For my birthday, my dear friend Clare brought round a batch of her homemade Marzipan & Pecan cookies for me. And I really loved them. They are crispy and chewy, just like a cookie should be and the union of the soft marzipan and crunchy pecan comes together perfectly. Although we are in the mad process of moving house, I still found time to make them -proof that they are a quick wee treat to throw together, even if the storage boxes are piling high. Maybe this is due to the fact that there are so many 150g measurements in this recipe..?

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Makes roughly 25 cookies

150g unsalted butter, softened
150g soft brown sugar
150g granulated sugar
150g plain flour
150g rolled oats
1 large egg
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb
1/4 tsp salt
100g raisins
100g chopped pecans
50g marzipan

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Cream the butter and both sugars together, until light in texture. Beat in the egg and almond extract. Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Add the oats and mix well until combined. Next add the chopped pecans and raisins and mix in thoroughly.

Using two spoons (or your hands!) form walnut sizes balls and place a little pea sized chunk of marzipan in the middle. Place the balls onto a lined baking tray and pop in the fridge for 15 min.
Bake the cookies in a preheated oven set to 170°c /fan 160°c/gas 3-4, for 15 min. Remove from the oven an transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.