Amaretti Biscuits

Amaretti refers to amaretto or almond flavored macaroon that comes from Italy! The first time I had tried one was at a coffee shop sometime and became some what obsessed with them for a while. I was buying a big bag and munching on them with every cup of coffee I drank!

It never really occurred to me to make my own. It's crazy as I am a baker and although not every bake is successful, more on that in a minute, I have some experience in the baking world and the thought should have occurred to me.

I expected these to be like the bagged ones like and airy and crispy, but they were more dense and chewy, but still delicious! More like a macaroon and macaroons and I have never gotten on with. Never really had a successful macaroon experience, they were edible, but not pretty!

There is still a soft spot for the bagged airy crispy ones, but a new appreciation for the soft chewy almond-y home baked ones! Just a note when baking these that there is a whole hour wait time before baking.... so as always read through the whole recipe before baking so you know!

Amaretti biscuits

1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
160g caster sugar
95g ground almonds
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 eggs whites
30g icing sugar

Line your baking sheets with baking paper before sifting together the plain flour, cornflour, and ground cinnamon in a large clean bowl. Add half the sugar (80g), almonds, and grated lemon zest and gently mixing it together. In a separate clean bowl beat the egg whites with clean electric beaters until stiff peaks form before gradually adding the rest of the of caster sugar (80g).
Using a clean spatula or metal spoon fold the egg whites into the dry mixture until combined. Using a regular teaspoon heap it up with the dough/batter and drop on to your prepared baking sheet, continue to do this spacing them apart to allow for spreading, until all the dough/batter is used up! Leave to sit for an hour.

Heat the oven 180C/350F/Gas4 - Sift the icing sugar liberally and bake for 15-20 minutes.

My only regret is not being more liberal with the icing sugar, on the ones that had more there was a lovely caramelised finish and a lovely powdered sugar touch! I of course have had one or two or three of these with my morning coffee.

Wait I have one other regret... I hadn't made these sooner!!
Enjoy!!

PB & J Power Bars from Whole Food Energy by Elise Museles {book review}

January has come and gone along with most people’s New Year’s resolutions. Making better choices when it comes to food is not something that should only be thought of in January, but all year long. I am a baking blog and I think sugar has it’s place in our lives. However, I also agree that with sugar and/or added sugar in a lot of processed foods is a bit excessive and it’s wise to start paying attention to what is in our food.

I was sent Whole Food Energy to read and review and to be honest I wasn’t 100% sure what I was getting myself into! It was a pleasant surprise just looking at the content page. Divided into 3 parts the book covers everything from what supplies you should keep on hand to drinks, breakfast, snacks, and energy packed treats like these PB & J Power Bars.

I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I was curious to how these power bars would turn out. The author states that her son has asked for these over and over again and I have to say they have been a hit with my daughters as well!

Full of oats, dates, peanut butter, dried cherries, and almonds it really does taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. No lie! The best part is knowing they are full of whole natural food that’s great for everyone! I like that they are chewy too, but the almonds give it a bit of crunch!

PB & J Chewy Power Bars

50g rolled oats
200g Medjool dates, pitted
60g unsweetened peanut butter
1 tsp of vanilla
1/2 tsp of salt
100g dried cherries
75g almonds, roughly chopped

Line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper with the sides hanging out. In a food processor pulse the rolled oats until still a bit chunky, but chopped up. It shouldn't be a powder. Add the dates, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt and pulse/process until it starts to come together and clump up. Add the cherries and pulse several times to incorporate them into the mixture. Take out the blade and add the chopped almonds and use your hands, clean please, to mix everything together. 
Place in the prepared loaf tin and using the hang over paper, fold it on and top and press the mixture down to flatten, try to make it as even as possible. Leave in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour before cutting into bars. Easy peasy.

Elise Museles is the author of the popular blog Kale & Chocolate has given us a book packed full of recipes that will keep you energised through out the day! If you haven’t heard of her check out her website/blog and this book! I have learned a lot just from reading through it and I can’t wait to try more of the recipes, especially the smoothie ones!

note: Whole Food Energy: 200 all-natural recipes to prepare, refuel, and recover by Elise Museles (from Kale & Chocolate) was sent to me to review by the UK publishers; Apple Press - Available online, from the publishers, and from all good booksellers now! No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own and it was known that I sometimes adapt recipes to share with my readers to give them a feel for the book.

Nectarine & Almond Tarts {#thepastrychallenge}

If you were to ask me to bake you a cake I’d reply “Of course, no problem.” However, when it comes to pastry’s I couldn't reply that confidentially. It’s one of the reason’s I am super excited to be a co-host with Jen from Jen’s Food on the new monthly Pastry Challenge!

Jen is hosting this month and as it’s the first month the theme is anything goes! Typical me leaving it literally until the last minute to get my post written and linked up! Which is very like these tarts. Super easy and perfect for a last minute dessert or breakfast or just because!

We had them as an afternoon snack and what a good snack it was! These would a great picnic addition too. I have spring and summer on the brain ... already talking about picnics! I am ready for warmer weather, but while I wait I will munch on one of these! 

Nectarine & Almond Tarts

500g all-butter puff pastry

flour for dusting

120g unsalted butter, soft

75g sugar

100g ground almonds

1 egg, room temperature

dash of almond extract

3 ripe nectarines, sliced thinly

Heat the oven to 220C and line 2 baking sheets with grease proof baking paper. Roll out the pastry to 4-5 mm thick. I used a cereal bowl that had a 14cm diameter to cut out six rounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets and set aside.

Whisk the butter, sugar, almonds, egg, and extract together until well combined. Place a heaped tablespoon of the mixture in the middle of each pastry round. With the back of the spoon gently press it down. Circle the sliced peaches around the pastry circles. Gently pressing down as you go along with spread the almond mixture out perfectly. If you want thicker slices of nectarine, you might need an extra one.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool only slightly before tucking in or adding a scoop of ice cream on top!

Check out the other entries on Jen’s site and if you didn't get an opportunity to join in this month I’ll be posting the theme for April on the 1^st!

notes: for more information on the pastry challenge click on the tab above! Recipe adapted from the Jamie Magazine recipe yearbook 2014/15. 

Gluten & Dairy Free Blueberry Almond Crumble Muffins

When I was little I had a good dentist, who happened to live in our neighbor hood and on Halloween would give out toothbrushes and Trident sugar free gum. I didn’t realize how great he was until we moved states and I encountered a capable, but horrendous dentist.

Which is why I really appreciate our current dentist, he’s pretty cool and my girls love visiting him. They don’t see the dentist as something to fear and I thank him for that. I think it really does matter how you feel about going depending on who you’re going there to see.

If it were not for my friend who used to work with him, we’d still be with our old dentist who just wasn’t great with kids.

To make sure he knows he’s appreciated I occasionally bring him baked goods. The first time I brought a big plate of Rocky Road, however unbeknownst to me he cannot have gluten or dairy. So, he was unable to enjoy the Rocky Road due to all the chocolate and biscuits.

This time round, as our appointment was in the morning, I brought him these Blueberry Crumble Muffins. They were a bit heavier then regular muffins but they were good. The blueberry and almond flavors really go well together.

It will be six months before I get to ask him about them, but I really hope he’s enjoyed them. Wonder what I should bring him next?

The recipe was adapted from Ms Cupcake’s The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town! It’s one of those books I highly recommend to any one who is after Vegan or dairy free cakes and bakes. Plus all of the recipes can be adapted like I did to this one to be gluten-free as well!

Blueberry Almond Crumble Muffins

crumble:

100g gluten free self-rising flour

50g demerara sugar

50g dairy-free margarine

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together with your hands until it’s all crumbly.

blueberry almond muffin:

500g gluten free self-rising flour

60g ground almonds

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

1 tsp baking powder

250g golden caster sugar

500ml Oatly Oat Drink

320ml sunflower oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

100g whole blueberries

Heat the oven to 180C/350F and line a muffin tin with paper cases. I had enough batter for 18 muffins. In a big bowl mix the dry ingredients together. In another bowl mix the wet ingredients together. Then pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and quickly fold together with a metal spoon until just combined. It will be a bit lumpy but that’s exactly how it should be, if it starts to fizz just bang the bowl on the counter a couple of times. Then fill the paper cases about ¾ full before dividing the blueberries between the cases and sprinkling with the crumble. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool in the tins for at least 10 minutes before placing on a cooling rack to finish cooling off. Then package up and give to really cool dentists who can’t have gluten or dairy.

notes: I used Dove’s Gluten-Free Self-Rising flour and Vitalite Dairy Free Margarine. I also used Oatly Oat Drink that was leftover from a previous post I did for them. Feel free to use a soya or rice milk. Be sure to check that your baking powder is gluten free. None of these brands are sponsoring this post, but thought I would mention it as I felt it would be helpful. All opinions are my own please see my contact/policy page for more information.

If you enjoyed this post here are a few others you might like:

My first attempt at Vegan Cupcakes

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting 

Oatly Espresso Cupcakes

Oatly Chocolate Mini Donuts

Wonka’s Nutty Crunch Surprise {belated World Book Day treat}

These were made originally for World Book Day, but I didn't make them in time for the big day.

That big day was March 6^th, but I think it’s important to encourage children to read any and every day of the year!

Growing up I was always in a low reading group. We were never told, but we weren't clueless, we knew all knew where we stood. 

As an adult I think it's weird that I was in a low reading group. I just remember reading all the time. Always before bed, I'd curl up with a book and I still do!!

I can only speculate, but I hated reading out loud. It really wasn't my thing. I hated the attention, everyone listening and if I made a mistake or stumbled on a word I didn't want to be singled out. 

It's funny how things change or stay the same over time, I am not so worried about things like reading out loud, but  my love of books has not changed!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of the first chapter books I remember reading. I took it out of the school library - if I remember correctly there was also a waiting list for it.

I used to pretend that I was Charlie. The Charlie who was already running the factory, I mean who wouldn't want a chocolate factory??

I know I do! And while making these bars, I sorta felt like I did!

Wonka’s Nutty Crunch Surprise

200g milk chocolate, broken up

50g butter

75ml golden syrup

165g digestive biscuits, finely crushed

75g flaked almonds

25g rice cereal

Line and grease an 8 in square cake tin. Melt the chocolate with the butter and golden syrup in a heatproof bowl over a simmering pan of water. Stir until completely melted. Gently fold in the biscuits, almonds, and cereal to the melted chocolate. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down with a spatula until smooth. Then cool in the fridge before cutting into bars.

Nutty Crunch:  

50g flaked almonds, finely chopped

100g granulated sugar

2 tbsp water

Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan, Leave on low until the sugar has dissolved. According to the recipe you want increase the heat and wait for it to caramelize.

However, I had my burner on the lowest heat and twice the sugar mixture seized up and crystallized before it turned a caramel color. I used a pastry brush to keep crystals forming on the sides of the pan, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.

The third time I just included the chopped almonds to basically make sugar coated almonds and worked with it. Set them aside to cool.

Chocolate Coating

200g milk chocolate

to finish: Melt it using the method above.

Lay the cut bars on a sheet of grease proof paper, using a table spoon gently spoon the melted chocolate over the bar then sprinkle the sugared almonds on top. Repeat until all bars are chocolaty and nutty!

They were super good, because just like rocky road when you mix sweet and salty things you can never fail! These would be great for a picnic or just an after school treat! 

notes: The recipe was adapted from Roald Dahl’s Completely Revolting Recipes and other tasty treats! Next month I’ll be taking part in World Book Night (April 23^rd) again, which is encouraging young adults and adults who don’t read a lot. I cannot wait to collect my books and give them out!!

2 dozen Vegan Cupcakes & a dozen Gluten-Free!

School is almost out for summer! Finally. You know how when you’re young you can’t wait to finish school. Well, what no one tells you is that when you have kids and they are in school it’s like being in school again.

I get up early every morning for “the school run” and stress about everything I don’t have ready or forgot to do the night before. Then I do “the school run” again in the afternoon just to be overwhelmed by the homework and other stuff the school requires of me.

To say the least I am as much ready for summer vacation (summer holiday’s) as my daughter is! Every time something ends it’s a little bittersweet isn't it? I’m thrilled at how much my girls have grown and also a little sad as they will never again be how they are right now.

Baby Baker is going to nursery in the fall and last week was her last day at the toddler group I have taken her to for the past year. It was party day and her good friend is a vegetarian but his mom is vegan. So, to ensure that she could join in the party food I made vegan cupcakes from the infamous Ms. Cupcake’s book The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town!

I was just going to make a batch of the Mint Chocolate Chip ones at my friend’s request. However, a few nights before party day at toddlers, my friend texts to say it’s her boss’s birthday and he can’t have dairy and is a celiac. I was like how convenient. So, I decided to make the Bakewell Tart Cupcakes as well and then divide them each so each party had a variety.

However I didn't fully understand that celiac meant no gluten. So, the night before I had 2 dozen cupcakes baked and ready to be frosted when we concluded my friend’s boss wouldn't be able to have the cupcakes, as I didn't use gluten-free flour.

I wasn't going to let that stop me. So, I made a 3^rd batch of cupcakes that were dairy (vegan) and gluten-free! And it all worked out in the end!

I received very positive reactions to these cupcakes! Here's what they had to say... 

“Possibly one of the nicest cupcakes I have ever had! And I've eaten a lot of cake! Thank you so much for sharing with me!” ~ Lauren {Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcake}

“Ummm, so good!” ~ Bex {Bakewell Tart Cupcake – took one home for her husband}

“Best cupcakes I have ever had!” ~ Rebecca {my vegan friend who took all the leftovers home!} Her husband said, “Mm, they’re pretty good actually” which according to her is high praise indeed! ;0)

“Best cupcake I have ever had! I wouldn't have know they were vegan.” ~ Molly’s Mum {Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcake}

“A huge huge thank you to @unitedcakedom fantastic gluten free cakes amazballs as my boss says. Star baker for def” ~ Louise via twitter {friend who requested gluten and dairy free cupcakes for her boss’s birthday}

Who knew vegan cupcakes would be so popular? Well, Ms Cupcake obviously did! I will definitely be making a trip there next time I am in London. The book isn't all cupcakes there are many other type of bakes that are all dairy free and she does tell you how to make them gluten free if need be!! 

notes: Ms Cupcake: The Naughtiest Vegan Cupcakes in Town byMelissa Morgan; visit Ms Cupcake in Brixton 

Cherry Ripe Cupcakes! {Cadbury Week}

Today is day 4 of Cadbury Week here on United Cakedom and the featured bar is one that hails from Australia….the Cherry Ripe!

If you have never heard of a Cherry Ripe before you probably don’t live nor have ever visited in Australia. Although I have done either and discovered these at a small business in Reading called The Strange Sweet Shop. It’s where I locally source any American things I miss from home.

A Cherry Ripe is Australia’s oldest chocolate bar, originally produced by a company called MacRoberston’s until Cadbury bought the out in 1967. It’s sort of like a cherry Bounty, but so much better!

I knew I wanted to use the Cherry Ripe in Cadbury Week even though they are hard to get a hold of. My first thought was the coconut and cherries and it automatically reminded me of German Chocolate Cake in the states. German Chocolate Cake isn’t really German, but it is a chocolate cake sandwiched and topped with a coconut & pecan mixture.

So, it’s a chocolate cupcake with a cherry coconut concoction on top covered in a chocolate ganache. Sound good? It is! I think I would tweak the cherry coconut concoction a little bit next time… just check the recipe below!

Chocolate Cupcakes:

100g Cadbury Bournville Dark Chocolate

175g butter, cubed

225g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

100g self-rising flour

2 ½ tbsp Cadbury Bournville Cocoa Powder

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas4; line your muffin tin with cupcake wrappers. Melt the chocolate and butter together in your preferred method (in a heat proof bowl over simmering water or in a micowave) Once it’s all melted remove from the heat and stir in the sugar let it cool for about 10 minutes. Beat with a hand mixer for 3 minutes and then add the eggs one at a time beating for 10 seconds in between each egg. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Beat until well blended. Then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Use the skewer test to be sure that the batter is completely baked. Cool completely. While it’s cooling get on with the…

Cherry Coconut topping:

600g Glace Cherries

125g condensed milk

150g desiccated coconut

½ tsp almond extract (I should have used a whole tsp)

½ tsp vanilla extract (I should have used a whole tsp here too)

Place cherries in a food processor and give it a pulse or two before adding the condensed milk, coconut, and extracts. I only used half a tsp of each, but I wish I had used a bit more to give it a stronger flavor. Give it a few more pulses until combined and done. It’s nice to have a few chunks of the cherries in the mixture.

Chocolate Ganache:

100g Cadbury Bournville Dark Chocolate

100ml double cream

In a small saucepan gently melt the chocolate over a low heat. Before the chocolate is completely melted turn off the heat and stir until it’s completely melted. Pour in the cream and gently whisk until glossy and smooth!

To finish:

Cherry Ripe (optional)

12 Glace Cherries (optional)

Top each cupcake with a heaped tablespoon of the cherry coconut topping and spread as best you can. Then gently pour over the chocolate ganche. You can place a sheet of baking paper underneath the cupcakes to catch any drips, but as the ganche makes just enough to cover the cupcakes you’ll want to be a little careful not to waste too much. If you happen to have a Cherry Ripe chop it up into 12 pieces and place on top of each cupcake or you could place a glace cherry on top of each. I chose to do neither because that’s how I roll. Actually I didn’t have a cherry ripe and even though I saved glace cherries to top with I still liked how they looked plain!

notes: The Strange Sweet Shop website; cupcake recipe is from Making Cupcakes with Lola’s; I know yesterday I used a cake mix for my cake and today I am using a from scratch recipe. It can be interchangeable. If you don’t have time grab a box of chocolate cupcakes and top away! Sometimes box mixes give people a chance to be creative with out the hassle of getting the cake right. Cherry Ripe filling was found in Jenny Colgan’s The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris (great read btw); how many times did I type Australia???; Please take a special note that this post and week are not sponsored by Cadbury in any way shape or form. It’s all because I just wanted to have a little fun!

Monday: Picnic - PicnicDoodle Salad

Tuesday: Double Decker - Double Decker Pillow Cookies

Wednesday: Star Bar - Star Bar Cake

A Failed Attempt at Macarons

Macarons are a bit tricky. I have only tried them once before, before I knew what they were really. I thought they were like whoopie pies so I baked them in my whoopie pie tin...yeah that was a big mistake. I've linked that post below.

This wasn't a baking mistake. This was a I ran into the store in a hurry grabbed what I thought was gel food coloring, but it wasn't it was just in a package that looks like the food gel coloring that I had bought before type of mistake.

So, when I opened it up and realized it wasn't the right type of coloring I thought well I could leave them plan or try it out. So, I tried it out. They were very grey and I didn't want to risk adding too much more coloring in and making them taste horrible. A gel or paste coloring is a must to get a bright bold color.

I guess I lied a little it was a baking mistake as well as they stuck to the paper. In the instructions it says to lift them up and if they peel away they are done. I pulled them out after more then the allocated time as they were starting to color on the top. I didn't bother with the filling. Oh and one last thing I added the color at the wrong time. But on the plus side I did get the "feet" around the edge on most of them!

It's hard because I always feel a bit annoyed when things don't turn out as I wanted. It's just the amount of time and effort I put in I expect it to pay off. It has paid off as a lesson, but not in a stunning delicious treat! Think I would have preferred a treat, but at this point I don't have a choice.

I'm not bitter. Maybe a little. I'll get over it by the time this post is actually posted. I'm writing this the night before. If I had waited to write it this morning it'd probably be a completely different post. I'd probably be more positive.

As they are still edible once scraped off the paper, I think I'll just go eat some now.

Will need to try these again another day. I won't be beaten!

notes: chocolate macaroons baked in a whoopie pie tin

Toffee Bakewell Cucpakes!! {cupcake book club}

It’s that time of month again, time to talk about the book chosen for the Cupcake Book Club hosted by Kelly on her site An American Cupcake in London.

This month’s chosen book was Hot Cakes! by Kim Newman-Wood, it’s the first independent e-book that Kelly has picked for the club. In a nutshell it’s about a family torn and it all comes to head over a, strangely acquired, cupcake recipe.

If I’m going to be honest I didn't like this book as much as I wanted too. The characters behaviors were a bit bewildering to me. I found it hard to warm to Bex, the leading lady. She spent most of the story trying to be something she wasn't. One of my favorite sayings is "Always be yourself. Unless you are a unicorn. Then always be a unicorn." Bex's back-story helped me understand where she was coming from and the ending made me less cool towards her, but it wasn't enough to make me love the book. Her mother was even more confusing to me. I guess just because it's not how I would have reacted as a mother, but everyone reacts differently when they are hurt. 

Even though they weren't my favorite characters, they were unique, they weren't made out to be perfect like a lot of other main characters are. They had flaws and did seem more real. It was written well and with style. I enjoyed how the author fit the back-stories in with the present and how she brought the two story lines together in the end.

I don’t like being harsh when it comes to novels. They are are a work of love by the author and not everyone can write a book. I am not a writer, but I am a reader and have read many novels in my time. As a reader my tastes aren't the same of someone else so this is my opinion on the story, but if Hot Cakes! sounds like something you’d like give it a go and make your own opinion! Plus the amounts of delicious sounding cupcake recipes are well worth the cost of the book!

I choose to make the Toffee Bakewell Cupcakes at my husband’s request. He got to choose as they went to work with him. Besides the caramel sinking to the bottom, as I suspected it would as everything I have ever baked in a cupcake has sunk, they turned out perfect. I think next time I would just bake the cakes and add the toffee in afterwards.

I would be interested to see what Kim Newman-Wood writes next! I also can’t wait to see what Kelly has picked for the next Cupcake Book Club!!

notes: if you’d like to join in visit Kelly’s site here! You still have a week if you want to join in! Plenty of time to read and bake right? - Hot Cakes! by Kim Newman-Wood Amazon UK & USA - My favorite quote can be adjusted to fit your needs just fill in the blanks: "Always be yourself. Unless you are (insert super hero or other fantastical non-existing creature) then always be (said hero or creature). 

Flatplanet Brownies!! {book re-review}

Thanksgiving was a big hit this year because of Leon: Family & Friends (book 4) by Kay Plunkett-Hogge & John Vincent; since I already raved about it in that post I will try to keep it to a minimum here!

Leon’s fourth book is a great addition to any cookbook collection, not only does it have great savory recipes (as seen on my Thanksgiving table), but plenty for those with a sweet tooth as well!

For Instance:

• Miss Morton’s Lemon Cake
• Susanna Mattana’s Amaretti Macaroons
• Honey & Rose Baklava
• Momma’s Apple Pie
• Anna Hansen’s Pumpkin & Miso Cheesecake
• Spiced Cranberry & Apple Crumble
• Cheat’s Chocolate Trifle
• And
• Many more… including these brownies called Flatplanet Brownies.

These brownies come from John Vincent’s little café that focuses on the good stuff (food) called … wait for it … Flatplanet. At Flatplanet they make a lot of wheat and gluten free cakes and apparently these are very popular! I can see why. Super gooey and chocolaty - what more could you ask for in a brownie??

All you need is 450g butter, chopped; 450g chocolate, chopped (min 50%); 400g caster sugar; 6 eggs; 300g ground almonds.

To make pre-heat your oven to 120C/250F/gas ½ Carefully melt the butter in a large saucepan and when almost melted add the chocolate. Keep stirring until completely smooth and then take off the heat and stir in sugar. In another bowl beat the eggs lightly then beat into the chocolate mixture. Add the ground almonds and mix with the balloon whisk, until there are no large pockets of almonds left. Grease and line a brownie pan (26 x 36cm) and pour mixture into pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes (70minutes) or until starting to crack on the surface. Allow them to cool for at least an hour. Mine needed longer. Then cut and enjoy!!

If you know someone who needs to learn to cook then this book is for him or her! It’ll be a subtle hint if they find it under the tree! Or if you know someone who already loves to cook and they don’t own a single Leon cookbook what a great way to introduce them to the wonders of Leon! 

My Thanksgiving Table

Leon

I have never been to Flatplanet so can’t compare brownies.

Brownie Quest

Amazon UK or available in local stores