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Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars {Gluten Free}

Buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread, smothered in sweet, fruity jam and topped with even more buttery goodness in the form of shortbread streusel. These Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars are the most delicious cookie bar you will ever eat. They are gluten free, ridiculously quick and easy to make, and so yummy you won’t believe it! Don’t need to eat gluten free? No worries, one simple substitution means you don’t have to go out of your way to buy gluten free flour! These Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars are the perfect Mother’s Day treat, and you can use your favourite flavour jam!

Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars - Buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread, smothered in sweet, fruity jam and topped with even more buttery goodness in the form of shortbread streusel. These Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars are the most delicious cookie bar you will ever eat. They are gluten free, ridiculously quick and easy to make, and so yummy you won’t believe it!

Peach vodka, fresh raspberry syrup and champagne are combined to make this gorgeous Mother’s Day Raspberry Peach Champagne Cocktail. Sweet, bubbly and full of fresh, fruity flavours, this is the perfect cocktail to serve at a Mother’s Day brunch or any special occasion. Don’t have peach vodka to hand? No problem, I have an easy substitute for you! So raise a glass and let’s call a toast the wonderful Mother figures in our lives.

Mother’s Day Champagne Cocktail

When I asked my mum what she wanted me to make for Mother’s Day, she said a cocktail and something with shortbread! I’ve already shared the amazing Champagne Cocktail that I made for her, and now it’s time for the shortbread to take the spotlight. She has given up chocolate for March (aka torture) so something sweet and fruity it was! I got the inspiration for these Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars when I was in Tesco, lusting over a packet of Jammie Dodgers – a classic British biscuit (*ahem* cookie) that is jam sandwiched between shortbread! I’ve made my own homemade version of Jammie Dodgers before, which are so good, but I took the idea to the next level with these Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars.

Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars - Buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread, smothered in sweet, fruity jam and topped with even more buttery goodness in the form of shortbread streusel. These Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars are the most delicious cookie bar you will ever eat. They are gluten free, ridiculously quick and easy to make, and so yummy you won’t believe it! Continue reading →

Spicy Mango Layered Rice Pudding {vegan}

A flavourful baked rice pudding with layers of spicy mango jam. Made with coconut milk, making it vegan friendly. So easy to make, it’s a great week night dessert! 

Spicy Mango Rice Pudding by Giraffes Can Bake - A flavourful baked rice pudding with layers of spicy mango jam, with hints of cinnamon and ginger. Made with coconut milk, making it vegan friendly. So easy to make, it's a great week night dessert!

 

They always say that you should go grocery shopping with a list and stick to it (only deviating for a better deal on something you need), and for budget purposes that’s definitely a good idea! I don’t know who “they” are, but they’d probably be very disappointed with my shopping habits! I definitely go with a list in mind, but I usually get distracted by offers and random products, I usually end up coming home with a lot of things I never planned to buy. And while that may not be too kind of my bank balance, it does usually end up producing yummy recipes! This rice pudding is one of those times – I was shopping in Aldi and saw pudding rice and thought to myself “hmm I should make rice pudding soon” so I put a bag in my trolley! That pudding rice proceeded to sit in my cupboard for months, unopened – until it eventually met it’s destiny in the form of this delicious Spicy Mango Layered Rice Pudding!

Spicy Mango Rice Pudding by Giraffes Can Bake - A flavourful baked rice pudding with layers of spicy mango jam, with hints of cinnamon and ginger. Made with coconut milk, making it vegan friendly. So easy to make, it's a great week night dessert!

 

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Homemade Jammie Dodgers

Soft, buttery shortbread sandwiched with homemade strawberry jam! A homemade version of the classic British snack, beloved by many – including the Eleventh Doctor! These are Britain’s answer to the Linzer Cookie

Homemade Jammie Dodgers by Giraffes Can Bake - Buttery shortbread cookies sandwiched with homemade Strawberry Jam. The classic British snack, beloved by the Eleventh Doctor. Britain's answer to the Linzer Cookie

There are a few things that Britain takes pride in, usually they are things most people might find odd – like our ability to queue for anything and everything, we take queuing etiquette very seriously. One thing we rightfully take pride in is our biscuits – nothing beats a British biscuit! From the tough cookie HobNob to the beloved Custard Cream, and everything in between – we love our biscuits! Of course, these are not to be confused with what American’s call biscuits, when a Brit says “biscuit” we mean a cookie. I’ve picked up many Americanisms over the last few years, having an American best friend will do that to a person,  and I’ll refer to lots of things as “cookies” – but the British classics? They will always be biscuits – a custard cream, a jammie dodger, a chocolate bourbon, a rich tea – always biscuits! 

Homemade Jammie Dodgers by Giraffes Can Bake - Buttery shortbread cookies sandwiched with homemade Strawberry Jam. The classic British snack, beloved by the Eleventh Doctor. Britain's answer to the Linzer Cookie

 

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Spicy Mango Jam

An easy, delicious jam recipe full of sweet mangoes and spicy serrano peppers. Great for spreading, baking and giving as gifts!

Spicy Mango Jam by Giraffes Can Bake - easy, delicious homemade jam with sweet mangoes and spicy serrano peppers. Great for spreading, baking and gift giving

 

This post may contain affiliate links. I received items from Kitchen Craft to review, all opinions and words are my own.  Read full disclosure here

Fig Jam

Fig” Jam”

Jam, jelly, preserves, whatever you want to call them – jam making is a delicious skill to have under your belt! And it’s a skill that’s really easy to master! I love jam, there’s so many different ways you can use it, but it’s something I thought was really hard or awkward to make. I have made a jam once before, a fig jam, and it was delicious, but I wouldn’t consider it real jam – it’s more of a thick fig sauce I guess. This Spicy Mango Jam is my first real jam, and it was a big success!

Spicy Mango Jam by Giraffes Can Bake - easy, delicious homemade jam with sweet mangoes and spicy serrano peppers. Great for spreading, baking and gift giving

 

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Jam Donuts

Fig Jam Donuts

 These yummy jam donuts are week 8 of my GBBO challenge, the theme being advanced dough. It was also the quarter final and the week my favourite contestant left the tent! 

Fig Jam Donuts

I’m going to give you an insight into my brain – it was 1:30am and I couldn’t sleep and was feeling very antsy, so what do I do? Read a book? Watch some television? Nope! I got up and made some donut dough! It seemed to do the trick at least. Normally you would leave this dough to rise in a warm place for an hour or so, but since I wasn’t about to stay up all night making donuts (I may be crazy, but I’m not that crazy!) I left mine to do it’s first rise in the fridge overnight. Having it rise in the fridge slowed down the yeast so it didn’t over prove. The second rise, or actual proving, I did at room temperature and it left me with a perfect donut. 

Fig Jam Donuts

 

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