Cookbooks Worth Waiting for in 2023 Part 1 - A Recap

It’s time for a recap! Maybe the best part of my Cookbooks Worth Waiting For series, is when the wait is over. In this case the wait is mostly over as one title I still don’t have, but I will add my thoughts on it when I do.

Otherwise below are my thoughts on the cookbooks on my Cookbooks Worth Waiting for List for the first half of 2023. As always there are some great books being released this year, so another list will be on its way soon.

Did you add any of these cookbooks to your shelves so far this year? What did you think of them? Or were there other books you have added to your collection you liked more? Let me know in the comments below.

And just a quick note, all books bar one have been purchased by me and the links are just for your reference - I suggest searching around to find the best price or try to support a local/independent bookshop! Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.

1. Dark Rye and Honey Cake by Regula Ysewijn - If you love Regula’s other books, there is no way you could be disappointed with this one. The research and food history is very interestingly explained, in a way I feel only Regula could! Regula seems to have a knack for all elements in terms of bringing together a cookbook - her writing is excellent, her photography is amazing, and along with her husband’s illustrations she’s got a real winning trifecta right there. Of course the recipes are great, though I don’t see myself making many of these (mostly due to the fact I do not own any kind of waffle iron). However I do not think that detracts from this book in anyway. Many cookbooks bring more than the recipes, and it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be on my shelf. I have learnt a lot from this book already, and if you love food history also, I think you will love it too.

2. A Table Full of Love by Skye McAlpine - This book presents really well - the design, the photography, the colour scheme. It’s a smaller sized book than Skye’s previous two, and a small part of me wishes it was the same size as the others as there’s something about seeing an authors works all together on the shelf and looking all neat, and having some kind of continuous link via their size (but maybe this is just me?). I have been enjoying the writing in this book, and to me, it stands out more in this book than in Skye’s previous works. I can’t say I am thrilled with the recipe selection however. There isn’t much in this book that immediately draws me in recipe wise, and makes me think I need to cook that ASAP. In terms of recipes this book doesn’t feel intrinsically different than Skye’s previous book, ‘A Table for Friends’, and although the idea of the book is eloquently written about, I struggle to see what this book brings to the table that hasn’t already been done by Skye previously. I suggest having a flick through this one before purchasing, to make sure the recipes and the whole thing take your fancy - though like I said, it looks beautiful and the photography is stunning. What takes your fancy recipe wise will be purely personal preference and is certainly no slight on Skye’s brilliant ability to produce stunning cookbooks. 

3. Sweet Enough by Alison Roman* - I mentioned in my previous version of this list how I was a little disappointed that Alison’s next book was all about baking. I love baking (obviously!), but really associate Alison with her general cooking and savoury dishes. I like this book, it’s very Alison (especially the writing, gosh I LOVE her writing), but I don’t think I’m quite the target audience for it. Alison shares recipes in ‘Sweet Enough’ that suit people not as keen on baking, sweet things (hence the title) and maybe wouldn’t consider themselves dessert people. I am very much keen on baking, like sweet things and am a dessert person, so the offerings in this book don’t draw me in like I usually am with Alison’s recipes. I tried the Salted Pistachio Shortbread (p.173) which I liked but I found mildly too salty (on p.14 Alison says if you think any of the recipes are too salty then she takes that as a compliment, so compliments to the chef I guess!), the Plummy Pudding (p.146) and the Old-Fashioned Strawberry Cake (p.91). I am (maybe oddly considering the the title/point of this book) looking forward to trying the recipes in the savoury subsection in the Pies, Tarts, Galettes chapter as I have a feeling this is where the Alison Roman magic may lie for me in this book. This is definitely the book for you if you aren’t super keen on baking, and find many baked goods and desserts too sweet or too much effort. Alison is catering to a crowd who are probably not usually spoken to in cookbooks focused on baking, and that is a good thing - as everyone deserves to be a ‘dessert person’ in their own way.

4. Love is A Pink Cake by Claire Ptak - To say I am enjoying this book is an understatement. It is everything I expect and want from Claire Ptak, great recipes, interesting flavour combinations and new ways to cook things or new ways to use flavours I hadn’t considered. If ‘Sweet Enough’ by Alison Roman is for those not traditionally keen on baking or desserts, ‘Love is A Pink Cake’ is for those who are, and who want to explore the baking world that Claire has created with her bakery Violet and her previous books even more. Everything I have made from this I have thoroughly enjoyed - except when I swapped crema di pistacchio for peanut butter in the recipe for Blondie Peanut Butter Cookies on page 29, it did not work and that was because I made my own changes! I have made the Sticky Toffee Date Pudding (p.77) twice (it’s even fantastic on its own, no sauce, no ice cream, nothing!) and the Eve’s Pear Pudding on page 81 got a traditionally not pudding loving family very keen to eat the leftovers and make it again as soon as possible! 

5. The Flavour Thesaurus More Flavours by Niki Segnit - While this book has technically been released, getting a copy seems to mean waiting a while and paying anywhere from $40-60AUD. I saw a copy on Amazon (AU) for $29.99 with a release date of early August and locked in my preorder, so I will add my thoughts here after that! Unfortunately that price has gone up now on Amazon, however it is currently at $39.99 which is still less than other retailers currently.

   14/08/2023 - I finally have my copy of ‘The Flavour Thesaurus More Flavours’, and it was certainly worth the wait! It is so well researched as is everything Niki does, and I am really enjoying the various flavours/ingredients which have been included this time around. There are things like quince, passionfruit, pistachio, date, lychee and so many more that really complements Niki first book ‘The Flavour Thesaurus’. I really appreciate how Niki explains the plant led focus of the book, without the book being exclusively vegan or vegetarian (many of the flavours omitted from her first book happened to be plant based so the flavours chosen for this book naturally had that in common). As Niki says “The book would neither be quite vegan nor even vegetarian but loosely, forgivingly, non-dogmatically plant-led or flexitarian..” without getting into the well known arguments about eating less meat and more plants. I think the focus on plant based ingredients for this second volume makes sense as a compliment to the first (many meat/animal products were already covered there like egg, cheeses and various types of meats), but also as so many ingredients/flavours we use in cooking and baking come from a plant based source (think lentil, raisin, garlic, mint etc). If you have ‘The Flavour Thesaurus’, you also need ‘The Flavour Thesaurus More Flavours’.

6. Heartbake by Charlotte Ree - This book surprised me in the best way. I am not, unlike Charlotte, a lover of love, so I wasn’t sure if the memoir part would be for me. I ended up listening to the audiobook of the memoir section and I was hooked early on. To hear Charlotte speak so thoughtfully and eloquently about her life and how food has nourished her in more ways than one, felt like a privilege. It’s amazing to follow someone on Instagram for a while and think ‘wow their life looks great’, and then to hear that SO much was going on behind those little squares on that app. It really shows we don’t know what’s is going on behind closed doors and that Instagram is really a highlight reel most of the time. I think Charlotte’s story also highlights the healing power of food, and the deep connection food has with our memories and emotions. And maybe also the fact that being true to oneself and not hiding the hard bits of our lives all the time can be massively freeing and, maybe in a small way, be helpful to others. The recipes in this book are also really good. David Lovett’s Focaccia (pp.245-8) is AMAZING, and I am constantly thinking about when I can make it again! I think the only downside to this book is despite the amazing cover, the fact that it is covered in fabric makes me worried to use it in the kitchen as it might get dirty/ruined! I am one of those few people who like my cookbooks to remain in as pristine condition as possible despite being used, so fabric covered cookbooks always bring me a level of stress I know is probably ridiculous (I have already considered using a sticky lint roller over this beautiful cover as it is getting little bits of fluff and dust on it, please tell me I’m not the only one!). Let’s just say if a paperback edition was ever released I’d probably buy it solely for kitchen use to allow the original to remain her in glorious yellow pristine condition (hopefully minus the dust etc, where is that lint roller….).

* this book was gifted to me by Hardie Grant. There was no obligation to talk about the book, and my opinions are my own. And honestly, I love Alison Roman so I would have bought this book myself anyway!

Pistachio White Chocolate Blondie

I seem to be incapable of not thinking of recipes that use pistachio, or specifically crema di pistachio spread. I am well and truely obsessed, and I can’t see that changing any time soon. 

While the combination of pistachio and white chocolate is very good, you could also adapt this recipe to use a chocolate hazelnut spread (or similar) if thats more your thing (and it is certainly easier to buy than crema di pistachio) and swap out the chopped pistachios for chopped hazelnuts and the white chocolate could be substituted for milk or dark chocolate as well. 

You can essentially make this blondie recipe your own - as long as you keep the quantities of everything the same it will work a treat. 

I personally steer clear of actual chocolate in my blondie recipes as I can’t eat milk or dark chocolate, and therefore, do not want any in my blondie. For me it’s not a blondie if it has any milk or dark chocolate in it, as to me it becomes as inedible as an actual brownie. However feel free to make any adaptations that suit you, I know I’m most probably in the minority when it comes to not eating proper chocolate (i.e. all chocolate that is not white chocolate). 

And a final note on the recipe, I use panela sugar in my blondie as I much prefer the flavour and texture it gives. It creates a nice slightly caramel flavour without being sickly sweet which I think works really well. You can substitute with light or dark brown sugar if you don’t have any panela - though I do highly recommend you try it!

Pistachio Blondie 

Ingredients: 

135g unsalted butter, melted 

250g panela sugar 

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

270g plain Flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

150g white chocolate, chopped

50g + 2 tbsp pistachios, chopped

1/4 cup crema di pistacchio or pistachio butter, optional

Method: 

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and line a 23cm square cake or brownie tin with baking paper. 

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, panela sugar, eggs and vanilla extract with a whisk. 

Add the plain flour, baking powder and salt and mix again with a whisk until combined. 

Add in the chopped white chocolate and 50g pistachios and briefly mix together with a spatula or wooden spoon. 

Pour the blondie mixture into your prepared tin, and smooth the top with the spatula or wooden spoon you were just using. 

If using, dollop teaspoonfuls of the pistachio spread over the surface of the blondie, then using a knife, swirl the spread into the blondie. 

Sprinkle with the 2 tbsp of chopped pistachios.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. 

Allow the blondie to cool in its tin, then remove and cut into 9 very generous slices or about 12 slightly less generous slices - or you can cut it however suits you. 

Store in an airtight container.

Serves about 12. 

White Chocolate and Macadamia Cookies

There are probably quite a number of recipes for white chocolate and macadamia cookies around, but I really felt a need to add mine to the mix. 

Originally I was making the recipe by Natalie from Beatrix (Melbourne), who shared her recipe on the TV show Everyday Gourmet. The recipe is online, and I’ve made it a couple of times. It is of course very good, but I have to say it is a more cakey kind of cookie which isn’t my top pick when eating a cookie. The cookie dough is very soft and almost wet, even after chilling in the fridge for 24 hours, it is still quite a messy dough to work with. 

I personally prefer a chewier crunchier cookie, and one that isn’t as messy to roll into balls before baking too. I also found due to the texture of the dough it was hard to make smaller sized cookies, which is usually my preference. Natalies recipe is meant to make really jumbo sized cookies, and even when trying to make them smaller the wetness of the dough prevented me getting them the size I really wanted.

So inspired by the Beatrix recipe, I have created my own, using my trusty cookie base recipe that I have used again and again as I am yet to find something I like as much, and something that is so easy to make. 

I have taken the idea from Natalie’s recipe to toast the macadamias first as it makes such a difference to the flavour. I have also used a combination of light and dark brown sugars as the addition of dark brown sugar adds a nice deeper flavour, without overdoing the sweetness. And this cookie can definitely go overboard with sweetness if you let it, there is something about the combination of white chocolate and macadamias that is inherently sweet so the addition of dark brown sugar tempers that a bit, along with the addition of salt. 

You can also sprinkle a little flakey sea salt over the biscuits before they are baked. I just don’t as I find the salt in the dough enough (I’m not one for adding salt to things on the whole, so it really comes down to personal preference), and I also inevitably forget to do it and realise only once the cookies have been baking for a few minutes and decide its too late now anyway…

I have tried making this recipe with lightly salted butter (the Lurpak brand) and it worked well with that - no need for additional salt sprinkling in this case. 

White Chocolate and Macadamia Cookies

Ingredients:

170g macadamias

125g unsalted butter, melted 

125g caster sugar

50g light brown sugar 

50g dark brown sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

1 egg

290g self raising flour

1/4 tsp kosher salt

100g white chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius and line three large baking trays with baking paper.

Toasted the macadamias in the preheated oven for a few minutes (5-8 mins), or until they are nicely golden brown - keep an eye on them as you don’t want over toasted macadamias at this stage as they will go in the oven again later. Once the macadamias have cooled a bit, roughly chop so they are in varying sizes and shapes.

In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, sugars, golden syrup, vanilla and egg.

Then add the flour, the chocolate chips and chopped macadamias, and mix to combine with a wooden spoon.

Place the dough in the fridge for at least 20 mins, to allow it to firm up a bit.

Increase your oven temp to 170 degrees Celsius.

Once chilled, roll heaped teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls and place on the trays. The cookies will spread as they bake so leave enough room in between. 

If you can’t fit all the dough on your prepared trays (or oven), place the dough back into the fridge until you can bake it.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies have spread a bit and are golden brown. Rotate the trays in the oven about halfway through to ensure the cookies cook evenly.  

Allow to cool on their trays, then store in an airtight container. 

Makes about 33 cookies.

New Cookbooks on My Shelf - March 2023

It’s about time for some more cookbook chat, so I thought I would share a few new (to me) books that I have recently added to my cookbook shelves. 

These are the books that have been keeping me company lately, and as you can see by the length of this I was unable to be brief about my thoughts on them!

1.Extra Good Things by Ottolenghi Test Kitchen - I waited a little while to buy this one, as Ottolenghi’s book ‘Simple’ remains my absolute favourite of his works (and those under the Ottolenghi banner), and none of the releases since that book have interested me nearly as much. After having a look at the book in a shop, I decided to buy it as a few recipes stood out to me. The flavours used in this book as a whole appeal to me more (than say ‘Shelf Love’ or ‘Flavour’), and I am looking forward to trying The Double Lemon Chicken (p.24) and One Pot Chickpeas with Carrots and Dates (p.38) as soon as the weather here has really cooled down.

2. Salamati by Hamed Allahyari with Dani Valent - This book is full of delicious Persian and Persian inspired food by Hamed, where he shares about is life in Iran via food, and describes the dangerous situation that forced him to leave. I have so far tried one of the salmon recipes which I really enjoyed and I can’t wait to try more. Persian food uses many ingredients like an abundance of herbs, pomegranates and pomegranate molasses that I really enjoy. Saffron also features a lot, so get a little supply of saffron ready to cook from this book! 

Reading this book and starting to cook from it makes me want to eat at Hamed’s restaurant in Melbourne ‘SalamaTea’. This book and Hamed’s story also makes me seriously question why someone like Hamed who came to Australia as an asylum seeker 10 years ago, contributes to society and employs other asylum seekers and refugees, still does not have a permanent visa to remain here and have that certainty. 

3. Med by Claudia Roden - I only had one book of Claudia’s prior to buying ‘Med’, ‘The Jewish Cookbook’, which is an extremely throughly researched cookbook which has come to be synonymous with Claudia’s work and food writing. I decided to purchase Med after hearing Claudia interviewed by Alice Zaslavsky during the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival. Claudia was so generous with her time and her explanation about her life and how her books came about. 

As Alice says in the interview ‘Med’ is Claudia’s first book with food photography, so it is a little different from her earlier work. The flavours used in this book are exactly what I want to eat (anchovies, green olives, capers, tomatoes, garlic etc) so I knew I needed to move this book from my wish list to my actual book shelf. So far we’ve tried the Chicken with Apricots and Pistachios (p.225), next on my list is the Green Olive, Walnut and Pomegranate Salad (p.51).

4. Pride and Pudding by Regula Ysewijn - I am having a real moment with Regula’s work of late. It started with her second book ‘Oats in the North Wheat in the South’, and after I enjoyed that book so much I went back to her first book ‘Pride and Pudding’. Regula is from Belgium however has has a very keen interested in all things British for a long time. This book covers the history of British puddings (sweet and savoury), and while some puddings I know I will never make (Haggis and Black Pudding being top of that list!), others would make a lovely addition to any table. 

What I really love about this book is the in depth research and history about puddings and the specific recipes - if you love history and food Regula’s work is definitely for you. Regula is also an amazing stylist and food photographer so the images are absolutely stunning, and coupled with her husband Bruno’s illustrations this book is a real feast for the eyes.

Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.

Hot Cross Bun Inspired Loaf

I like hot cross buns, however they are quite fiddly to make. My least favourite parts of the process are rolling the dough into balls, and piping the cross over. I find the only way to get relatively even sized hot cross buns is to weigh the dough and divide by how many I am making (usually 12). Then rather painstakingly weight out the dough until each ball is about the same weight. I just find it annoying!

Even though the cross on the hot cross buns is quite easy, I do find so many elements can change the look of the cross. How thick has the mixture become (what was the temperature of the water added?), what size hole did I cut in the piping bag? I find I often get varying results even when I’ve made them time and time again. The cross also adds nothing flavour wise so I began wondering why I even bothered with it at all (I understand the point of it re religion, but for me hot cross buns are more about flavour).

This year I decided to make a hot cross bun loaf, which cancelled out a couple of the steps I dislike about making hot cross buns. I have also found the cut up loaf fits much nicer in the freezer, and toasting it in the toaster is much easier than getting the grill going, and having to defrost the buns before that. 

You could of course still pipe a cross over the top before baking, however I chose to sprinkle the loaf with some pear sugar which holds its shape whilst in the oven.

Obviously making anything yeasted and bread based is going to take some time, but if I can cut out a few of the less necessary slightly annoying steps I’m happy. I’m also happy if I can just get my hot cross bun fix around Easter, and for me, they don’t need to be actual buns. 

This recipe is very much based on the vanilla hot cross buns I made a few years ago, so they are decidedly uncitrus-y which is how I like them. You could add mixed peel, or orange zest if you like.

Hot Cross Bun Inspired Loaf

Ingredients: 

100g golden sultanas or raisins (roughly copped if very large)

100g currants

2 tbsp vanilla extract

250ml milk

85g (golden) caster sugar

9g dried yeast

490g plain flour, plus extra

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp mixed spice

3/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

63ml canola, vegetable or sunflower oil, plus extra

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

cooking spray

Pearl sugar, optional 

Method:

In a small bowl place the sultanas and currants. Top with the vanilla extract, then add enough hot water so the fruit is just covered. Set aside. 

In a small saucepan gently heat the milk and 60g of the sugar. Heat until lukewarm, then remove from the heat and mix in the yeast. Leave for 10-15 minutes, or until the yeast has become foamy - if the yeast does not foam, it may be out of date and no longer active, or if the liquid is too hot it may kill the yeast. It is best to discard the liquid and yeast and begin again if this happens.

Place the flour, salt, spices and remaining sugar into a large bowl (one that fits your stand mixer if you have one), and mix together. 

In a jug, whisk together one of the eggs with the oil and the vanilla extract.

Once the yeast is foamy, add to the flour mixture, along with the egg and oil mixture. Mix together with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms. 

Then attach the bowl to your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, and knead on a medium speed for about five minutes. The dough will be smooth and a little sticky once done. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour (1-2 tbsp). 

While the dough is kneading, lightly oil a large bowl and drain the sultanas and currants well. 

Dust your work surface with flour and tip the dough out. Add the fruit mixture bit by bit and knead by hand to combine into the dough. Add small amounts of flour if necessary to counterbalance any moisture the soaked fruit has added and to make the dough a bit less sticky - the dough will be a bit sticky to touch, but it shouldn’t be really wet. There is no need to knead the dough for too long, as your stand mixer has done most of the work already. 

Place into the oiled bowl and cover. Leave in a warm spot for 1.5 hours, or until the dough has risen and doubled in size. 

Spray a 22 x 10 x 8.5cm (approx.) loaf tin* with the cooking spray. 

Once the dough has risen, very lightly flour your work surface and tip the dough out. Divide the dough into three, and roll each portion into a long strand (about 10-15cm). 

Plait the strands together, ensuring either end is well connected and tucked under if necessary. If the plait has become quite long push it from either end to reduce it’s size (so it will fit into your tin). Place into the prepared tin, cover and leave in a warm spot for about 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen. 

While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Once the dough has risen, beat the remaining egg to create an egg wash. Brush the loaf over with some of the egg wash. Then scatter over some pearl sugar.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Check after 20 minutes, and loosely place some foil over the top to prevent the loaf from over browning if necessary. 

The loaf will be ready when it is golden on top, and sounds hollow when gently tapped. Remove from the oven, and place on a wire rack. Leave to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes.

Once the loaf has cooled a little, slide a spatula or flat bladed knife around the edges of the loaf to detach the loaf from the tin if it has stuck. Remove from the tin and allow to cool completely before cutting into about 12 slices. 

Serves 12 (approx. - it will depend on how thickly you cut the slices!). 

*a more bread baking style loaf tin rather than a cake loaf tin (which can be smaller) will work better for this recipe. The loaf tin needs to have fairly high sides to accommodate the bread rising in the oven. If you don’t have a loaf tin big enough, once the loaf is braided place on a lined baking tray for the second proof and then use the egg wash and bake as per the recipe instructions.

Biscoff Hamantaschen

I had this recipe in mind to make at Purim a couple of years ago, and for some reason didn’t get around to it until this year. I originally shared this recipe (if I can really call it that, as it’s just an assembly job) over on Instagram as part of my ‘Year of Everyday Bakes’ series.

As I explained in this post, I am sharing a recipe a week that is simple, easy and could fit into your everyday life. I hope it inspires you to bake a little more without adding any stress to your day.

Hamanstachen are small triangle shaped pastries, some are more biscuit like as these are, while there are other varieties that use a yeasted dough. They are traditionally made and eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim, and while Biscoff hamantaschen are in no way traditional, like I said they are very easy to make and require much less time than making each element from scratch.

This recipe is very low stress as I am asking you to use bought pastry, though homemade would be lovely too, and Biscoff spread. All pre-made, all easy but most importantly all tasty. You can think of these like a little free form individual tarts if you like (maybe an alternative to a jam tart or similar?), a quick and easy baking project with very tasty results

Biscoff Hamantaschen

Ingredients:

1 sheet shortcrust pastry (approx.435g - I used Careme brand, if you use another brand who make smaller sheets of pastry you made need 2-3 sheets).

1 jar Crunchy Biscoff Spread

1 egg, beaten

Sprinkles, optional

Method:

Line three large baking trays with baking paper.

Leave the pastry on the plastic sheet it comes on, and using a 7.5-8cm round biscuit or scone cutter, cut out rounds of the pastry and place on the prepared trays. Cut out the rounds as close toegtehr as possible, so you have minimal pastry scraps left over.

Re-roll the remaining pastry - you can do this inbetween the plastic sheet the pastry came on so you don’t have to flour your bench or rolling pin - and cut out the remaining pastry.

Brush the beaten egg around the edges of each pastry round (you won’t use all of the egg). Drop teaspoonfuls of the Biscoff spread (no more than 1 tsp per pastry round, you shouldn’t need the whole jar - I used about 3/4 of one jar) into the centre of each pastry round. Then pinch the rounds into triangle shapes, esnure the corners are well sealed. You can brush with more egg if needed. See this post for more detailed instructions on how to fold the hamantaschen* - if you create a smaller hole in the centre and fold your hamantaschen up tigther than what I have done here, it will also help them not break open or spill over in the oven - you can see in the photos some of mine have spilled a little.

Place the trays of hamantaschen in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the pastry can chill. Do not skip this step - this, along with not overfilling the hamantaschen will help ensure your hamantaschen don’t spill over and loose their shape when baking.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

After at least 30 minutes, remove the trays of hamantaschen from the fridge, sprinkle with sprinkles and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

Once removed from the oven you can sprinkle more sprinkles over the hamantaschen for an extra pop of colour. Allow the hamantaschen to cool on their trays.

Hamantaschen will store well in an airtight container for at least 7 days.

Makes about 24 hamantaschen - however this may vary depending on your cutter size and type of pastry used.

*for a great video demonstration of how to fold hamantaschen (plus another great recipe as well as more good hints and tips at making them) check out Lisa Goldberg’s (of the Monday Morning Cooking Club) Walking Up An Appetite YouTube Channel, as she has a great YouTube live video of making hamantaschen that shows how to fold them really well.