When my last tin of Bird’s Custard Powder was nearing its use-by date, I scoured the internet looking for different ways to use it up quickly, which is how I found these custard shortbreads.

I’m so glad I found them, they’re quick and easy to make, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, now I’m kind of sad I ran out of custard powder – I need an excuse to get another tin, because I want to make these over and over again.

I recently made a batch for my friend K’s dad to take on his flight back home to the UK, he loved them so much (or appreciated the gesture), he’s promised me a large tin of custard powder when he’s coming back this summer.

The cookies are similar to these Christmas time cookies, with custard powder instead of almond meal, the texture is a little bit more airy and delicate, and the taste is lighter.

They make the perfect snack-time treat, and I’m in love with their bright yellow colour.

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“It doesn’t feel like Christmas” I think out loud watching fat globs of rain slide down the window, it’s dark outside, on what feels like the greyest day.
K. slides the window open, sniffs the air and declares “It doesn’t smell like Christmas either!”

And what does Christmas smell like? I don’t know… Pine and falling snowflakes, the lingering smell of warm cookies, crackling fireplaces and mulling spices…
It’s also the smell of the dry harmattan wind and the countless trips through the Akuapim ranges to my grandmother’s. There’s the smell of jollof over an open fire and my grandmother’s baking… all these things encapsulates the smell of Christmas for me.

A few Christmases ago, when we had a rare and enchanting white Christmas, @adjoa swore she could smell joy in the crisp air. I knew exactly what she meant; it’s that same feeling I get when I bake, it reminds me of my grandmother’s cakes at Christmas time and that makes me happy.

We’re counting down to Christmas, but there’s no urgency here, we have a cute advent calendar and a ‘baking list’; on it, are recipes for cookies, cakes, pies and galettes.

First on our list are these pistachio and fig thumbprint cookies; we’ll probably make a few more batches before the holidays are over. They’re my favourite cookies right now, and everyone loves them – they’re vegan and gluten-free (I use ‘gluten-free oats’).

The oats and pistachios, I grind myself using a food processor, I’ve used raw and roasted pistachios, both work but I prefer raw pistachios, the roasted ones are a but drying. I get the almond meal from the store, but I can easily make that too.

For the holidays I use spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger for the wonderful smells and flavours of the season.

I grab a couple of the cookies, with a steaming cup of hot cocoa, watch the twinkling lights and patiently, very patiently wait for Christmas morning.
Oh, there’ll be more baking in between – delightful scones and shortbread cookies, decadent cakes and luscious sweet pies. I’m creating more cosy holiday smells for my memory bank.

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I’m going on vacation in a week, and while I’m looking forward to getting away and the anticipated fun, I’m dreading the ‘getting there’ part. Time at the airport, the long flight and other contingencies make me a little wary.
This year I’ve decided to bring my own food for the trip; nothing fancy, perhaps a bento box filled with pakoras, hand pies and maybe some cookies, that’s if I can get it past airport security (fingers crossed).

For the cookies, I’m debating making these lovelies… almond flour cookies with almond butter and pistachios, I don’t make them often because they’re a little calorie dense, but I really, really love them!

I starting making them for my friend M‘s little one, who is sensitive to gluten; the little guy hates most of the packaged glutten-free stuff, but these, he just gobbles up. I guess it’s because these cookies are a bit different.

See, these cookies are naturally gluten free, no substitutions necessary; they’re made with almond flour, almond butter and sweetened with maple syrup. They’re nutty, crispy, decadent and addictive.

I use packaged ground almond for convenience, but I’m thinking it’s probably just as easy (and economical) to grind your own.
I tend to alternate between using chunky and smooth almond butter, I like them both, each is a little different.
The pistachios were an afterthought, the original recipe had chocolate chips, which are awesome, but I prefer the soft buttery taste of pistachios in these cookies, plus they make them wholesome.
I bake mine thin and crunchy sometimes for crumbling over coconut milk ice cream for dessert, it’s so very decadent!

They certainly feel like the kind of indulgence I’d appreciate in a dark cramped cabin thousands of feet in the air, halfway through the trip somewhere over Greenland…

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I’ve been trying to write this post for about a week now, not because it’s special or hard, or that I couldn’t come up with the words to go with the pictures.
Blame summer!
Summer finally hit us here and we’ve been basking in sunshine these last few days; and every night just before I turn in, blissfully tired and content – I’d remember that I forgot to blog.

Meanwhile these cookies are so long gone… this just reminds me that I need to make more soon.
These cookies usually come about when I have an opened jar of Nutella that’s been hanging around for far too long.
I make them with a bit of banana, vanilla, turbinado sugar, and white chocolate chips to up the decadence.
They bake crispy, chewy in the middle and crackly on the surface.

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I left things too late this long weekend to make getaway plans, so I’m going to be hanging out in the city while the lucky ones are out on their camping trips, island getaways, and cross-border adventures.

I’m not jealous; staying home isn’t all that bad especially when I can wake up to breakfast like this.
Besides I have a few local hiking and beach trips planned if the weather holds up.

And this breakfast practically puts itself together, just how lazy weekend mornings should be.

I love finding (new to me) Italian cookies, and I found another interesting cookie from Doria, this is the Melodie ai cereali, a shortbread biscuit made with wholegrains and a touch of yoghurt.

It’s crunchy, crumbly and soft, and little nutty and lightly sweetened, and it doesn’t have a crappy ingredients list (for a packaged food).

It’s good on its own, but on mornings when you don’t want to cook breakfast and box-cereal and milk just won’t do, this is what @adjoa does… she mixes broken up pieces of melodie cookies with yoghurt and blueberries.
It’s quick and easy, filling and not rushed, the breakfast of long leisurely mornings.

This is a simple and good breakfast, I suppose you could use any grainy cookie here if you wanted, but this melodie cookie makes it so much special.

And you know what? I’m kinda glad the neighbours are away so I can have a quiet breakfast.