Holidays and Festive Treats

How to Make… Candied Orange Peel

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I’m so in love with this sparkling gingerbread loaf that I’m planning to make quite a few of them and share the love these holidays. So I made a whole bunch of candied orange peel to go on top. This recipe makes a good few cups of candied peel so it should be enough to [...]

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Sparkling Gingerbread Loaf

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I’ve taken this week of work as I was supposed to be heading up to Seattle to catch up with some friends. Long story short is I didn’t make it to the US due to a few issues Qantas were having with their planes, so I’ve put my trip on hold until the new year. [...]

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Maria’s Bittersweet Chocolate Brownies

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If you like your chocolate dark and your coffee black with no sugar you will love these brownies. I asked my friend Maria to share some of her favorite holiday recipes and this is one of the ones she gave me, a bittersweet chocolate brownie with espresso and rapadura. Maria is from Spain, the Canary [...]

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Berry Stella Cookies

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I wasn’t sure what to call this recipe. I don’t usually go for gimmicky names; I much prefer to call out the predominant or unique characteristics of a recipe and work that into the name. But these oatmeal cookies have a lot of good things I just can’t squeeze into the name. First, they’re about [...]

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Gingerbread Bundt Cake

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I actually baked this cake a few months back, when the New Zealand winter was edging in and I wanted to bake something warm and spicy. The typical New Zealand gingerbread loaf is sweetened with bucket-loads of golden syrup (a paler version of treacle) which I personally find a little overwhelming as it tends to [...]

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ANZAC Cookies

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Last year I had the pleasure of working with Annabelle White for a project at work. I was instantly captivated by her sparkling passion for food and the work that she does. Annabelle has a contagious enthusiasm that can lift up even the least confident cook, like myself at the time, and get them buzzing [...]

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Luxury Mesquite Hot Cross Buns

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It took me five batches to nail this recipe. Thankfully I’ve had the house to myself most of the weekend so I’ve been able to go hard, mixing, melting, kneading and proofing over and over. The kitchen is a total write off. I’ve never made such a mess. But I don’t care because these buns [...]

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