Not even four weeks til Christmas now guys! I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that another year is almost over but I'm still very excited for the Christmas season. So the advent wreath is ready to go (just in time for the first advent Sunday today), the first Christmas movies have been consumed and the first batch of Christmas cookies has been baked. A really easy but super delicious recipe I made for the first time this year are these Swedish julkuchen that are basically just cookies covered in ALL the cinnamon! Classically they are made with round cookie cutters for a basic cookie shape but I felt like switching it up a bit and did a few different ones. Grab your aprons and get baking :)

Here's what you'll need:

In a big mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and egg.

In a different bowl mix together your dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder and salt.

Slowly add the flour mixture into your big mixing bowl until it's all combined well. You will have to get your hands in there to knead the dough to get everything mixed together and to form a smooth dough.

Divide your dough into two. Roll them into balls and cover those in cling film. Put in the fridge for at least 3 hours until it's gotten quite firm.

Now preheat your oven to 200°C.

Take out the first dough and roll it out until it's about 5mm thick. You want to roll it out quite thin, because your cookies will rise quite a bit when baking. Use any cookie cutters you like and add the cut cookies to a lined baking tray. Brush your cookies with the egg white then cover them in your sugar/cinnamon mixture! There's no such thing as too much at this step :)

Bake your cookies for about 10-12 minutes, then take them out and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Continue to do this with the second batch of dough as well :)

Now there's only one thing left to do: cosy up with a plate of these and maybe a little mulled wine to get into the festive spirit! :)

Have you started on the Christmas baking yet? What are your favourite recipes? I have a list of a few more that I want to make this year and may share a few more recipes with you guys in December :) Make sure you leave me a comment if you make these and let me know how you got on! Happy baking guys, stay cosy :)

It's finally feeling autumnal guys! While I'm typing this it's grey and rainy outside and I'm on my sofa all cosied up with my cup of tea - I'm loving it :) The colder weather definitely always inspires me to bake (and eat) lots of sweet treats so this week I wanted to share my recipe for blueberry buns with you. These make your whole apartment smell amazing and bring a little fruity twist to your regular cinnamon buns :)

Here's what you'll need:

for the filling:

for the dough:

extras:

Let's start by making the filling. First off, defrost your blueberries. Make sure you catch all the lovely blueberry juice in a container while doing this. Once your berries are defrosted, mix the blueberry juice with enough pineapple (or other tropical) juice to make about 1 cup of liquid. Add the starch to it and make sure it's properly dissolved.

Meanwhile put your blueberries in a small pot with the sugar and some lemon juice, mix well and bring to a boil, then add the starchy liquid and boil down to a thick, jam-like consistency. Set aside to cool down completely.

In another pot bring the milk, oil and sugar to a boil (be careful and watch this like a hawk as the milk boils over soooo quickly!) then leave this to cool down until tepid then add the yeast and leave the mixture to work for about 30 minutes.

After that, add the milk mixture into a big mixing bowl with the four cups of flour and knead well. The dough will still be quite sticky, dont worry about it, we're gonna add some more flour later. Cover your dough and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour - the dough should have risen considerably by then.

While you wait for your dough, mix 1/2 a cup of flour with 1/2 a packet of baking powder and a pinch of salt. Add this to your dough after it has risen and knead well. If your dough is still super sticky, add a bit more flour as you go.

Leave the buns to rise once more for half an hour in a warm place. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180°C. Finally, bake your blueberry buns for 15 - 20 minutes.

Et voilà! Perfectly fluffy blueberry cinnamon buns for the win :) If you fancy it, you can add frosting on top as well but I didn't go for it this time :) Let me know what you think about this recipe. Will you try it?

Hello and happy September! The weather isn't quite on board with it yet here in Germany but I'm absolutely ready for autumn now! So of course it's time for a brand new pumpkin recipe :) It's another quick and easy one and the perfect healthy autumn dip that'll probably take you no more than ten minutes to make!

Here's what you'll need:

You can make the pumpkin puree by cutting a pumpkin (preferably something like Hokaido or others that don't require you to get rid of the skin - sooo much work!) into chunks and steaming them until soft then simply pureeing them in a food processor or blender. You can also usually get pumpkin puree at your supermarket.

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and mix until smooth and creamy. Add some more olive oil if the hummus is too thick. 

Serve your hummus in a bowl and garnish with olive oil, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and - of course - parsley :)

This is delicious with bread, toasted pita bread, crackers or veggies like carrots or celery sticks. It's also great to use in sandwiches or wraps as well as a kind of pasta sauce!

Let me know if you try this recipe and tag me in your creations on instagram if you decide to share yours :)

I'm coming at you with a breakfast recipe today! I know.. I don't really do breakfast.. ever.. but I'm having a few days off work and thought I might wanna give it another go :) And I might just change my mind about breakfast-foods now that I've tried this smoothie bowl! It was super quick to make, filling but not too heavy for early in the morning and I guess quite healthy too. So if you're struggling with breakfast, give this recipe a go :) Here's what you'll need:

For the smoothie bowl:

Toppings I used:

In a high speed blender, blitz up the bananas, blueberries, oats and milk. You want to have a smooth mixture without any clumps. Add it to a nice bowl and get to decorating with fresh, seasonal fruit as well as nuts, seeds or whatever your heart desires :)

That is literally all there is to do - told you it was quick and easy :) This recipe serves two unless you really, reeeaally love breakfast :)

Are you a breakfast person? What gets you to eat in the mornings? Let me know in the comments and tell me if you're gonna give this recipe a try.

Today's recipe is a quick and very light lunch idea, perfect to prep ahead of time and take to work during the week or as a quick dinner after a long day at work when cooking is really the last thing you want to be doing. It uses a lot of basic ingredients, veggies that are easy to get hold of and cupboard staples like the lentils :)

For the dressing:

Cook your lentils according to the packet instructions in vegetable stock. Best cook both kinds sperately, as the red lentils may lose their colour if they cook in the same pot as the beluga lentils. Strain and set aside to cool while you prep your vegetables.

Chop the peppers and spring onions into thin slices and cut the carrots into very thin discs.

Roughly chop the parsley. Remember you can use the entire plant - stalks and all :)

In a little bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing. The mustard should make it quite a thick and cloudy consistency.

In a big salad bowl, mix together all the ingredients and if you have the time, let it sit for an hour or so for all the flavours to really come out.

Now go ahead and serve with an extra sprinkling of parsley on top if you like :)

Lentils are a good source of iron and vitamin B1, so if you're following a vegetarian diet make sure you include them in your meals :)

Let me know if you try this salad! What are your favourite quick lunches to take to work? Leave me a comment to let me know :)

I guess summer has properly started now and is hopefully going to stay a while. So it's obviously time for another summer refresher/ ice cream recipe :) This is a very light but still creamy creation, only slightly sweetened and therefore perfect for these hot days we're having. So get your ice lolly moulds ready and mix!

You'll need:

First, make some strong matcha. For this, heat up 250ml water to about 80°C and pour over three to four heaped teaspoons of matcha powder. Use a (matcha) whisk to make the tea. Whisk thoroughly until there's no more clumps and there's a fine layer of bubbles on top. Use honey to sweeten to taste.

In a bowl, mix together the matcha and the coconut milk, then pour the mixture into your ice lolly moulds.

This made ten small ice lollies, but of course that depends on the mould you're using.

Put the whole thing in the freezer and there you go - now all you have to do is wait a bit :)

I love these little ice lollies and I love how they come out almost marbled. The perfect treat in this heat!

Do you make your own ice cream/ ice lollies? Please share any favourite recipes you have in the comments, so we can all keep cool this summer :)

I'll link my matcha ice cream post from a few years ago for you here as well. So feel free to give that a go. I would like to point out though that it tastes much better than my photos suggest - wow they're bad aren't they :D

I'm coming at you with a super quick, vegan and gluten-free snack recipe today. These chocolate coconut energy balls are delicious and sweet and the perfect snack to make ahead and store in the fridge for that sugar craving. They will keep for up to two weeks - but probably won't last that long because they're just so good :)

Now all you have to do is put everything in a high speed blender and mix well.. Check the consistency of the mixture to find out wether you need to add more dates or need some almond milk to make it more sticky. It's not an exact science just try what works best for you :)

Now take about a tablespoon worth of the mixture and roll into a ball. You should get about 12 energy balls out of this. To decorate, I rolled the chocolate balls in some more desiccated coconut but you could also go for some sesame seeds or matcha powder - just get creative!

And there you go, that's all there is to it! The dates naturally sweeten the mixture without having to add refined sugars. Almonds are a good source of zinc and magnesium as well as antioxidant vitamin E which supports the brain and helps keep skin healthy. Coconut is another well known "brain food" as well as a great helper to regulate cholesterol levels. So you see, these are packed full of health benefits while also tasting delicious! THE DREAM!

Let me know if you make these in the comments below and tag me @jessinretrospect in your creations if you share on Instagram :)

One of the things I miss most about living in London is all the different food and cuisines that are readily available all around you! My favourite by far was all the middle eastern goodness like falafel, hummus, fatoush, the list goes on and on. And high up on that list is definitely baba ganoush. Baba ganoush is a healthy, creamy, garlicky dip made primarily of roasted aubergines (or eggplants depending on where in the world you are :) ). You can whisk this up in no time and keep it in a closed container in the fridge for about a week.

Here's what you'll need:

Preheat your oven to 225°C.

Cut your aubergines in half lengthwise and score them in a crisscross pattern. Brush the scored side with olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt on top. Place them on a lined baking tray with the cut side facing down. Bake in the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes. The inside of your aubergines should be really soft and the cut sides should have browned a bit.

Leave the aubergines to cool before scraping out the "flesh", then add it into a sieve to get rid of any excess water. In a big bowl add the drained aubergines as well as the finely minced garlic (you can also use a garlic press but mine hates me so I avoid it.. :) ). Mix together with the lemon juice, tahini, salt and cumin and blend it roughly. Add to your serving bowl before sprinkling with chopped parsley as well as some smoked paprika powder and a drizzle of olive oil. And there you go! Your baba ganoush is ready to be devoured!

I'm currently obsessed with these little Vinschgauer beads - they're basically little rye and wheat sourdough flatbreads and I loooove them. So I enjoy dipping these, but baba ganoush is also delicious with veggies, falafels, pita bread or even (vegan) meats at a barbeque (I really keep going on about barbeques don't I? Oh well, it's summer so everything has to be bbq appropriate :) ). 

Making this ALMOST makes me feel like I'm back at my favourite Lebanese restaurant Meza in Tooting Bec who you should definitely check out if you're in the area! I urge you to give this recipe a go, you'll thank me later :) If you recreate this, let me know in the comments below and tag me in your pictures :)

So over here in Germany the temperatures have finally hit the 30°C mark and summer has well and truly arrived! So we need all the hydration and refreshments we can get. This recipe is perfect for this! Made with butterfly pea tea which is made from blue flowers commonly found in South East Asia and a staple in Ayurvedic medicine for stress relief as well as boosting the immune system. The plant contains antioxidants that are said to help with skin issues as well as anti ageing. I'm obviously no nutritionist so please do your research if you wanna find out more about this :)

Butterfly pea tea has a very subtle, earthy taste and a vibrant deep blue colour. It reacts with different ph-levels and changes colour accordingly. Add in acids and it turns a bright purple, mix it with hibiscus tea and it turns a glowing pink. You can easily make different looking versions of this simply by reducing or increasing the amount of acids etc. you add. Definitely an eyecatcher at your summer parties :)

Heat up your water but be careful not to boil it. You want it to be hot but not boiling. Try heating it up to 80°C. Pour over your flowers and leave your tea to infuse for about 5 - 8 minutes. After that, strain your tea making sure you press out all the colour from the flowers with the back of a spoon. You should have a very blue mug of tea now :) Sweeten the tea with the sugar. Remember we are trying to make lemonade here so some sugar is needed but we're keeping it pretty light still. If you want, you can use honey or agave syrup to replace the sugar.

Leave your tea to cool down.

Once your tea has cooled. Mix it with the juice of one lemon and watch it gradually change its colour from blue to purple. 

Add ice to your serving glasses. Pour your tea and lemon mixture into your serving glasses and top both with mineral water. Add more ice and decorate with lemon slices, berries and rosemary.

And there we go! Two beautiful big glasses of purple lemonade full of natural ingredients, super refreshing and not as sweet as store bought lemonades! I hope you give this a go this summer. Let me know in the comments what you think and tag me in your creations on instagram @jessinretrospect :)

Today, I'm sharing with you a quick and easy recipe for focaccia. This Italian bread is perfect for your next BBQ, picnic or as a little snack enjoyed with some olive oil. You can really go wild with the toppings here but I thought I'd show you two of my favourites today. If you want to keep it more simple, just sprinkle your breads with rosemary and sea salt et voilà. Let's get baking :)

You'll need:

In a glas or small bowl, crumble the yeast cube into about 4 - 5 tbsp of water, add the sugar and combine well. Set aside for it to do its thing for about 10 minutes.

In a big mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, olive oil and the rest of the water. Then add your yeast mixture and knead the ingredients to a ball of dough. Cover your dough with a towel and leave to rise in a warm location for at least an hour.

Preheat your oven to 225°C.

Your dough should now have risen to about twice its original size. Divide it into four parts and gently stretch the dough into little flatbreads, using your hands. Add your breads to a lined baking tray and cover them with the towel once more, to let them rise for another 20 minutes. After the second rise. using the back of a cooking spoon, make little wells in your focaccia breads, before brushing them with olive oil.

For the garlic & rosemary version, peel some garlic cloves and chop them in half lengthwise. Pick some leaves off your rosemary sprigs, then decorate your breads with both, gently pressing the cloves and leaves into the dough.

For the tomato and pine nut version, chop some cherry tomatoes an press them into your focaccias. Sprinkle some pince nuts on top.

Sprinkle some coarse sea salt on top of all the breads before baking them in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes. Once they come out of the oven, give them another little brush of olive oil and leave them to cool before serving.

Don't they look soooo delicious?! And they taste it too if I do say so myself :) They definitely turned out super fluffy and were a big hit with everyone! I hope you give this recipe a go. Let me know if you do and tag me on instagram if you share you creations there :)

Lots of Love,
Jess xx