The 2025 Cookie Box

for lazy bakers (like me) and more feelings...

Honestly, the festive season fills me with a lot dread and anxiety.

It’s something I’m constantly learning to overcome and deal with, but since moving away from home, I don’t have any of the small rituals or routines I grew up with. I really miss the smell of roasted chestnuts permeating the crisp cool dry air, ice rinks popping up everywhere and spending days on end freely gliding. I celebrated Christmas with my parents the night of the 24th, and would go to my best friends on the 25th to continue… but now, both my parents and best friend are +8000km away, and I’ve found it extremely hard to come around celebrating it on the the 25th, the British way.

I’ve been slowly trying to make up my own traditions to bring a sense of familiarity every year, and this has manifested itself in 2 ways - a yearly cookie box (filling myself with butter and sugar) and leaving the country and going on holiday.

It may seem like I’m running away from my feelings, but there’s no better time to do it. Consecutive bank holidays means that it’s an absolute steal, and if you’re anything like me, you probably need the time off and away for a mental reset… I would highly recommend this.

The first year I was able to leave the country was right after the lockdown travel ban, I booked and legged it to the airport on a flight out to the Seychelles - not quite a holiday, (it’s the motherland) but I spent time away on a secluded island for 2-3 days and that’s when I realised this is what it’s ALL about. After that year, I’ve met my parents in Malaysia for Christmas, I’ve been to the Mountains with my boyfriends family and this year will be the first time that I celebrate it just the boyf and I in Japan (my dream destination).

I know i’m not the only one that feels this way during this period, and as hard as it can be, it’s always a good reminder that you can bring a sense of comfort by doing what YOU want.

Anyways… all about the cookies. I started it last year and went all out. This year I paired it all the way back. After being sick for a solid month with whatever this superflu or god knows whats going around, I made a lazy cookie box, which is even more perfect than the last.

3 cookies that can all be made in 1/2 a day, 1 day or spread over 2.

Brookies, Choc Chip & Pinwheel

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Earl Grey Brookies

The combo of chocolate and earl grey is undeniably delish. Unlike many cookies, these don’t need any chill time and actually benefit from being portioned out and into the oven ASAP. These were based on my recipe for the Mob Chilli Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

Makes: 12-14 Large or 20-24 normal size

Prep/Baking time: 30-35 mins

Ingredients

140g Plain Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

5g Earl Grey Tea

120g Butter

3 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

200g Dark Chocolate, finely chopped

100g Caster Sugar

115g Light Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Smoked Sea Salt, optional

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to fan 160°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper, set aside.

2. In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together until combined, set aside.

3. Melt the butter with the earl grey in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, sieve the solids out and stir through the cocoa powder and chocolate until fully melted. Place it back on the heat ot fully melt, if needed. Set aside to cool down.

4. In a mixing bowl, add both sugars, vanilla extract and crack the eggs in. Whisk until the mixture doubles in volume, has gone pale and looks fluffy, 5-7 mins.

5. Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture, then, fold in the flour mix until no streaks remain.

6. Working quickly, use an ice cream scoop (for a large cookie) or 2 tablespoons (for a normal size) to drop the batter onto the baking paper, making sure to leave plenty of room between each cookie. Sprinkle them with smoked flaky sea salt and bake in the oven for 10-12 mins, until the exterior is shiny and has lots of cracks on them. Let cool for 10-15 mins before enjoying.

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Caramelised Banana Pinwheels

The use of caramelised banana in sweet treats really remind me of Seychellois desserts. These biscuits take the base recipe for Claire Saffitz’s pinwheels and homemade banana jam is used to create the swirl. You end up with more banana jam than needed, but it’s delicious so no complaints and it also makes for a great gift!

Makes: 20-30

Prep/Baking Time: 40-45 mins + cooling time

Ingredients

For the Jam:

180g Caster Sugar

300g Ripe Bananas, peeled and mashed

2 Tsp Vanilla Paste

1/2 cinnamon stick
For the Cookies:

115g Softened Butter

45g Caster Sugar

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Large Egg yolk

2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

160g Plain Flour

90g Banana Jam

50g Desiccated Coconut, optional

Baking Paper

Method:

1. Make the jam: Add the sugar into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Let the sugar gently melt and caramelise - since this is a dry caramel you can stir the mixture to help it evenly melt. Once melted, let the caramel cook until dark amber. Whisk the rest of the jam ingredients in, then let it simmer until thickened, 10 -15 minutes. You can test for doneness by dropping a little bit of jam onto a cold plate, set it aside for a coupe of minutes, and swipe your finger through. If it holds the line or wrinkles, the jam is ready. Pour into a sterilised or clean jar and seal. Let cool down fully before using.

2. For the cookies: Add the softened butter, sugar, cinnamon, salt, yolk, maple and vanilla into a bowl and whip together until smooth. Then, fold the flour in until incorporated.

3. Lightly dust a large piece of baking paper and plop the cookie dough on top. Dust the dough with more flour and place another piece of baking paper on top. Pat the dough down into an even puck. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle of around 3mm thickness. Transfer into the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes up to overnight, to firm up.

4. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it come up to room temp for around 10-15 minutes.

5. Spread the banana jam all over the dough. With the longest side facing you, roll the dough up into a log (if the dough cracks, leave it to rest for a couple more minutes, it’s probably too cold). Place the log into the freezer to firm up for 20 minutes, or wrap in cling film and place in the fridge overnight or until ready to bake.

6. Preheat the oven to fan 160°C and line a tray with baking paper.

7. Cut the log into 1cm thick slices, rotating the log so it maintains the round shape. Dip one side of the cookie into the coconut and transfer onto the lined tray, coconut side down, spacing them out by 2-3cm. Slide into the oven and bake until lightly golden on the sides, 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely on the tray before enjoying.

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Date, Peanut Choc Chip

Doing this yearly cookie box is the best time to sift through the cookbooks I have and play around with the recipes in them. This one is a riff off of Zaynab Issa’s Date & Dark Chocolate Cookies from her glorious debut cookbook Third Culture Cooking.

Makes: 8-10

Prep/Baking Time: 30-40 minutes + cooling time

Ingredients

140g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Bicarb Soda

1/2 tsp Cornflour

3/4 tsp Salt

80g Pitted Dates, roughly chopped

115g Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped

1 Egg

55g Extra Virgin Olive Oil

30g Dark Roast Peanut Butter

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

70g Caster Sugar

75g Light Brown Sugar

Flaky Salt

Method:

1. Whisk the flour, bicarb, cornflour and salt into a medium bowl. Stir the dates and chocolate through, set aside.

2. Whisk the egg, olive oil, peanut butter and vanilla until creamy and emulsified. Add both sugars and whisk until combined.

3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Portion the dough out into 60g balls, place onto a baking paper lined tray. Cover and chill for a minimum of 2hrs up to overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Make sure the cookie dough balls are spaced out, with about 5cm on each side - if you need to bake them onto 2 trays. Sprinkle over as much flakey salt as you’d like.

5. Slide the trays into the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and bang the pan against the counter to deflate the cookies. Let them cool on the tray for 10-15 minutes, before enjoying.

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If you celebrate, I hope you have a lovely Christmas. If not, I hope you get some well deserved time off to relax <3