Sweet treats for the soul

Anyone who knows me will tell you baking is my therapy – it’s my own form of mindfulness mediation. Plus, it’s the way I nurture the people I love. When I can’t sleep, I often tiptoe into the kitchen and, in the calm quiet of the early morning, will begin to measure and mix – maybe a batch of oat cookies for my boys, a cake for a girlfriend’s birthday or some raw caramel slice for my team at the office. Surely it’s good for the soul.

After all, is there anything better than curling up with coffee and a freshly baked brownie, warm from the oven? Or the way the comforting smell of muffins fills the house on a cold, rainy day?

I hope you enjoy these recipes from my new book, Modern Baking as much as I do.

With all my years of tweaks and updates, they’re my favourite sweet things to make in my own kitchen right now.

Place the blueberries, lemon rind, caster sugar, cornflour and thyme in a medium bowl and toss well to combine.

Top the almond meal with the blueberry mixture and the butter. Fold in the edges of the pastry, pressing gently to enclose.

Brush the edges with egg and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C and bake for a further 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the fruit is bubbling.

Allow the tart to cool on the tray for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the extra thyme to serve.