SARAH RAINEY BAKES

Wine and chocolate. Two of my favourite things in the world. So what if I told you you could bake by MIXING THE TWO TOGETHER?! Or, better still, make chocolates out of wine. Mind. Blown. Right?! When I heard you could make chocolate ganache (the rich, creamy fondant that's used to make truffles) out of alcohol - rather than cream - I couldn't believe it at first. But after much experimenting, I came up with these boozy truffles. They're devilishly indulgent, squidgy and sophi

Crisp and golden on the outside, gooey and squidgy on the inside, these coconut macaroons are little nuggets of temptation, whatever the time of day. You can drizzle them with dark, milk or white chocolate or add some flavour to the wet mixture before baking: try cinnamon, ginger or crushed cardamom for a kick. And make them bite-sized or jumbo-sized, depending on who's coming to tea... Makes 12 Ingredients: 200g desiccated coconut 175g sweetened condensed milk 1 tsp vanilla

For those days when you just need some good, old-fashioned comfort food, it's hard to beat a stodgy, spongey lemon pudding. The sort your Grandma just to make, to cheer you up and put a smile on your face for the rest of the week. Self-saucing, which means it has a gooey underneath that keeps the sponge nice and moist, this pud is a failsafe favourite - and still tastes good the next day, and the day after that, paired with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. If you don't like lemo

In my first book, Three Ingredient Baking, there's a recipe for ice cream bread... which is technically a cake made from a whole tub of melted vanilla ice cream and sprinkles. This is essentially the same idea, but baked into a sweet chocolate-chip loaf. With just three ingredients, it's tons easier than a complicated chocolate cake - but hits the same spot when it comes to those cravings. You are WELCOME. Serves 8-10 Ingredients: 1 litre chocolate ice cream 200g self-raising

These brownies are not only gooey, fudgey and packed full of cocoa-rich chocolate, but they're SO simple to whip up - and (bonus points here) they're healthy, too. And this isn't like some of my other recipes, the ones which have an entire tub of Nutella or a whole packet of Oreo cookies in them. This is genuinely healthy - no added sugar or other evils - just simple, store-cupboard ingredients turned into something tasty. So what are you waiting for? Bake them, eat them, bri

If I ever went vegan (and that's not likely to happen any time soon...), the one thing I'd really miss, baking-wise, is meringue. Those delicious pillow-like clouds of sugar, with a chewy caramelised middle and delicate crunchy edges... oh my. Vegan baking is brilliant these days, but there's not much it can do in the way of replicating a good meringue... Or is there? Because these vegan meringue kisses, made with chickpea water - also known as 'aquafaba' - are pretty indisti

No, these are categorically NOT healthy spinach balls... Look closer... closer still. YES! They're pistachio truffles, packed full of creamy white chocolate, gooey condensed milk and enrobed in crunchy pistachio pieces. They're my go-to truffle recipe, and you can swap out the pistachios for other nuts, if you prefer, and use milk or dark chocolate instead of white. An excuse, if ever you needed one, to make them over and over again. Makes 16-18 Ingredients: 125ml double crea

Time for a savoury bake, for a change. These fluffy flatbreads are one of the easiest bakes in my book, showing that whipping up a bread from scratch doesn't have to be time-consuming, expensive or messy (ok, it's a little bit messy, but I promise there isn't an ounce of faff). Eat them with soups, curries or stews, and if you've got time, make a double batch and freeze half - they defrost well and crisp up nicely in the toaster or under the grill. Makes 6 Ingredients: 250ml

With just 48 hours to go until the big day, here's a simple, showstopping recipe for some Christmassy snowballs - ideal for handing round at parties, rounding off a meal, or serving up with mulled wine / festive cocktails when the neighbours drop in unexpectedly. My brother's the coconut obsessive in our family, so these are for him, with a little bit of added festive glitz. Merry Christmas everyone, and here's to a bake-tastic New Year... Makes 14-16 Ingredients: 150g pecan

In my house, Sunday afternoons are for baking. And nothing ticks the Sunday afternoon baking box better than this warming brioche bake: stodgy, hearty, perfect fare for finishing off a roast dinner or setting you up for the week ahead. So shake off those Sunday blues and fill the house with delicious aromas of crisp, toasty brioche pudding. You'll be dreaming of this one for months to come. Serves 6 Ingredients: 8 slices of brioche (approx 250g) 1 x 400ml can of coconut milk

Stuck for ideas for what to do with the kids this weekend? My three-ingredient marshmallow flan is here to save you! Wobbly, luminous and sickly-sweet for the sugar monsters in your household, it's just the baking activity to keep your little ones busy in the kitchen (with some help from the big ones, of course...) Inspired by a viral recipe made in an old milk carton, my take on the jelly-like flan - which, I promise you, is genuinely delicious! - will become a firm family f

Nutella soufflés. Honestly, need I say more? Delicious, certainly not nutritious, but a failsafe crowd-pleaser that will round off any meal with panache, these little pots of delight are so tasty that I can never limit myself to just one. Go on, treat yourself... Makes 4 Ingredients: 300g chocolate spread (I mean, we all know which one I'm talking about here but you can always use a different brand...) 4 eggs 2 tbsp icing sugar Method: Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C. Greas

It's that time of year again: the days are short, the nights are dark and cold... and I want to do nothing else except snuggle up on the sofa and stuff my face with beige foods. Like chips. Oh, and this super-speedy tart. Packed full of juicy berries, creamy custard and crisp flaky pastry, it's the perfect Monday pick-me-up. So pop one in the oven with your dinner tonight and marvel at how easy it is to make - and how impressive it looks (and tastes) when you take it out of t

Ok, ok, so there are still a few weeks til Christmas (5 and a bit... or 37 days, to be precise... not that I'm counting) but I couldn't resist posting a recipe for these little festive morsels. Made from mixed fruit, puff pastry and a spoonful of your favourite jam, they're the speediest Christmas treats around - and are guaranteed to go down a (snow)storm at parties. So why not rustle some up today and stick them in the freezer for festive emergencies? Makes 18 Ingredients:

If you like piña colaaaaadas... Sorry. Shhh. But if you do like piña coladas, you will LOVE these. Inspired by the classic retro cocktail (which, incidentally, my sister adores as she says it tastes like summer), I've invented these pastry puffs, stuffed full of creamy pineapple yumminess. They may look tricky to make, but once you get the hang of it, I promise you could whip them up with your eyes closed (not recommended, but they are that simple). Then you can wow dinner pa

The idea for these little beauties came from the Brazilian brigadeiro, a traditional sweet in the South American nation, which is made from condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter and sprinkles. Mine are slightly more refined - but made in exactly the same way - to create squidgy bites that are guaranteed to keep you coming back for more. If you want to bend the rules and add a fourth ingredient, you can opt for cocoa powder or sprinkles over the top - or try cinnamon, cardamom

Tarte tatins - a type of posh, upside-down apple tart - always make me think of MasterChef, particularly the way judge Gregg Wallace pronounces the classic French dessert (and his mouthwatering recipe for them). They're the ultimate dinner party treat: golden, crisp pastry, traditionally enveloped over the top of a pan of caramelising apples and then flipped upside down once it's baked to a crisp. My miniature versions are something of a cheat, but they're no less delicious -

Forget the chewy, tooth-achingly sweet, lemon bon bons of your youth, the sort that came by the quarter in paper bags from the sweetie shop. These little gems herald a whole new era in lemon bon bons… made with just three ingredients. They're citrussy, crunchy and slathered in white chocolate. Better still, you can whip up a batch in just 10 minutes - and the results will look like you slaved away for hours. AND the secret ingredient is another retro favourite... the custard

Crisp, golden pastry parcels filled with oozy, melty cheese. Have I got your attention yet? Halloumi is THE cheese of the moment - if nothing else so you can make that 'What did the cheese say to itself in the mirror?' joke - and these little crunchy morsels sum up everything I love about the salty Mediterranean delicacy. Make them ahead of time and crisp them up in the oven ahead of dinner as a starter or side dish - and serve with a big bowl of your favourite sauce for dunk

Half-brûlée, half crumble, my golden berry bake combines the best of all worlds - and can be eaten sizzling hot from the oven, or chilled if you prefer. It works well with a bag of mixed berries - the plumpest and juiciest you can get your hands on - and golden caster sugar rather than regular caster, which gives it a lovely honeyed hue on top and makes the whole thing taste like caramel. All you need is five minutes to whip it up... and an extra big spoon to dig in... Serves