Bounty bar cookies

Someone once said to me (Katie from work - I am looking at you!) that coconut is a bit like Marmite. You either love it or you hate it. Now I am firmly in the love it camp, which makes these cookies like little bites of coconutty heaven. It's a take on my usual cookie recipe but obviously with the addition of Bounty bars! 

Ingredients:-

150g salted butter, softened

80g light brown muscovado sugar

80g granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

225g plain flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp salt

4 bars of Bounty (big bars so you have 8 of the half bars)

Method:-

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Add the butter and both sugars to a bowl and beat until creamy. I use a standalone mixer for this and beat, using the paddle attachment, for a good 2-3 minutes.

While waiting, chop the Bounty bars into small chunks and set aside.

Next add to the butter and sugar mix the vanilla extract and egg, and mix until combined.

Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt over the mixture and beat until the mixture magically becomes cookie dough. Add the chopped Bounty bars and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Using a ice cream scoop (life changing in baking I tell you!), dollop mounds of the mixture, spaced well apart on the baking trays. 

Bake in the oven for 8–10 mins until golden brown on the edges and still slightly soft in the center.

Leave on the trays for a couple of minutes to firm up and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Depending on how scoopy I'm feeling, I tend to get on average 8-10 cookies from this recipe, they're quite the cookie, if you know what I mean! So if you prefer something smaller then absolutely go for it and use a teaspoon to scoop.

Enjoy!

Raspberry lemon crumb muffins

Tis the season for fruit picking! Specifically, strawberries and raspberries. These muffins made good use of the sweet raspberries I picked last weekend and they went down a treat. The lemon crumb topping really brought out the raspberriness (is that even a word?!) so if you also have a pile of berries and know not what to do with them... read on.

Ingredients:-

For the muffins:

245g self raising flour

200g caster sugar

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

3 eggs

285g greek yogurt (none of this 0% malarky!)

1¼ tsp vanilla extract

250g fresh raspberries

For the topping:-

140g plain flour

130g light brown sugar

zest of 1 lemon

110g butter (melted)

Method:-

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. 

Line a muffin tin with paper liners (mix makes 12 muffins).

First make the crumb topping. Combine the flour, sugar and lemon zest. Then gradually add the melted butter and using a fork, rough up the mixture until you have a few big crumbs, and some little crumbs. You might not need all the butter here so don't pour it all in! 

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

Then in a larger bowl mix the eggs, greek yogurt, and vanilla. 

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until incorporated, being careful not to over mix..

Fill muffin liners ¾ full with batter (I use my trusty ice cream scoop here). 

Top with raspberries (about 4-5 raspberries each to cover the batter) and then add the crumb topping over the raspberries.

Bake for 25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Allow to cool in muffin tins for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

Oreo Rocky Road

This is such a quick and easy sweet treat to whip up, especially with kids because it requires no baking. Simply patience, while it sets in the fridge (easier said than done)! In case you had not gathered by now, I am a huge fan of a traybake'esque creation. Brownies or Flapjacks and now Rocky Road; there's just something so simple (and yummy) about them.

Ingredients:-
100g unsalted butter
225g milk chocolate
2tbsp golden syrup
2tbsp cocoa powder
50g white chocolate chunks
50g mini marshmallows
1 pack of Oreo biscuits

Method:-

Line a brownie tin with grease-proof paper.

Using heavy bottomed pan on the hob melt the milk chocolate and butter together. Then add cocoa powder and the golden syrup.Mix together thoroughly. Then leave until slightly cool.

Break the Oreo biscuits into smaller pieces (reserving a few whole biscuits for decoration) and add to the chocolate mix.

Next, add the marshmallows and the white chocolate chunks and stir until everything is covered in chocolate.

Pour into your lined tin and pat it down with a spatula until even.

Press some whole Oreo biscuits onto the top.

Leave to set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours then cut into squares and scoff!

Malteser Blondies

Sorry for the short hiatus. I've been on my holibobs, but I'm home now and eager to get back in the kitchen, baking again. Nothing pleases me more than a brownie...except for maybe a blondie! The white chocolate version of a brownie - what could be wrong with that? Nothing I tell you, nothing! These are SO good. You absolutely must make them. You'll thank me I promise!

Ingredients:-

100g white chocolate, chopped, plus 50g extra for the topping

125g unsalted butter, diced

225g light soft brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

3 large eggs, beaten

100g plain flour

50g self-raising flour

4 tbsp Horlicks

1 x 135g bag Maltesers

60g milk chocolate, chopped

Method:-

Preheat the oven to 170°C, fan 150°C, gas 3. Lightly grease a 20cm square baking tin and then line it with baking paper.

Place the 100g white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Add the butter and melt gently together over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat, stir until smooth and combined, and leave to cool slightly.

Add the sugar, vanilla extract and beaten eggs to the slightly cooled melted white chocolate and butter. Stir well to combine.

Sift both of the flours and Horlicks powder into the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Fold in 100g Maltesers and the milk chocolate and spoon into the prepared tin. Bake on the middle shelf for 35-40 minutes.

Leave to cool in the tin. Melt the remaining white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Meanwhile, lightly crush the rest of the Maltesers. Drizzle over a little of the the melted white chocolate. Then scatter over the crushed Maltesers, and finish with the remaining melted chocolate. Cool, then cut into squares.

Trust me on this, they wont last long!

Cheese scones

No I haven't lost my mind - this really is a savoury bake! I could eat cheese scones all day every day, I kid you not. These rarely (who am I kidding, they never) make it into anyone else's tummies.

Ingredients:-

225g self raising flour

Pinch salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 tsp baking powder

55g butter

100g cheddar cheese

80-90 ml milk, plus extra for glazing

Extra cheese for topping the scones (and lots of it!)

Method:-

Preheat oven with the baking tray inside, lined with baking paper, to 180 degrees.

In a medium to large bowl sift together the flour, salt, cayenne pepper and baking powder.

Cut the butter into cubes, place in the bowl and then using a mixer with a paddle attachment, slowly mix until the flour and butter resemble something akin to breadcrumbs. You can of course rub the mixture together with your fingers if you would prefer but I am a slightly lazy baker and a mixer wins every time!

Sprinkle the grated cheese into the breadcrumb mixture and rub in until the cheese is evenly distributed. 

With the mixer still running on the slowest setting, add the milk little by little until the dough comes together. You're looking for a soft firm dough that's not too wet. You may not need all of the milk to get the desired consistency here.

Lightly flour a surface tip the dough out onto it. Now I am not a fan of a rolling pin, so using the palms of my hands I press the dough out until it is approximately 3cm thick and then using a medium sized cutter, press out the rounds, reshape and keep cutting out scones until I've used all of the dough.

Brush the tops of the scones with the extra milk and sprinkle a little lot of cheese on the top of each scone before popping in the oven.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, cheese deliciously melted and yummy!