Honey & Co's chocolate and pistachio cookies

I tasted these gorgeously squidgy chocolate cookies last year at the Bath launch of Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich’s baking book which is a must-buy for anyone who loves baking. Or frankly, even if you don’t - you will by the time you've read it.

What makes the book so utterly irresistible (apart from the great recipes) is Sarit and Itamar’s chatty writing style, a sample of which you can see (from Sarit) in the introduction to this recipe:

"Itamar discourages me from making cookies for the shop for many reasons. They are very labour-intensive, taking up much of our pastry time; plus the rest of the kitchen, seeing a tray coming out of the oven, will flock round to try to damage the little things so they can have them.

The main point of disagreement, however, is that he doesn’t see them as dessert. I most definitely do. I think there is nothing nicer as a treat and a bowlful of indulgent cookies passed around the table can be the perfect finish to a rich dinner. They contain just the right amount of sweetness and if one isn’t quite enough you can always have another and then just one more … Maybe I can see the problem with them after all."

makes 12 large cookies or 24 bite-sized ones

250g chocolate (I use a 60% cacao dark chocolate)

50g unsalted butter

2 eggs

175g light brown soft sugar

60g strong white bread flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

a pinch of table salt

About 200g pistachios very roughly chopped to coat

You will also need two baking trays lined with baking parchment.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl in the microwave or over a double steamer. In the meantime whisk the eggs and sugar to a sabayon - that is, until the mixture is very thick and fluffy.

Fold the melted chocolate into the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder and salt then fold together until you have a lovely even mixture. Allow to rest for about 30 minutes in a cool place or pop in the fridge for 10-15 minutes (you want the dough to be manageable but not set). If you forget about it in the fridge and it sets solid you will have to bring it back up to temperature in a warm place so that you can handle it easily.

Divide the dough into 12 and using two spoons or a piping bag shape into balls of about 50g each. I usually use weighing scales but you can be more relaxed if you prefer and just estimate the size.

Spread the chopped pistachios on a flat tray and drop the balls of chocolate goodness onto them. Flip them to coat all over then transfer to the baking trays, allowing about 5cm between them as they will spread in the heat of the oven. You can keep the unbaked cookies in the fridge until you are ready to bake or, alternatively freeze them for up to 2 weeks and simply thaw before baking.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Place the trays of cookies in the centre of the oven for 8-9 minutes (allow 12 minutes if the cookies have been chilled). Remove and leave to cool on the trays while the chocolate sets fully. Once the cookies are cool you wil be able to pick them up quite easily but the middle will stay nice and soft like a moist chewy brownie so handle with care. These keep well for up to a week in an airtight container or sealed bag.

What to drink: I'm not sure wine is the best accompaniment for these - I'd personally go for an espresso or black Americano coffee but you could try a Greek muscat or a vin santo.

Recipe from Honey & Co. The Baking Book published by Saltyard Books. Photograph © Patricia Niven.

Doughnuts and hot chocolate sauce

If you like churros you're going to LOVE this recipe for doughnuts with chocolate sauce from chef Nieves Barragan's new book Sabor*: Flavours from a Spanish Kitchen.

"If you don’t have a mixer to knead the dough you can knead it by hand" she advises. (Note the dough needs an overnight rise)

Makes 20 doughnuts

rapeseed or sunflower oil, enough to fill your pan to about 3cm

For the doughnuts

60g cold but malleable butter

450g plain flour, plus extra to dust

60g caster sugar

60ml whole milk

12g fresh yeast or 4g quick yeast

4 medium eggs

For the hot chocolate sauce

300ml water

150g caster sugar

160ml single cream

50g cocoa powder

300g dark chocolate (70%)

For the cinnamon sugar

150g caster sugar

5-6g ground cinnamon

Take the butter out of the fridge 15 minutes before starting and chop into small cubes

Put the flour and sugar into a large bowl and mix together with your hands

Heat the milk until almost boiling then remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Mix into the yeast stirring with a whisk to dissolve

Put the flour and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and slowly add the butter - it will look like crumble. Add the eggs one by one then dribble in the milk/yeast mixture until everything comes together in a sticky dough.

Lightly flour a large container or bowl, turn the dough out into it and lightly flour the top. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

In the morning turn out the dough onto a floured surface - it will have almost doubled. Take a piece (approximately 30g) and roll it in your hands then squeeze down until it’s about 2 1/2 cm thick.

Use the top of a miniature bottle to press out the dough in the middle, leaving a hole. The doughnuts should be around 25g each. Repeat until you’ve used all the dough.

Stick two fingers through the middle of each doughnut and move them around to push out the dough a bit more and double the size of the hole otherwise it will close up when the doughnut is fried and expands.

To make the hot chocolate sauce put the water, sugar and cream into a pan on a low heat and dissolve the sugar. Put the cocoa powder and chocolate into a bowl and place over a pan of simmering water to melt the chocolate (this keeps it smooth). When the chocolate has melted add it to the cream with a spatula. Continue mixing until it becomes dense and thick and perfect for dipping. Keep warm.

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon.

Pour the oil into a shallow pan on a medium heat. When it’s hot (about 180°C) fry the doughnuts until golden brown then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Dust with the cinnamon sugar while still warm and serve with the chocolate sauce for dipping.

What to drink: I'd honestly rather have coffee than wine with these delicious doughnuts (because you're going to have them for breakfast, right?) but a glass of sweet sherry would be pretty tasty too.

*Nieves is opening a new restaurant of the same name in London this autumn (2017)

Extracted from Sabor by Nieves Barragan Monacho which is published by Penguin Fig Tree at £25. Photo © Chris Terry.

Orlando Murrin's seed cake

If you're thinking of baking something for teatime today try this traditional English caraway seed cake from cookery writer Orlando Murrin.

Interestingly Orlando's version differs from the original which according to the site Gode Cookery was made with yeast and ale*. His is more like a madeira cake or pound cake, flavoured with citrus and much more to contemporary tastes. It would be perfect with a cup of oolong tea or a glass of Rainwater madeira

Orlando Murrin's Seed Cake

160g/6oz softened butter, if using unsalted add a pinch of salt
190g/7oz golden caster sugar, plus 1tbsp extra to glaze
1/2tsp vanilla extract
a little lemon and orange zest finely grated
3 large eggs, separated
225g/8oz self raising flour
1 tbsp caraway seeds
150g carton of natural yogurt

21cm (7inch) cake tin, loose bottomed, lined with baking paper (e.g Bake-o-Glide)

Heat oven to 170°C/150°C fan.

Cream butter with sugar, vanilla and citrus zest. Beat in egg yolks. Mix in half the flour and half the yogurt, then the remaining half of each and the caraway seeds, until combined. Beat egg whites to soft peaks and fold in – be patient as the cake mixture is stiff. Turn into the tin and smooth top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining caster sugar, which will form a thin sugar crust.

Bake for about an hour, until a skewer comes out clean, checking after 45 minutes and covering with foil if necessary to prevent it from becoming too brown. It is a characteristic of this cake to rise to a peak and crack.

*There's also some interesting speculation on its origins on the blog Baking for Britain.

Claire Clark's Austrian Coffee Cake

The cover recipe from pastry chef Claire Clark's gorgeous new book 80 Cakes from around the World, photographed by the equally talented Jean Cazals.

Claire writes: When the Turkish army retreated in haste after the Battle of Vienna in 1683, they left behind bags of coffee, or so the story goes. Perhaps it was the bountiful supply of coffee that led to Vienna’s famous café culture.

Many a fine cake has come out of Vienna and this coffee cake is a prime example of how good a sponge cake can be. It is really simple to make but the results are stunning. I was reminded of this when I went for dinner at my neighbour’s house. Kath baked this cake for dessert and filled it with fresh raspberries. Use whatever fruits are in season.

Editor's note: there are a couple of ingredients - the freeze-dried raspberries and candied rose fragments you'll probably need to buy in advance or online (see below) You will also need a 20cm bundt ring tin

185g unsalted butter, at room temperature

185g caster sugar

3 medium eggs, lightly beaten

185g self-raising flour, sifted

a pinch of salt

To finish

125g hot, strong black coffee

15g caster sugar

1 tablespoon rum

300ml whipping cream

25g icing sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

To decorate

1 tube (2g) freeze-dried raspberries (Waitrose sells them)

5 fresh black figs

5g candied rose fragments (sold here)

Heat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3. Grease and flour a 20cm bundt ring tin. Using an electric mixer*, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, creaming well after each addition. Fold in the flour and salt with a large metal spoon.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and bake for about 25 minutes, until it is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed with your finger. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

Sweeten the hot coffee with the sugar and stir in the rum. Return the cooled cake to the bundt tin and slowly pour the coffee over it. Invert immediately on to a serving plate and leave to cool once more.

Put the cream in a bowl with the icing sugar and vanilla and whip to medium peaks. Spread most of it over the cake, using a palette knife; it does not have to look perfectly smooth. Spoon or pipe the remaining cream into the centre of the cake and level with a spatula. Grind half the freeze-dried raspberries to a powder in a pestle and mortar or with a spice grinder. Using a tea strainer, dust the powder over the cream. Sprinkle with the remaining raspberry pieces. Cut the figs into quarters and arrange them in a circular fashion on top of the cake. Sprinkle with the candied rose fragments.

What to drink: You could pair an Austrian sweet wine with this such as an Ausbruch or a sweet gewurztraminer but I'd probably drink more black coffee

Extracted from 80 cakes from around the world by Claire Clark, published by Absolute Press at £20. Photo © Jean Cazals.