Almond & cherry cookies

Name: Almond & cherry cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 18
Ingredients: 250 g unsalted butter, softened but cool; 150 g light brown soft sugar; 120 g caster sugar; 2 large free range eggs, beaten; 280 g plain flour, plus 1 tbsp; ½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; ¾ tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to serve; 140 g blanched almonds; 120 g dried cherries; ½ lemon, juiced; 100 g icing sugar, sifted

Great with coffee or as a little something after dinner, Junior Bake Off judge Ravneet Gill's freezer cookie dough gets a fruity upgrade with blanched almonds and dried cherries. But don't skip the cherry prep, it's the secret to keeping the dough looking picture-perfect. For more biscuit-tin favourites, browse our cookie recipes and biscuit recipes. Follow Ravneet on Instagram.

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Vegetarian

Makes18 - 20
CourseDessert
Prepare30 mins
Cook35 mins
Total time1 hr 5 mins
Plussoaking + cooling

Please note, we take every care to ensure the product, allergen and recipe information displayed is correct. However, should a product be unavailable, alternatives may be displayed and/or a substitution provided. If you have an allergy or intolerance, please always check the product label before use.

250g unsalted butter, softened but cool
150g light brown soft sugar
120g caster sugar
2 large free range eggs, beaten
280g plain flour, plus 1 tbsp
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¾ tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to serve
140g blanched almonds
120g dried cherries
½ lemon, juiced
100g icing sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 180°C, Gas Mark 4. Roast the almonds for 15-20 minutes until deep golden. Cool completely, then roughly chop.
Bring a kettle of water to the boil. Soak the cherries in a heatproof bowl of just-boiled water for 10 minutes, then strain, pat dry and toss with 1 tbsp plain flour.
In a bowl, use an electric hand mixer (or a wooden spoon) to cream the butter and sugars until smooth and combined, but not fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until just combined, scraping down the edges as you go.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Fold into the butter mix until just combined, stopping as soon as it forms a dough. Add the almonds and cherries and fold gently to distribute.
Tip onto a sheet of baking parchment, press into a rough cylinder, then roll tightly to around 5cm diameter. Wrap in another sheet of parchment and roll again to tighten. Freeze for at least 3 hours (up to 6 months).
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C, Gas Mark 4 and line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.
Remove the dough from the freezer and leave for 5 minutes, then slice into 1.5cm discs. Arrange on the trays with plenty of space between them (they will spread slightly).
Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden. Leave on the tray to cool completely. For a neat finish, use a large cutter to shape the cookies as they cool by rotating it around them while still warm.
In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and icing sugar until smooth, adding a little more lemon juice if needed. Once the cookies are cool, drizzle over the icing or dip into the icing.

Typical values per cookie (for 18) when made using specific products in recipe