of recipes that are wonderful. My whole family absolutely loves Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s chocolate chip and pecan cookies that feature in their SWEET cookbook – I’ve baked those cookies countless times and they never fail to impress. They’re a slighter smaller serving compared to this cookie recipe created by Crumbs & Doilies. However, lately I’ve been in the mood for a generous sized cookie to treat myself, bigger is definitely better in this case!

    Personally I don’t think you can go far wrong with the classic flavour combo of milk chocolate and toasted pecan, but I’m looking forward to experimenting with variations. My sister has plans to bake birthday cake/funfetti cookies with white chocolate and sprinkles – I’m excited for those when she makes them!

    If pecans aren’t your thing, then you can substitute with hazelnuts or walnuts (without the skins). Also, add different chopped up chocolate bars or if you don’t want to add nuts then you can leave them out and add even more chocolate.

    Honestly, who would say no to more chocolate?

    Definitely not me! Enjoy the cookies!

    (Makes 12)

    Ingredients:

    100g pecans – see recipe for instructions on toasting

    300g plain flour

    200g self-raising flour

    2 teaspoons baking powder

    1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    230g butter (salted or unsalted), cold and cut into 1cm cubes

    160g dark or light brown sugar

    160g caster or granulated sugar

    200g milk chocolate chips

    200g milk chocolate, broken into big chunks

    2 large free-range eggs

    Method:

    1. Start by toasting the pecans, preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Place the pecans in a small baking tray and toast for 10 minutes. Leave the pecans to cool and then chop or break into small pieces roughly 1.5cm in size. In a mixing bowl mix together the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt until combined. Set this aside for the moment.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the cold butter for about 30 seconds until softened slightly. Add the sugars and mix again until just combined – you don’t want to make this mixture creamy and fluffy.
    3. Now add the flour mixture and mix until you have fine breadcrumb texture. Now stir through the chocolate and nuts.
    4. Add the beaten egg and just mix until a dough comes together – be careful not to over mix. Weigh roughly 125g portions of the cookie dough and roll into a ball. Place on a lined baking tray or container and freeze for at least 90 minutes or overnight for a thicker cookie.
    5. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. 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.
    6. Bake the cookies for 17-22 minutes. If you like a slightly underdone cookie then bake for just 17 minutes, but if you prefer your cookies more done then bake for nearer to 22 minutes.
    7. 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 – we think they taste best on the day of baking.

    Recipe Notes:

    • I used a mix of half chocolate chips and 2 x 100g bars (200g in total) milk chocolate bars. Feel free to use 400g of chocolate chips or all chocolate bar in the cookie dough. Also, you can swap the milk chocolate for a mix of dark chocolate or even add some white chocolate < I’m trying this next time!
    • The recipe I followed made 12 cookies, however from my batch of cookie dough I managed to get a baker’s dozen (13 cookies) out of mine.
    • When rolling the cookie dough into balls, make sure to not form them too much. So when you’ve weighed each piece of cookie dough out just gently press into a ball.
    • I recommend freezing the rolled cookie dough balls overnight as this produces a thicker textured (and more flavourful) cookie when baked, but if you’re rushed for time or just want cookies ASAP then 90 minutes in the freezer is fine.
    • The recipe recommends baking the cookies for 17 minutes, I don’t like my cookies too underdone so I baked mine for another 5 minutes but again this all depends on how you like to serve cookies, if you prefer them softer and underdone then just bake for 17 minutes as the recipe instructs.

    Keep up to date with me on:

    Like my Facebook page here

    Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

    Twitter: @jessbakednext

    Pinterest: @jessbakednext