Blackcurrant and Thyme Thumbprint Cookies.

Did I tell you that this summer has been the summer that I've got excited about gardening? Last year I had a dabble and produced the odd strawberry and a haul of tomatoes that didn't ripen....but this year, THIS year, I've sewn the seeds, filled watering can after watering can, bought one of those plastic mini greenhouse thingies and have even got Gardeners' World set on series record. I love Monty.

Little sister thinks it's hilarious and has spent most of the summer sarcastically asking how my hanging basket is doing while sniggering down the phone. THANKS for the support.

It's a bit of a weird and scary hobby for me though, because it's not like cooking and baking which I've done forever and know a whole heap about and understand enough to know when recipes need to be followed exactly and when I can tweak and twiddle and know that as long as I follow the fundamental rules all will work out in the end. This is all new and scary and even when I think I'm following all the rules I find out more rules that I didn't know about or I do do all the things I'm supposed to and things still go wrong and my squash gets mildew. Nightmare.

I guess it's all good and about learning and exploring like I must have done in the kitchen in the beginning...it just takes a while longer in the garden because you've got to wait around for seasons and such like. Anyway, one of the things I learnt from a recent Gardeners' World (I feel like I should take notes there's so much information...is that what watching cooking shows feels like to new cooks?) was that I should cut back my thyme so it makes new, non-woody growth which is preferable for cooking....and like a good little new gardener I did what I was told. This meant I had heaps of the stuff to use up though...hence these little beauties. Don't feel like you have to grown your own though, that magical supermarket place has done all the work for you. Enjoy. With Love and Cake.

Thyme and Blackcurrant Thumbprint Biscuits.

adapted from a recipe by My Darking Lemon Thyme

A few note:

• The thyme I used was freshly dried...as in, I left the bunch I cut from my garden hang around on a plate for a week or so...you could happily use fresh from a packet or pot from a supermarket or your garden...just don't use the jarred dried stuff.
• You could actually not even use thyme at all, or maybe you'd like to experiment and mix it up with rosemary and marmalade or whatever other combination floats your boat.
• These whizzed up in my food processor in no time, but feel free to cream the butter and sugar by hand or with an electric whisk and stir the rest in with a spoon.

Makes 10-12

You will need

1 x baking sheet, greased

125g butter, at room temperature

50g caster sugar

2 tsp thyme leaves

1 tsp vanilla extract

105g plain flour

50g cornflour

1/2 tsp baking powder

35g ground almonds

about 2 tbsp blackcurrant jam

• Preheat the oven to 180˚c.
• Cream together the butter, caster sugar, thyme and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
• Add the flour, cornflour, baking powder and ground almonds and bring together to a crumbly dough.
• Pull off about 1/2 tablespoonfulls of dough at a time and shape into balls.
• Press lightly onto your prepared baking sheet.
• Flour your thumb and press into the middle of each biscuit, leaving a slight impression.
• Fill each little hole with a teaspoon or so of jam.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until just starting to darken around the edges.
• Leave to firm up on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.