Homemade Orange Almond Butter Food

CHEWY ORANGE ALMOND BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add the almond butter, maple syrup, orange juice, egg and almond extract together. Whisk fully.
• Add the oats, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and slivered almonds in the bowl. Mix fully.
• Drop large cookies (2-3 tbsp worth) onto the parchment paper at least 1 inch apart.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges become just slightly browned. Let the cookies fully cool on a wire rack.

HOMEMADE ALMOND BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, shaking the pan halfway through, until golden and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a food processor and add 1/2 teaspoon salt, then process until it is a smooth paste, about 5 minutes. Add the honey and continue to process until combined. With the machine still running, slowly drizzle in 2 tablespoons oil. Thin if desired with the remaining tablespoon oil.

ALMOND BUTTER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Spread the almonds on a baking tray and roast for 10 mins. Remove and allow to cool.
• Put into a food processor and whizz for 12 mins, stopping every so often to scrape the sides down, and finish with a drizzle of honey. Serve spread over malt loaf or wholegrain bread. Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

ORANGE & ALMOND CAKE WITH CITRUS MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Boil two of the oranges (whole) in water, with the lid on the pan, for about 1 hour or until squidgy. Drain and leave to cool.
• Butter a springform cake tin, 23cm/9in wide and 7cm/23⁄4in deep. Add 1-2 tablespoons of polenta, tip the grains around until the tin is coated, then knock out the excess. Set aside.
• Whizz the flaked almonds to a grainy powder in a food processor, then mix in a bowl with the polenta and baking powder. Set aside.
• Halve the cooked oranges and remove any pips. Remove zest from the third orange. Whizz the zest and the orange halves (with skin on) to a smooth purée in the food processor. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan oven 160C. Using a mixer or electric beaters, beat the eggs, yolks and sugar for a good 5-7 minutes until the batter looks like a very thick milkshake.
• Quickly beat in the almond mixture, then the purée until just blended. Pour the batter into the tin, leaving at least 1.5cm/5⁄8in at the top.
• Bake the cake in the middle of the oven. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 150C/ Gas 2/fan oven 130C, bake for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 140C/fan oven 120C for a further 30 minutes (if you have a gas oven, cook at gas 4 for 10 minutes, then at gas 2 for 11⁄4 hours until done without reducing the temperature further). The cake is ready when it has risen, is golden-brown and the centre is just firm - don't panic that it still feels fragile.
• Leave the cake to cool in its tin (it will sink a little), then run a palette knife around the edge before releasing the sides. Only attempt to transfer it from the metal base to a decorative plate or stand if you have a proper cake lifter.
• Whisk the liqueur and marmalade into the mascarpone. Serve the cake in thick wedges with the mascarpone dolloped on top.