Juliet Sear’s foolproof kitchen gadget recipes
What did you find under the tree this year? An air fryer, smoothie maker or slow cooker? Juliet’s in the kitchen with her guide to foolproof recipes with all the gadgets you might have found under the tree. She’s got everything from Christmas pudding cookies made in minutes in the air fryer, to savoury turnovers or chocolate pies made in a toastie machine!
Air Fryer Christmas Pudding Cookies
Serves: 12-16
Ingredients
125g butter, softened
100g light muscovado sugar
75g golden caster sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp brandy or rum (optional)
200g plain flour
150g leftover Christmas pudding, torn into chunks
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp fine sea salt
Extra sea salt flakes to sprinkle (optional)
Clotted cream or vanilla ice cream, or leftover brandy cream to serve (optional)
Method
1. Line a tray with baking parchment and set aside. Tip the butter and sugars into a stand mixer, or use an electric whisk, and beat until pale, creamy and well combined.
2. Beat in the egg until combined, then mix in the brandy or rum.
3. Add in the flour, cinnamon, ginger and fine sea salt and mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
4. Add the chunks of Christmas pudding and stir through.
5. Roll the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball is good, using your hands (tip – dampen your hands with water so they don’t stick to you).
6. Arrange the dough balls spaced well apart, on the lined baking tray and chill in the fridge for about an hour or leave overnight in the fridge to improve the texture and flavour (tip - you can also freeze these balls once chilled, individually wrapped so you can have cookies ready to bake whenever you fancy just cook for a couple of extra minutes).
7. Leave to cool completely on the trays to firm up. Serve with clotted cream, leftover brandy cream or ice cream just before serving, if you like.
8. Bake in the air fryer at 180c for 8-10 mins, then remove and immediately scatter over a pinch of sea salt.
Freakshake
Serves: 1-2
100g melted chocolate, milk or dark
Shop bought salted caramel sauce (optional)
Shop bought donut or brownie
60ml Bailey's Irish Cream
Cold shot of espresso coffee – 60ml
150ml milk
175-200g vanilla ice cream
2 tsp sprinkles of our choice
Squirty cream
Paper straws
Method
1. Dip glass in melted chocolate, allow some to drip down the sides. Add sprinkles to the rim and drips.
2. Drizzle brownie in melted chocolate and add sprinkles.
3. Pour Baileys, coffee and milk in a blender with 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream and blend.
4. Top with whipped cream, push straw through brownie (or balance on glass edge) add whipped cream and top with straw/brownie and sprinkles and sparklers in the brownie. Add a drizzle of caramel sauce if you wish.