Christmas Spiced Brownie Box Cookies

Do you ever have one of those days...one of those days when nothing goes right? Well last week everyday was one of those days! Hal got a bug and then a bad cold and then Pete and I started to feel ill too. When I have a week like last week, I don't really have time to bake. But isn't it in those moments when you just really want a plate of cookies?

So this recipe is a bit of a cheat. It's for those days...those weeks when you are too tired to bake something complex, but you need that plate of cookies.

Using a boxed Brownie mix for these cookies means they are really fudgey and delicious, and the Christmas spices compliment the dark chocolate wonderfully.

Christmas Spiced Brownie Box Cookies
Makes 12

1 box brownie mix
2tsp cornflour
3Tbsp plain flour
1Tbsp Christmas Spice Mix*
1/4C water
1/3C oil
1C dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 175. 
Combine the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and oil and mix until a stiff dough forms. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and drop rounded scoops of mixture using a mechanical ice cream scoop onto the baking tray. Leave about an inch of space between the scoops as the cookies spread in the oven.
Bake for 10-12mins, until the cookies have spread and the tops look cracked. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool for 10mins before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

*I found this is M&S, but if you can't find any you can make your own by combining cinnamon, ginger, ground juniper berries and grated orange zest.

Mac & Cheese in a Mug

Sometimes you want a comforting, saucy Mac & Cheese but you don't want to go through the effort of making a sauce and boiling the pasta - not to mention doing the washing up!

This deliciously gooey Mac is made in a mug in under 10mins!

Perfect for students, the kitchen-less and hungry people everywhere!

This Mac & Cheese reminds me of the tinned macaroni I used to eat as a kid! Simple, saucy and super cheesy!

Mac & Cheese in a Mug

Recipe adapted from here

Serves 1 as a snack

1/3C dried macaroni

3/4C water

1/2tsp salt

1/4C almond milk

1/2C grated vegan cheese

1Tbsp nutritional yeast

1tsp vegan butter spread

In a large mug or medium sized bowl mix together the macaroni, water and salt. Cover with a plate and microwave on high for 4mins. Remove from the microwave and stir. If the pasta is tender move on to the sauce, if not continue to microwave at one minute intervals for a further 3mins until the pasta is done. Drain off the excess water.

Add the almond milk, nutritional yeast and cheese and stir. Microwave, uncovered for a further 80 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir well. Finally stir in the butter spread until melted and serve!*

*I like to transfer the finished macaroni cheese into a different mug as the one you have used to cook it in will be really hot!

Peanut Butter S'more Cookies

Happy World Vegan Day!

 For this special occasion I thought I would bake some cookies for Pete to take into work to share with his colleagues! It's a great way to show what vegan food is like!

I was thinking of making my Rocky Road Cookies but then I ended up making Peanut Butter S'more Cookies - I just can't resist anything with peanut butter!

These cookies are deliciously soft, packed full of peanut-buttery goodness and studded with roasty chewy marshmallow bits and dark chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter S'more Cookies

Adapted from The Ms Cupcake Cookbook

Makes 18

1C smooth peanut butter

1/3C crunchy peanut butter

1C sugar

1/3C light brown sugar

1/2C golden syrup

1/2C vegan margarine

2C plain flour

1/2C dark chocolate chips

1C mini vegan marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 150 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Cream together all the peanut butters, sugars, syrup and margarine until light and fluffy. Add the flour and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows and use an ice cream scoop to drop balls of the dough onto the baking sheet leaving a good amount of space between the balls as the cookies do spread. Flatten slightly with damp hands and bake for 15mins. 

Remove the tray from the oven and whack it on the kitchen counter to flatten the cookies out.

Leave to cool for a few minutes on the tray and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, although I doubt they will last that long!