PBJ Jammy Dodgers

PBJ Jammy Dodgers
Sponsored By Lyle’s Golden Syrup

Jammy Dodger, a supermarket classic, a favourite of the biscuit tin. Two crisp biscuits sandwiched together with jam, simple, nostalgic, delicious. I say delicious but a shop bought biscuit like this can almost always be made better at home, using better tasting ingredients and less industrial textures. This recipe is clearly not for a classic dodger but is in the form of and inspired by the classic biscuits. The cookie itself has added flavour and texture in the form of salted peanuts. The dough also uses a little Lyle’s Golden Syrup which adds a warm caramel tone to the biscuit which goes wonderfully with the peanuts.

The filling is a classic jam but with added jazz hands in the form of a peanut butter buttercream. The flavour is balanced nicely again with the addition of the Lyle’s Golden Syrup which also adds a really nice creamy texture to the filling. 

Do These Freeze?

Sandwich cookies like this are not the best candidates for freezing once baked but the dough itself can be frozen for up to a couple months.

Do you have to use peanuts?

I know some people are allergic to peanuts or just don’t like them and the good news is you can happily change the nut to a different flavour in the cookie and for the filling you could either make a traditional buttercream or simply use jam without a secondary filling.

What Type of peanut butter should you use to bake with?

Generally when it comes to baking it is better to use a commercial smooth peanut butter, unless otherwise advised. Natural peanut butter, the type that sometimes separates and has a layer of oil on top, can cause issues with texture and doesn’t always blend with other ingredients very well.

Tips on Rolling

This a dough with a high percentage of butter which can mean the dough is a little tricky to handle. To get around this make sure the dough has been thoroughly chilled before using. When you take the dough out of the fridge it will be cold and firm and hard to roll. Instead of leaving it for 10 minutes and then rolling (which can lead to a soft and sticky dough) simply bash it a little with a rolling pin. This might seem counter intuitive but this action makes the dough pliable without warming it up too much, making it easier to roll before the butter softens too much. If you are worried about the dough becoming too sticky or warm you can also roll the dough between parchment paper and transfer to the fridge if it becomes too hard to handle

PBJ Jammy Dodgers
Makes 25-30

Peanut Biscuit
325g plain flour
75g salted peanuts
150g caster sugar
225g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
50g Lyle’s Golden Syrup

Peanut Butter Filling
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
100g smooth peanut butter
150g icing sugar
50g Lyle’s Golden Syrup
150g raspberry jam

To make the biscuit dough add a little of the flour and the peanuts to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the peanuts are finely ground. Add the remaining flour and salt and process briefly to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. In a jug whisk together the egg, yolk and the Lyle’s Golden Syrup, whisking together until the syrup has dissolved into the egg. Pour this into the food processor and pulse just until the dough starts to clump together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and use your hands to gently form into a uniform dough. Divide into two equal portions and press into discs, wrapping in cling film and then refrigerating until firm.

When you’re ready to roll out the cookies preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan) and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface roll out a portion of dough until it is about 3mm thick and then using a 7cm round cookie cutter cut as many cookies as possible, setting the scraps aside. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking trays and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat this process with the second portion of dough. Take the cookies from the fridge and use a 3cm round cookie cutter to remove the middle from half of the cookies. Gently reform the scraps of dough into a ball and then refrigerate as before whilst you bake off the cookies. This dough can be rolled out again for more cookies.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-18 minutes or until just starting to turn golden on the edges. I bake the cookies lower than usual as it crisps the cookies evenly throughout without over browning them. Allow to cool on the baking tray for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the peanut butter filling place the butter and peanut butter into a large bowl and using an electric mixer beat together until smooth and creamy. Add the icing sugar and Lyle’s Golden Syrup along with a small pinch of salt and beat together until light and fluffy. If the mixture feels a little stiff add a tablespoon or so of double cream.

To assemble the cookies pipe a ring of the peanut butter filling around the edge of each base cookie and spoon a little jam into the centre. If you like a little added texture you can also sprinkle with a little extra chopped peanuts. Dust all the ring cookies with icing sugar then place one on top of each bottom cookie, sandwiching together. Once assembled the cookies are best within a day or two.

Easter Simnel Cake

This post is sponsored by Lyle’s Golden Syrup

This Easter cake is a British classic, a traditional fruit cake, lightly spiced and similar to a light Christmas cake or a Dundee cake. The difference is mainly in the decoration and the use of marzipan. Marzipan isn’t just used to coat the outside of the cake it is also baked into the cake itself, a hidden layer in the middle of the cake. Like all fruit cakes of this style it keeps incredibly well and actually gets better after it sits for a while. Also like other fruit cakes they can sometimes be a tad dry. To counter this issue you need to bake the cake correctly, prevent it from drying out in the oven. You can also choose the right ingredients, in this version I have used Lyle’s Golden Syrup as a sweetener as this gives both a great flavour and it has the added benefit of making the cake moist and keeping it that way for longer. 

The decoration of a Simnel cake is also traditional and has a story to it. Sat atop the cake is a layer of marzipan and around the edges a ring of marzipan balls, 11 of them. If you know the Christian Easter story you might guess that these are to represent the 12 apostles minus 1 which represents Judas and his betrayal of Jesus. Whilst the story attached to the cake is fairly widespread the actual origins of the cake are harder to pinpoint, simnel cakes of some fashion are known to have been made since medieval times but the exact origins are likely lost to history. 

Simnel Cake
Serves 12-15

170g sultanas 
170g raisins 
170g currants 
85g mixed peel 
85g glacé cherries 
Zest of 1 orange 
3 tbsp rum, brandy or whisky (or orange juice)
170g unsalted butter, room temperature
100g light brown sugar 
75g Lyle’s Golden Syrup
4 large eggs 
170g plain flour 
85g ground almonds 
1 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp mixed spice 
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
450g marzipan 
Apricot jam, for decoration

The day before baking the cake prepare the dried fruit mixture. Add the sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel and glaze cherries into a large bowl and pour over the alcohol (or orange juice if you prefer). Zest the orange and add to the fruit. Stir everything together, cover and set aside until ready to bake. 

Preheat the oven to 150C (130C Fan). Lightly grease a deep 20cm (8 inch) round cake tin and line the base and sides with a double layer of parchment paper. 

In a large bowl beat together the butter, sugar and Lyle’s Golden Syrup, using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding another. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, almonds, spices and salt. Add this flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture and mix together until a smooth cake batter is formed. Add the soaked fruit mixture and mix briefly until evenly distributed. Set the cake batter aside for the moment. 

Take a third of the marzipan and roll out, on a work surface dusted lightly with icing sugar, into an 18cm circle. Scrape half of the cake batter into the prepared tin and spread into an even layer. Gently place the marzipan on top of cake batter, setting it in the middle of the tin so that there is a thin layer of batter showing all around the marzipan. Scrape the remaining cake batter into the tin and spread into an even layer. 

Bake in the preheated oven for about 2 & 1/2 - 2 & 3/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 100-120 minutes and if the cake is browning too quickly carefully tent with foil to prevent it browning further. Once baked remove and set aside for at least 6 hours to cool fully.

To decorate the cake add a couple tbsp of the jam into a small saucepan with a splash of water and bring to a simmer. Brush the top of the cake with the jam. Using another third of the marzipan roll out as before into a 20cm circle and place on top of the cake. For a decorative flourish, crimp the edges the marzipan like you are making a pie. Take the final third of the marzipan and divide into 11 equal sized pieces, rolling into balls. Brush the base of each ball with a little jam and use this to glue the balls around the edge of the cake. 

You can serve the cake as is but sometimes a little blowtorch action is called for. Light the blowtorch and lightly burnish the marzipan. I like to do this to the balls only but you can do this to the whole layer of marzipan if you prefer.

Kept in a sealed container and wrapped well this cake will keep for a couple weeks.

Japanese Fluffy Souffle Pancakes

Sponsored by Lyle’s Golden Syrup

How do you do Pancake Day? Crepes are the OG, fluffy buttermilk pancakes are brilliant with bacon but the pancakes I’ll be enjoying this year will be influenced by Japanese Soufflé Pancakes. A huge trend over the last couple years they’re a little bit more involved than other pancakes but worth it, they’re ridiculously light and unbelievably fluffy. The other important question is what are you putting on your pancakes? I’m staying classic, Lyle’s Golden Syrup, a favourite in the UK, with a warm caramelised flavour. Whilst these soufflé style pancakes are often topped with all manner of edible goodies I think they’re best enjoyed simply with the syrup, a generous drizzle of course, and a little butter, it’s my favourite way of eating these pancakes. 

When I was figuring out how to make these, my early failed attempts taught me a lot. The key is the meringue, it is all about making the perfect meringue. Whisked too little and the pancakes will spread like American style pancakes, albeit lighter and fluffier than normal. You want a soft peak meringue thats verging on stiff. Be careful over whisking though, if the meringue becomes dry you’ll find it very hard to fold into the batter, the meringue should still have flexibility. I also like to make these Japanese Soufflé Pancakes on the smaller size, it makes them easier to make and as a bonus they’re even cuter this way. 

This is a pancake recipe that needs to be made and used immediately, unlike crepes and buttermilk pancakes the meringue will change texture as it sits so whip up the batter when you’re ready to eat.

Japanese Soufflé Pancakes
Serves 4

60g plain flour
2 tbsp whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of fine sea salt
4 tbsp caster sugar
unsalted butter, to serve
Lyle’s Golden Syrup, to serve

For the pancake batter place the flour, milk, vanilla and egg yolks into a medium sized bowl and whisk together until smooth. Set aside for the moment. 

Japanese pancakes are incredibly light and rely on whipped egg whites so this is the most important step. Place the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt into a large bowl and whisk (with a clean whisk) until the mixture is foamy. Slowly rain in the sugar whilst whisking the whites. Once all of the sugar has been added continue whisking until the meringue holds soft peaks. It is important the meringue is whisked to the right stage, too little the pancakes will spread and whisked too much the whites will be hard to to fold into the batter and you’ll knock out too much air.

Working in three additions fold the whites into the batter, folding just until combined. Scrape the batter into a piping bag. Heat a non-stick frying pan over low heat and brush with kitchen roll dipped in a little vegetable oil. Pipe tall mounds of batter, about 7-8cm in diameter. Spoon 2 tsp water into the frying pan and place a lid on the pan for 2-3 minutes, until the water has cooked off and the pancakes are golden on the base. This steams and sets the top of the pancakes whilst the bottom browns. Remove the lid and flip the pancakes, adding another 2 tsp water and replacing the lid and cooking for another 2-3 minutes. 

To serve, top the pancakes with a little piece of butter and a generous drizzle of Lyle’s Golden Syrup