I love to bake, whether it’s to share with friends or as a way to unwind. I really got into baking once I started university, and one of the first things I made was chocolate brownies. It’s been my signature bake ever since. I’m not claiming to have written any recipes, however I thought it would be fun to share my favourites that I return to again and again, along with some of the tips I’ve picked up along the way.
As with any baking recipe, it’s worth bearing in mind that every oven is different. If you want to bake something new for friends I’d always recommend having a practice run first. The 5 recipes I’m sharing with you are the following: banana bread, chocolate brownies, chocolate chip cookies, brookies and fluffy pancakes.
Banana Bread – Liz Chapman
Everyone should have a reliable banana bread recipe to hand for when you’re faced with overripe bananas, and this is my family’s favourite. The recipe comes from a book collated by the local community when my sister and I were at school.
Ingredients
- 250g self raising flour
- ½ tspn ground cinnamon (or mixed spice)
- 125g butter
- 150g soft brown sugar (up to 200g)
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
- 75g dark chocolate, chopped (we like to use Lindt 70%. You could also add walnuts)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Line a loaf tin.
- Remove the butter from the fridge, mash the bananas, chop the chocolate.
- Sift together the flour and cinnamon.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl.
- Beat the eggs then mix into the butter and sugar a little at a time, adding a little flour to prevent curdling.
- Mix in the bananas, fold in the remaining flour and cinnamon and stir in the chocolate.
- Turn into the loaf tin and bake for one hour to one hour fifteen.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Chocolate Brownies – Nigella Lawson
These brownies are very indulgent, exactly as they should be. They’re more on the gooey side than cakey, and have an almost melt-in-the-mouth texture that I think is hard to beat.
I generally halve this recipe (it still makes about 16-20 brownies in a 20cm tin) and replace the walnuts with chopped white chocolate. Raspberries can make a nice addition too, or even try dollops of biscoff spread and crushed biscoff biscuits!
With the cooking time I find it’s always better to take them out earlier if you’re unsure, as the brownies will continue to cook a little as they cool in the tin. When left overnight they seem to solidify a bit too.
For a finishing touch, I like to melt 50g of white chocolate and drizzle it over the top.
You can find the link to the full recipe here.
Chocolate Chip Cookies – Anna Newton
These are no ordinary cookies. They are the chunky, break-in-half-and-take-a-photo kind of cookie, light and fluffy and slightly chewy. This recipe epitomises the 2020 summer lockdown for my sister and I, we recreated these cookies multiple times aiming for the greatest cookie height possible! We usually made them simply with milk chocolate chunks.
Anna spent a lot of time perfecting this cookie recipe and she shares several tips for making them so good:
- After mixing the butter and sugar until combined, use an electric hand whisk or mixer to beat the mixture for a further 5 minutes until pale, light and fluffy. This ensures a lovely light texture once the cookie is baked.
- Freeze the cookie mixture in mounds for at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight. Or leave some in the freezer to bake at a later date!
- When you turn the oven on to pre-heat it, place foil-lined baking trays inside to warm up.
I also like to serve these as a dessert for friends by serving them fresh out of the oven with ice cream and raspberries, for an indulgent molten-cookie-style dessert.
Make sure to take the butter out of the fridge ahead of time. You can find the link to the full recipe here.
Brookies – Jojo
Is it a brownie? Is it a cookie? No, it’s a brookie! A quick and easy recipe requiring no solid chocolate, a good one for any last minute baking needs. Guaranteed to disappear quickly!
Ingredients
- 85g good quality cocoa powder
- 400g caster sugar
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 250g plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 60g icing sugar
Method
- Mix together the cocoa, caster sugar and vegetable oil.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and stir into the cocoa mixture.
- Cover the dough, and chill for at least 4 hours (less is fine!)
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Line baking trays with parchment.
- Pour icing sugar onto a plate and using a metal tablespoon, spoon and roll the mixture into 2.5cm balls. Roll them on the plate to coat each one with the icing sugar before placing onto the trays.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let them stand for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.
Original recipe here.
Fluffy Pancakes – Louisa Carter
Ideal for a slow Sunday morning, these American-style pancakes take a bit of time but are well worth it.
Ingredients
- 135g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 130ml milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp melted butter (allowed to cool slightly), plus extra for cooking
- To serve – maple syrup, blueberries, bananas
- Or fresh fruit and fruit compote (or any other topping of your choice!)
Method
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter.
- Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Let the batter stand for a few minutes.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it’s melted, add a ladle of batter (or two if your frying pan is big enough). It will seem very thick.
- Wait for about 3 minutes/until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, and the edges begin to set. Flip it over and cook for another two minutes until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen to about 1cm thick.
You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste best fresh out the pan.
Original recipe here.
Happy baking!
Alexa
P.S. If you enjoyed reading this, you may like to take a look at my 2024 Bristol Food Highlights and my 2024 Top Ten Book Recommendations.
Header photo: chocolate chip cookie process
ALEXA ELIZABETH 