I didn't realise the chewiness factor of toffee increases by a hundred-fold once melted! The caramel oozed out of my cookies, which wasn't a bad thing. However, I will try and enclose them better in the cookie dough next time. Instead of toffees, you can add different stir-ins to this dough, such as nuts, choc chips, dried fruit or candies.

Makes 12

1 c flour

1/2 c cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

110 g butter

1/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar (I used coconut)

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extra...

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These are probably the most involved cupcakes I have ever made, with 4 components, including store-bought extras. It's inspired by Nadija Hussain's recipe which goes all out with the sugar content. I've tried to cut mine back a bit with a refined sugar-free cupcake. Using strawberry ice cream is quite the indulgence but it does give the buttercream a strawberry kick. If you don't have any handy you could use strawberry jam or flavouring essence. For me, it was an excuse to buy some neapolitan...

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This three-part cake celebrates tropical flavours, a nod to our Pacific neighbours. Buttercream is a real indulgence so I've offset it somewhat with a healthier butter-free cake. The curd can also be made dairy-free.

Curd:

400 g fresh pineapple or a can pineapple in juice

1/4 c / 4 Tbsp butter or non-dairy spread

1/4 c cornflour

1/4 c coconut cream or milk

1-3 Tbsp sugar, optional

few drops yellow food colouring

Make the curd first. Blitz the pineapple in a blender until smooth.

Melt the butter on a l...

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You can use any nuts in this recipe, such as pistachios, macadamia or flaked almonds. Nuts add a nice savoury crunch to an otherwise very sweet plain meringue.

Makes 12

2 egg whites

1/2 c caster sugar

1/2 c icing sugar

1/3 c toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 110C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. In a large bowl whisk the egg whites until firm. Add sugar one Tbsp at a time until thick and glossy. Fold in icing sugar until just combined then fold in the nuts, reserving a couple of Tbsp...

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The ubiquitous Ferrero Rocher chocolates are a familiar sight at celebrations of all kinds, especially at Christmas. It's all about the hazelnut and wafer combo that Pietro Ferrero nailed in Alba back in 1942 that has stood the test of time. I've never had enough hazelnuts on hand to try making my own but since I bought that kilo from Mt Hyde Hazelnuts in Dunedin, I gave it a go from scratch. This is adapted from Bigger Bolder Baking.

Makes 35-40
Filling:
2 c toasted hazelnuts
1/2 c maple syrup (...
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Overnight proving makes this a low-effort, high-reward bread. You don't even need get your hands dirty. Great video instructions are on Bonappetit.com. 

This is a plain focaccia but you can add flavour bursts to your dough such as herbs, olives, sundried tomatoes - any Mediterranean antipasti and even grapes go well in focaccia. 

2 1/2 c lukewarm water

2 1/4 tsp active dried yeast

2 tsp honey

5 c /625 g flour (I used wheat and spelt)

1 Tbsp salt

4 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp olive oil

sea salt flakes

optiona...

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I bought a freshly shelled kilo of hazelnuts from Mt Hyde Hazelnut Farm in Outram, near Dunedin. Oh, the things I can do! I usually go for quick gratification recipes but I went all out on this layered pie. Multiple ingredients and components equals multiple dishes and applied time management. The result though is totally worth it. It's a rich tart so moderate-size slices will feed plenty, or the three in our family multiple times! It's from BBC Good Food. 

Pastry:

1/2 c hazelnuts, toasted and ...

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I got this idea from Nadiya Hussain. She uses some good 'cheats' to make her recipes quicker. She used 2 cans of chunky apple sauce for her filling, but I haven't seen these in Auckland shops so I just made my own stewed apple.

700 g apples, preferably Granny Smith

Splash of water and lemon juice

1 tsp mixed spice

1/2 c raisins

1/2 chopped nuts (I used toasted hazelnuts)

cooking oil spray

12 sheets filo pastry

demerara sugar, optional
icing sugar, optional

Peel and chop the apples into small cubes and ...

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These cute little buns use bananas as the sweetener, no sugar added, no kneading needed.

2 ripe bananas

1 tsp active dry yeast

1 egg

2 Tbsp butter, melted

350 g flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c raisins

In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Mix in the yeast, egg and butter until fully combined. Stir in the raisins, then the flour and salt until a sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl, and let dough prove until double in size - up to 1 1/2 hours.

Line a 20 x 20 cm cake tin with baking paper. Punch down dough and knea...

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It all started with wanting to use up some cream and lemon curd. A pavlova roll is an ideal spongey medium with which to contain said filling!

5 egg whites
1 c caster sugar
1 Tbsp lime powder, optional (or any powdered fruit such as raspberries, mango, passionfruit)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vinegar
1 Tbsp cornflour
3/4 c pistachios, finely chopped (or sliced almonds, hazelnuts, shredded coconut)

300 ml cream
1 c lemon curd

Preheat oven to 170C. Line a sponge roll tin with baking paper.
In a large bow...
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This looked so impressive on Nadiya Hussain's Time to Eat show that I had to try it. What's not to love about a giant cookie in a pan! I must admit I burned the bottom at bit because the top wasn't cooking, and I left it on the heat too long. You can put a lid on the pan for 5-10 minutes to help cook the top. Never mind, a bit of scrapeage and all was forgiven. I topped it with white and dark choc bits I had in my pantry but you can sprinkle on anything, such as smarties, 100s and 1000s, toff...
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A couple of options for sugar-free treats that you don't need many ingredients for or special equipment. If you don't have silicone moulds you can use mini muffin tins, or a loaf tin and cut into squares once firm.

Peanut butter fudge:

1/4 c cacao butter, melted

1/2 c peanut butter

2 Tbsp maple syrup, brown rice syrup or honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

silicone moulds

Melt the cacao butter in a bowl. Whisk in peanut butter until fully incorporated and smooth. Whisk in sweetener and vanilla...

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I wanted to make an easy sweet loaf that featured the lovely unsulphured apricots I get from Ceres. Decided to riff on a yeast-free, gluten-free, dairy-free version to prove it can be done and it uses beer as a raising agent. You can make a plain loaf by omitting the apricots and honey and increasing the salt to 1 Tbsp. This is adapted from Pure Delicious by Heather Christo (Pam Krauss Books, 2016).

1/2 c dried apricots, chopped

1/4 c water

4 c flour of choice (I used a GF wholemeal mix)

1 1/2 ts...

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I always thought cardamom buns would take too much effort to make, considering I can get an excellent one at a cafe near me in Auckland. But being in this extended lockdown has prompted me to tackle more adventurous baking. I was also inspired by a friend who lives in Europe and is currently holidaying in Sweden, the land of the free. She's been frequenting the konditorei and enjoying some authentic Scandinavian fika. I'm pretty happy with my efforts here and I can tell you the taste of freed...
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What scone recipe could be easier and quicker than this one? It's like a comforting hug. You could get fancy and add paprika or chopped olives and sprinkle with chopped herbs and garlic, but you won't go wrong with just these 3 ingredients.

Makes 8 large scones or 9 medium ones

2 1/2 c self raising flour of choice (or normal flour with 2 tsp baking powder. If you're using gluten-free flour also add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum)

2 1/2 c grated cheese, plus a bit extra for sprinkling

2 c Greek yoghurt

Prehea...

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This is pure decadence from Donna Hay. I usually shy away from recipes that use more than 3 eggs but I was seduced by the funky aesthetic of this cake. It's basically a helluva chocolate and eggs, so you could use any flourless chocolate cake batter and add pretzels for prettiness. Nutritionally dubious but definitely enough tryptophan to give your serotonin levels a spike. Mine turned out a bit crumbly (I couldn't wait for it to be chilled), which lead me to eat it with flavour-absorbers suc...
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