Chocolate Crunchie

Ingredients:

200g digestive biscuits, broken into uneven crumbs

100g butter, plus extra for greasing

3 tablespoons golden syrup

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

50g raisins

100g dark chocolate

Method:

1. Butter a 18cm / 7in sandwich tin.

2. Melt the butter and syrup in a pan.

3. Stir in the cocoa and raisins, then thoroughly stir in the biscuit crumbs.

4. Spoon into the tin and press down firmly.

5. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and spread over the biscuit base.

6. Chill for about half an hour.

 This is such an easy go to recipe, I totally recommend it!

Chloe xo

My Favourite Cookies

Today I decided to make one of my all time favourite recipes, m&m cookies! They are really delicious, easy to make and always go down a treat!

Ingredients: 

250g/9oz softened butter

50g/2oz caster sugar

100g/3.5oz light muscovado sugar

300g/10oz self raising flour
2 tbsp milk

1 bag of m&ms

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas mark 4. 

2. Line 3 baking sheets with non stick baking paper (or bake in batches). 

3. In a bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 

4. Stir on the flour and milk, mix well, then stir in the M&Ms.

5. Divide the mixture into 18 equal portions. 

6. Roughly shape each portion into a ball. Put on the baking sheets well apart to allow for spreading. Lightly flatten each biscuit with your fingertips, keeping the mixture quite rough-looking.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cookies are pale golden around the edge, but still feel soft in the centre. 

8. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool a little more before eating.

 And there you have it, like I say these are so easy and simple to make I really recommend! What's your favourite cookie recipe?

Chloe xo

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Ingredients

For Cupcake:

300g self raising flour

250g unsalted butter

4 eggs

4 tablespoons of cocoa powder

250g caster sugar

Grated rind of half a large orange

4 tablespoons of orange juice

For Icing & Decoration:

220g unsalted butter

450g icing sugar

Grated rind of half a large orange

2 tablespoons of orange juice

Milk Terry's Chocolate Orange

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Put the chocolate into  a bowl to melt over a saucepan of boiling water.

Put the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs and butter into a large mixing bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined. 

Next add the grated rind and squeeze out 4 tablespoons of the juice of the orange and mix together.

Spoon mixture into the cases and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Once ready, remove from the tray and leave to cool.

Put the butter into a mixing bowl . Beat until it has a smoother texture, adding a spoonful of icing sugar at a time. Once mixed completely, add in the orange rind and the orange juice. 

Using a piping bag and nozzle, swirl the icing on the top, and decorate with a segment of Terry's chocolate orange.

 These are really simple to make and taste lovely (if I do say so myself!) Hopefully will have another baking post up tomorrow.

Chloe xo

Halloween Graveyard Cake

Now I know Halloween was on Wednesday but I saw this recipe the other day and I couldn't resist making it! The brilliant thing about this cake is that the messier the presentation the better, it takes a little bit of the pressure off this time round.

Ingredients

The Cake:

250g/9oz butter

250g/9oz caster sugar

4 free-range eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g/7oz self-raising flour

50g/2oz cocoa powder

Ginger Biscuit Tombstones:

350g plain flour

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

100g/3½oz butter

175g/6oz light soft brown sugar

4 tbsp golden syrup

1 free-range egg

For the decoration:

White icing (such as royal icing.)

125g/4½oz butter, softened

250g/9oz icing sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp milk

½ pack Oreo cookies or bourbon biscuits

1 pack chocolate sticks (such as Matchmakers or Fingers)

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Grease and line a 20x30cm/8x12in rectangular cake tin with baking parchment.

3. Beat together the butter and sugar with a hand-held mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between each addition, adding the vanilla extract with the last of the egg.

4. Sift together the flour and the cocoa powder into a bowl. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.

5. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.

6. Bake for 30 minutes until firm to the touch (a wooden skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean).

7. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

8. For the ginger biscuit tombstones, place the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl. Rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

9. Add the sugar, syrup and egg and mix together until it forms a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

10. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out your shapes – you will only need a few for the cake so cut out some other Halloween shapes for extra biscuits.

11. Place the shapes on to greased baking sheets and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the sheets with a palette knife and place onto a wire rack to cool completely before decorating with white icing.

12. For the buttercream, beat the butter in a large bowl with a hand held mixer until creamy then add the icing sugar a spoonful at a time beating well between each addition. Add the cocoa powder and milk and beat again for a further five minutes until light and fluffy.

13. Blend the Oreo or bourbon biscuits to fine crumbs in a food processor.

14. Spread the buttercream over the cooled cake, covering the top and sides don’t worry if it’s not smooth, a few lumps and bumps will make it more mud-like.

15. Break the chocolate sticks in half unevenly, then stick around the sides of the cake to form the fence.

16. Sprinkle the biscuit soil over the surface before sticking in the tombstones.

I really enjoyed making this cake and I think it would be the perfect thing to make with children. I hope you don't mind two Halloween related posts. If you would like me to bake anything specifically please leave me a comment below. 

Chloe xo