Easy to make, a delicious peanut butter stamped cookie recipe , made with refined spelt flour, raw sugar, butter, egg, and peanut butter. They make the perfect homemade holiday gift for family and friends. And speaking of the gift, I was the very LUCKY winner of $40 Amazon gift card from Choc Chip Uru - Go Bake Yourself. Uru is a 17-year-old culinary genius and a serious chocolate fan. Please head over to her space and learn more her baking, her fun undercover stories. The cookie stamp and cupcake decorating set I have bought with the gift card have finally arrived this Saturday. Thank you once again, Uru!

110 g Butter, softened 150 g Raw sugar 1 Egg 1/2 tsp Vanilla 120 g Creamy peanut butter 220 g Refined spelt flour 1/4 tsp Baking soda 1/4 tsp Salt

1. Beat the butter and raw sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and peanut butter until blended. Sift spelt flour, baking soda, and salt into the cream mixture.
2. Wrap the cookie dough in a plastic film and chill for 2 hours. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Roll the dough between two pieces of plastic film into 4-mm / 1/6-inch thickness. Dip the stamp into flour and tap off any excess, then stamp the cookie dough and cut out with a round wave cookie cutter. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Cover with a plastic film and chill the cookies for an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Bake cookies until light brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.

Chunky cauliflower florets and salty, smoky black forest bacon meld together so well in this satisfying creamy cauliflower soup. Make this warming and comforting soup for lunch or supper that's sure to warm you up on the chilliest nights. The soup thickens as it stands, so if you make it ahead of time, thin as needed with extra stock.

600 g Cauliflower, stalks discarded and cut into smaller florets 1 Large potato, peeled and chopped into chunks 1 Leek, white part only, chopped 2-3 tbsp Olive oil 600 ml Vegetable stock 250 ml Soya milk Salt and pepper to taste Pinch of nutmeg 125 g Black forest bacon bits

1. Put the cauliflower, potato and leek in a large saucepan with olive oil. Gently heat the vegetables until they start to sizzle, then cover with a lid and sweat at low heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables should be softened but not coloured. Reserve a few florets to garnish finished soup.
2. Pour in the vegetable stock and soya milk. Bring to a simmer, then gently cook for 10-12 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Purée until smooth either with a stick blender or in batches in a food processor. Add in the reserved cauliflower florets and nutmeg, reheat gently, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

A wholesome, hearty, nutty wholewheat bread that goes wonderfully with a cold meat platter, fruit or cheese plate. Perfect toasted for a nutritious and healthy breakfast too.

Wholewheat Bread with Walnuts

- adapted from Brote für Genießer

200 g Wholewheat flour 80 ml Lukewarm water 20 g Fresh yeast 1 tbsp Sugar 1 Apple, peeled, cored and grated 150 g Sourdough starter, 100% hydration 100 g Whole grain spelt flour 350 g Dark bread flour

10 g Salt 4 tbsp Walnut oil 205 ml Lukewarm water 50 g Honey 20 g Millet 20 g Sesame seeds 20 g Flaxseeds 100 g Walnuts, chopped

1. In a mixing bowl, add in wholewheat flour and make a well in the center. Crumble the fresh yeast into the well and add in 80 ml water and sugar. Stir together and leave it for 15 minutes.
2. Peel, core and grate the apple. Add in sourdough starter, grated apple, flours, salt, walnut oil, water, honey, millet, sesame seeds, flaxseeds and chopped walnuts. Stir everything together on low speed until incorporated, then increase the speed and stir until a smooth and soft dough forms. Cover and set aside to proof for an hour.
3. Gently knead the dough and divide into two portions. Shape one portion into a round and another into a log. Place the round dough, seam side up, into a well-floured proofing basket and another one into a parchment paper lined loaf pan. Dust the surface with flour and cover with a clean towel. Set aside to proof for a further 60 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Turn the boule out onto a wooden peel dusted with cornmeal. Sprinkle some flour over dough and cut some decorative slashes on the top of bread. Make a long slash lengthwise down the center of top of the loaf in the loaf pan. Bake for about 45 minutes until nicely golden brown.

A pilaf or pilau is a Middle Eastern rice dish that is cooked in broth and spices. It may contain a variety of vegetables and meat. This is a delicious recipe for using up leftover roasted chicken or turkey, and works well with seafood too.

1 tbsp Butter 1 Shallot, diced 1/3 tsp Allspice, ground 1 clove Garlic, crushed 180 g Long-grain brown rice Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 550-600 ml Vegetable broth or water, warmed 100 g Dried figs, diced 200 g Leftover roasted chicken breast Some leftover roasted Brussels sprouts, cut into wedges 1 tbsp Chopped parsley 1 handful Pomegranate seeds

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until tender. Add in allspice and crushed garlic and stir briefly.
2. Add in brown rice and stir until the rice is coated with the butter. Pour in vegetable broth. Bring to the boil then immediately turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add in dried figs and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper and gently fork through the roasted chicken, Brussels sprouts and chopped parsley. Shower with pomegranate seeds at the last minute.

A soft,tender, lightly sweetened two-toned yeast chocolate bread swirled with a layer of orange chiffon cake. Not only is it DELICIOUS, it looks quite pretty when you serve it. They are excellent when toasted and spread with butter or jam for a satisfying breakfast or afternoon snack.
Alternatively, you can replace the cocoa powder with milk powder (or just flour) to prepare a sweet bread dough, then topped with a disc of chocolate flavoured foam cake.

In October, I was the very LUCKY winner of $40 Amazon gift card from Choc Chip Uru - Go Bake Yourself. Uru is a 17-year-old culinary genius and a serious chocolate fan. Please head over to her space and learn more her baking, her fun undercover stories. The cookie stamp and cupcake decorating set I have bought with the gift card have finally arrived this Saturday. Thank you once again, Uru!

200 g Refined spelt flour 160 All purpose flour 40 g Dutch-Processed cocoa powder 7 g Salt 90 g Brown sugar 8 g Instant dried yeast 190 ml Milk, lukewarm 50 g Butter, cut into pieces 1 Large egg, lightly beaten 1 tsp Vanilla extract 1 disc 10-inch Chiffon cake

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine spelt flour, bread flour, cocoa, salt, brown sugar and the instant dried yeast. Blend well.
2. Warm the milk and butter in a saucepan to about 40C/100F. Lightly beaten the egg and add warm milk mixture and vanilla extract. Whisk together.
3. Make a well in the center of flour mixture, pour in the liquid mixture. Stir with a dough hook at slow speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed to the medium and continue to knead until smooth, and the dough leaves from sides of the mixing bowl. Add more flour if necessary.
4. Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl and return the dough ball into the bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover and proof the dough in a warm place for about two hours until it doubles in volume.
5. Knead the dough a few times on a lightly floured work surface, cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll out the dough into a large oval shape and top with the chiffon cake. Roll up like a jelly roll, placing the seam side down into a 33-cm loaf pan.
6. Butter a piece of plastic wrap and place loosely over the dough. Let rise again until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and place bread in the center of the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

I'm submitting this to We Should Cocoa - Bread this month, hosted on Chocolate Log Blog and Chocolate Teapot.

Another daily bread，adapted from Küchen Götter， contains grated carrots, plain yogurt and seeds such as flax seed, quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth, which are all good for you.

380 g Bread flour 150 g Wholegrain spelt flour 1 tbsp Sugar 1 package / 7 g Instant dried yeast 2 tsp Salt 150 g A mix of quinoa, flaxseed, buckwheat and amaranth 1 Medium sized carrot, peeled and grated 70 g Plain yogurt 250 ml Lukewarm water

1. Whisk together bread flour, spelt flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. Add in seeds, grated carrot, 50 grams of yogurt and water.
2. Stir at first on low speed until a rough dough begins to form. Increase the speed and beat until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3. Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Return it to the mixing bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel leave it in a warm place for an hour or until it’s doubled in size.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a rectangular shape and roll it up. Place it into a parchment paper lined loaf pan. Cover again with the towel and set aside in a warm place for 50 minutes to rise.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. When the loaf has risen, brush the surface with the rest of yogurt and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until nicely golden brown.

This is a twist on a classic Italian antipasta - Insalata Caprese, using roasted beetroot instead of tomatoes and quinoa for a healthy and satisfying lunch salad, which is very easy and quick to put together.

2 Beetroot, roasted 200 g Buffalo mozzarella Chives 5 tbsp Olive oil 1 tsp Lemon zest 2 tbsp Lemon juice Pinch of sugar Sea salt and black pepper 1 cup Cooked quinoa

1. Cut the roasted beet into 1cm thick slices. Drain and slice the buffalo mozzarella into thick pieces. Arrange them alternately on a serving platter so that they overlap.
2. Cut the chives into thin rings. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Pour half of the dressing over the salad and allow it to marinate for 5 minutes. Toss the cooked quinoa with the rest of the dressing and some chives. Mound the well tossed quinoa in the center of the beet-mozzarella salad. Sprinkle some chives and sea salt over.

These chocolate star cookies are special for the holidays or any time you crave sweets. The cookie dough was prepared with spelt flour, cocoa, and marzipan, and formed into stars. They are very tasty and pretty enough, thanks to the white chocolate coating and pink peppercorns, to decorate the X’mas tree or give away as the presents.

Chocolate Stars with Pink Peppercorns

adapted from Küchen Götter

310 g Refined spelt flour 1/2 tsp Baking powder 50 g Cocoa powder Pinch of salt 100 g Powdered sugar 1/5 tsp Nutmeg powder 1 tsp Orange zest 150 g Unsalted butter, diced 50 g Marzipan paste, diced 1 Egg 1 tsp Vanilla extract 200 g White couverture 4 tbsp Pink peppercorns

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together spelt flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, powdered sugar, nutmeg and orange zest. Add in diced butter, marzipan paste, egg and vanilla extract. Mix until you have a smooth dough. Shape the dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.
2. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F, fan-forced. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it between two pieces of plastic film. Roll it out to 3mm thick. Cut with a 5cm star cookies cutter or any shape you prefer. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes. Remove and cool on pans.
3. Meanwhile, cut the white couverture into smaller pieces and place them in a heat proof bowl. Set the bowl on a pot of hot water. After 10 minutes, give the chocolate a good stir until completely smooth. Dip the cookies with white chocolate and garnish with pink peppercorns. Place coated cookies on wax paper and let stand until firm.