It seems every day is National Something-or-other Day… but when I saw this day was coming up (just weeks after National Tea Day) I knew I wanted to write about it.
One of the things people often say when they start working at Touchstone is that their clothes seem to be fitting quite snugly with the curries and refreshments from training and other get togethers.
The IAPT team is no exception and over the last year we’ve had all sorts of baking.
Some of the benefits of baking (and cooking more generally) are that it can be sociable, something to share with others, a way to mark a special event. In this way baking can be a way of giving to other people.
We can learn new skills, adapt our existing ones. We can develop confidence and a sense of achievement, cooking can become a hobby as well as a routine task.
We can lose ourselves in the moment, from cooking to tasting our creations.
Keeping active, learning, giving, connecting and taking notice are all considered part of the route to happiness.
With Eid Al-Fitr only a week away there’s never been a better time to get baking!
Here is an easy recipe needing no fancy ingredients (unless you want to add some) and no special equipment.
Vegan Shortbread Biscuits
Prep Time
10 mins to mix and for best results at least 1 hour to chill
Cook Time
12 mins to bake and at least 5 mins to cool
Ingredients
175g vegan margarine (such as Vitalite) plus extra for greasing
85g caster sugar
200g plain flour
Instructions
Stir vegan margarine and sugar together with wooden spoon until mixed.
Stir in the flour with the spoon and then use your hands to mix until the ingredients are combined.
Split the dough into two halves and roll each piece into a log shape about 5cm thick. Cover (or wrap in cling film) and pop in the fridge for an hour or more.
Heat the oven to 180 C (160 C if fan oven). Slice the logs into up to 10 biscuits about 1 cm thick.
Line a baking tray with baking paper (or if you don’t have any lightly grease the tray with vegan margarine). Transfer your biscuits onto the baking tray and bake for about 10- 12 minutes until turning golden. Leave on the baking tray to cool.
Spice up your recipe by adding half a teaspoon of vanilla extract, cinnamon or lemon juice! But not all of these at once!
There’s about the same calories in one of these biscuits (140kcal) as a large banana.
Recipe inspired by http://annabanana.co/vegan-shortbread-cookies/
Written  by Geraldine Montgomerie-Greenwood