Better than yo' mama's Hot Cross Buns!

 Well hello there! Long time no see! I'm back from my self imposed blogging exile and come bearing gifts! Specifically, this kick ass recipe for hot cross buns in honour of the Easter holidays. These are big fat squishy buns and you should definitely give them a go this long weekend!

Lady Grey Tea Cookies

Good Lord, I've been a terrible blogger! Resolving to try harder as of...now! I've had these cookies hidden up my sleeve for almost a month now (not literally up my sleeve, because that would just be messy) and I'm a horrible person for withholding because believe me when I say; you need these in your life! They're buttery, delicate and utterly decadent because I dipped them in dark chocolate like the excessive person I am. And in a bid to be more twee and kitschy (twitschy?); I shaped them like teabags and threaded them with twine. I like cute stuff... so sue me! Read on for the recipe.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Am I the only one that thinks these cookies look Christmassy? There's something about the snowy white icing sugar that makes me think of Yuletide. Every November, I tell myself I'm going to be super organised and do the whole homemade, personalised Christmas gift thing and then spend December in a state of relaxation and poise. Instead, I always find myself getting sucked into the shopping spirit and spend December running around malls like a madwoman, snapping up Christmas presents left, right and centre! However, these cookies are amazingly easy and so pretty that I may be able to inject a little homemade love into my Christmas gift giving this year. These cookies are known as both Chocolate Crinkles or  Chocolate Crackles. Personally, when I think of Chocolate Crackles, I think of the treats made out of Rice Bubbles, Copha and cocoa so to me, these are Crinkles! Read on for the recipe!

Garlic & Chilli Labneh (Strained Yoghurt)

I have an unhealthy obsession with Greek yoghurt. Truth. I always have a big tub of it in my fridge and I'm constantly finding delicious new uses for this miracle dairy product! It's my secret ingredient for moist cakes, it's an awesome, healthy substitute for sour cream on tacos and nachos or stir in some garlic and herbs to make a truly yummy vegetable dip. I've even heard that it makes an excellent hair mask but I'm usually too busy eating it for breakfast to have enough for my hurr! Read on for my recipe for labneh!

Momofuku Milk Bar Corn Cookies

Continuing my Momofuku Milk Bar obsession; I recently tried my hand at making these Corn Cookies!  They're salty, sweet and totally addictive. They get their flavour from freeze dried corn kernels, which are blitzed into a fine powder. Freeze dried food is a little hard to come across in Australia and I spent far more time than I care to admit trying to track this stuff down. It's readily available in the U.S. (Amazon.com has your back there) but Aussies will pay through the nose looking for dried corn. I finally found it on iHerb.com, which has awesomely cheap shipping rates as well. These cookies also use corn flour, not to be confused with cornstarch; which can be found in health food shops as maize flour (the type used for making tortillas etc.). Read on for the recipe!

Momofuku Milk Bar Bagel Bombs are 'Da Bomb'!

I've finally got my mitts on a copy of Christina Tosi's book; Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook. It's been on my wish list for a while in lieu of legging it over to NYC to try these goodies in person. The recipes can be a little convoluted, in that recipe within a recipe within a recipe sort of way (Recip-ception... Coming to a theatre near you!) but otherwise they're very easy! Tosi guides you through every step of the way and everything in the book just sounds so delicious!

The book is very dessert focused but has a great chapter on savoury goods in the back as a respite from all the sugar. I love making sweets and desserts but my sugar tolerance levels usually peak at half a cupcake. However, put me in front of a bowl of fries and that thing is demolished before you can say 'Pass the salt.'.

With that in mind I thought I would break in my new book with some savoury awesomeness. I present to you... The Bagel Bomb! Cream cheese, bacon and spring onions wrapped in squishy bread and topped with EVERYTHING! Read on for the how-to!

Dark Chocolate & Coconut Macaroons

This week I tried my hand at making good old fashioned coconut macaroons. Sure, they're not as pretty or colourful as their French counterparts; le macaron, but gosh darn they're tasty! They're also naturally gluten-free which is awesome news for my gluten intolerant brethren. If you make them with a meringue base then they're also dairy free...Bonus! I make mine with condensed milk and a whisked egg white to lighten them up a little.

Mini Monogrammed Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

This week I made some cute little vanilla bean sugar cookies for my godson's first birthday. I was inspired by these Vanilla Letter Cupcakes by my domestic goddess of choice; Martha Stewart. I adapted Sweetapolita's fantastic recipe for Perfect Sugar Cookies, adding a couple of tweaks of my own. Above is the naked version of my cookie based self obsession! See below for the iced cookies!

Mini Vegetarian Arancini

Brace yourselves for gratuitous deep fried food porn...

I originally made these for my favourite (and only) vegetarian friend and they were a surprise hit with my fellow carnivores as well! I have two varieties here; Spinach and Goats Cheese and Mozzarella and Vegetable Ragu. I served them with a spicy Sriracha mayo but that's totally optional and only really there due to my unholy addiction to the stuff.