WHITE CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT THUMBPRINT COOKIES

They say it’s all about the little things so I say, make a toast to Pret coffees on the house, pack your wardrobe with pretty summer dresses, buy Lego notebooks for your friends, read Italian patisserie recipe books until you feel the urge to bake enough crostata to feed an army, and if all this is still not enough to fill the hole in your heart, then go fill your stomach (it works just as well). May I suggest that you make chocolatey hazelnutty chestnut flour cookies that are so delicious and that you can share with the whole universe as they are vegan and gluten-free and no Oreo-manufacturing Scottish cows were harmed in the process.

At your service.

CAROB & VANILLA SWIRL LOAF

Here’s some lovely swirly bread that may or may not be a projection of the current state of my brain that is, not so lovely but very swirly. Make this and see if eating it helps you unswirl your brain like it did with me, thank you carob & vanilla swirl loaf for being so lovely and for your unswirling properties.

OREO CHEESECAKE

Sometimes you’re a walking seedbed of germs for a week and sometimes living by books and living by hope makes you a target for gunfire. But then you have badass Italian mates that have your back and you’re reminded it has to be business as usual. So go buy five million packs of Oreos (Oreos are also always there for you. I love you Oreos), get your apron out and apologise to fat-free cakes and low-calorie muffins. Make vegan Oreo cheesecake and there you go, you’re ready to face life again.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE BEETROOT MUFFINS

I say brace yourselves, I chopped my hair off and made badass spicy chocolate vegan muffins.

PAIN D’ÉPICES - FRENCH SPICED LOAF CAKE

You may think this is quite a sad-looking plain loaf cake but you may think again. I am known for getting over-excited about cake but this, ladies and gentlemen, this is my new favourite cake in the uuuuniverse (after Stereo's upside-down orange cake maybe, but I'm going back for more of that later on). I used to have pain d'épices all the time back in Italy and then found some when I popped down to Paris last summer, and was getting slightly upset about the lack of it here in good (?) old Blightey. Well last week I thought I'd assemble all my troops and go get some nice spices to make it myself. You should too. It's like a moist sticky spice party in cake-form and actually healthy (no fats or anything) and it has the best unusual spongy texture ever because of the flour combination. Plus if you too have a lonely pack of rye flour lying in your kitchen cupboard and you're moving to God knows where in six months, then there you go, vegan pain d'épices saves the day. 

BOOZY WALNUT COOKIES

After a week featuring frozen feet, bus strikes, blocked bank cards, office thieves, explosive pots of yoghurt, and the universe generally not allowing you to lead the life of a princess (!), who ever thought that watching a marathon of films about working-class families struggling during the recession in London in the 1980’s wouldn’t improve the situation.

Good job there’s cookies. Good job it’s boozy vegan cookies.

CANDIED MINT LEAVES

Organising jail breaks to the North and eating cake for dinner and coating fifteen million mint leaves in icing sugar using a pastry brush. Sometimes life is totally worth living (at least for a while).