Chocolate chip shortbread

It's going to be a lovely day tomorrow. Really. So do your time in the kitchen today and be ready to get outdoors when the sun starts shining.

Whatever the weather, these chocolate chip shortbread rounds will not disappoint. Crisp, crunchy, buttery shortbread with chunks of dark and white chocolate (such as left-over Easter eggs). You could even go wild and add a handful of nuts.

Just add tea

Chocolate chip shortbread

225g butter

100g caster sugar

¼ teaspoon salt (if you're using unsalted butter; a generous pinch if not)

225g plain flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

125g chocolate (any type), chopped

Pre-heat oven to 150/gas 2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder and chocolate and stir to form a stiff dough. Roll into walnut-sized rounds, flatten each one slightly and place on a baking tray at least 3cm apart. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from baking tray and cool on a rack.

Feast your mince pies on these

I'm not the biggest fan of mince pies, but these have the most delicious pastry - like shortbread - which just melts in your mouth. You can't roll it out in the normal way; instead it has to be manipulated, but this is very easy (especially if you enlist some child labour). They are supposed to look rustic, for homespun appeal. The recipe comes from the Good Food website, where they have 265 five star ratings.

Mince pies

Mince pies

225g cold butter

350g plain flour

100g caster sugar

280g mincemeat

1 small egg, beaten

This will make about 18

Pre-heat oven to 200/gas 6. Whizz the butter and flour together in a food processor, then add the sugar. Add a small amount of the beaten egg - a couple of teaspoons - and keep the motor running until the mixture forms a dough (I had to use my hands a bit at the end). Now take a piece of dough about the same size as a walnut and press it into one of the holes in your bun tin. Fill with mincemeat. To make the lids, start with a marble size piece of dough, pat it out in your hands to form a round lid and lie it on top of the mincemeat. Glaze with egg and bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Leave them in the tin to cool for about 5 minutes before removing. Dust with icing sugar when cool.