Ingredients

• 250g Butter (at room temperature)

• 100g Caster Sugar

• 1 Egg

• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

• 450g Plain Flour (some extra for optional topping)

For the Topping (optional)

• 250g Icing Sugar

• 3 tbsp Full-Fat Milk (optional)

• Jam (optional for spreading in the middle)

• Halved Cherries, or Some Circle Sweets (to place on top)

Method

1) Place the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl, and cream together until smooth and light in colour. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Sift in the flour in small batches, and mix well until combined.

2) Lightly flour a work surface, and roll out the dough to a 1cm thickness. Use a round (plain or fluted) biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits – the smaller the cutter, the more biscuits you will have, just make sure you cut out an even amount. Roll any offcuts of dough back together and cut out some more biscuits, repeat this until no more dough is left. Place the rounds on baking trays, leaving at least a 3cm space between biscuits as they will spread in the oven. Pop in the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up.

3) Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and bake for 10–15 minutes, or until cooked through but not bronzed. Leave to cool on a wire rack completely.

4) To make the topping, place the icing sugar in a bowl and gradually mix in the milk, if using, or a few tablespoons of water to make a thick glossy icing. Spread the icing on half of the biscuits and spread 1 tablespoon of jam on each of the remaining biscuits. Place the iced biscuits on top of the biscuits with jam. Top each biscuit with half cherry or a circle sweet.

Whether you celebrate Burns Night or not, why not try out this fun and delicious recipe for yourself!

“Oidhche Bhlas Burns”

~ Happy Burns Night 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Recipe by Caera Neeson (S2) 

This recipe serves 2 lucky people!

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Baking Powder

• 155g Pancake Shaker Mix

• Pink Food Colour Gel

• 20g Butter (cubed)

Method

1) Firstly, add the baking powder to the shaker, reseal, and shake to combine. Pour 180ml of water and a generous squeeze of the pink food gel into the mix, reseal and shake for 2 mins until smooth. If you would like the batter to be a more vibrant pink (also with a little extra added love), squeeze in an extra drop of food gel at this stage and shake to combine.

2) Add a cube of butter to a large, nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat and, working in batches, pour the batter into the pan to create roughly 8cm pancakes. Cook for 1-2 mins until bubbles appear in the batter. Flip and then cook for a further 1-2 mins until risen and fluffy. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

3) Cut the pancakes into hearts using a roughly 8cm heart-shaped cookie cutter. Stack the pancakes on a plate, drizzle with optional toppings, (and you could even dust with some icing sugar) to serve!

Optional Topping Ideas!

• Fruit

• Honey

• Syrup

• Sugar

• Lots more!

Not everyone loves the whole ‘Valentines Day’ business, but that’s ok! Even if you don’t enjoy it, do something that you enjoy, and something that makes you happy!

“Where there is love, there is life.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi ❤️

Recipe by Caera Neeson (S2)