Raspberry And White Chocolate Muffins

I haven’t made muffins since my very first post, which was a good few months ago, so I thought it was definitely time to make another batch!  I had a bar of white chocolate sitting in my cupboard waiting to be used up, but nothing else to go with it.  In the end, I decided to quickly nip across the road to the supermarket and buy some raspberries which I thought would compliment the chocolate nicely! :)

When mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, some of the raspberries will break no matter how careful you are, but this adds a lovely ripple like effect through the mixture.  Also make sure that you let the butter cool for a few minutes before adding to the eggs so as not to cook them. 

The original recipe called for plain natural yoghurt, but I used a pot of raspberry yoghurt that I had already bought for my breakfast.  I don’t know if it matters really but I didn’t notice any difference in terms of how the muffins came out or tasted! They're delicious eaten both when warm and cool, and are still lovely and moist after a few days :)

Ingredients:

250g self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

150g raspberries

150g bar white chocolate, cut into small chunks

100g golden caster sugar

100g butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

150ml pot raspberry yoghurt

Method:

- preheat the oven to 200C

- line a 12-hole muffin tin with some muffin cases

- sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, then stir in the berries, chocolate and sugar

- add the butter, beaten eggs, and yoghurt, and stir to combine (it doesn’t matter if the mixture looks a bit lumpy, it’s more important not to overmix or the muffins will turn out tough)

- fill the cases and bake for 20-25 mins until risen and golden brown and then transfer to a rack to cool

Gooey Chocolate Pudding

I haven’t had the chance to bake anything all week, so come Thursday night, I was craving a proper homemade chocolate (had to be chocolate :P) dessert!  I had a quick look through some recipes and came across one for a chocolate pudding that only took 15 minutes to bake, and even less time to make! Perfect!

The recipe originally called for all dark chocolate but I tend to personally find too much dark chocolate is really bitter so I used part milk chocolate to help balance this out. I also used ground almonds instead of pecans as stated in the original recipe as that’s all I had in my cupboard, but you can use any type of nuts you want.  I’m sure hazelnuts would taste really lovely with this!

The melted chocolate has to be left to cool slightly before the egg, which has to beaten first, is mixed in. Once the rest of the ingredients are added, it will look a bit gloopy in texture, but still be fairly runny.  The pinch of salt is optional as it isn’t in the recipe, but I heard it helps intensify the chocolatey flavour so thought it wouldn’t hurt to put in.

Once out the oven, the puddings have a lovely lightly crisp top on the outside and a soft melt-in-the mouth gooey centre.  The recipe makes 2, but can easily be doubled, and put in the fridge a day ahead of when needed.  They are very rich so best served with cream or ice cream!

Ingredients:

50g butter, plus extra for greasing

cocoa powder for dusting

100g bar dark chocolate, melted

50g milk chocolate, melted

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp ground almonds

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

pinch of salt

Method:

- heat oven to 220C

- butter 2 individual pudding basins (about 200ml capacity) and then dust generously with cocoa powder

- melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over simmering water and stir until smooth

- gradually stir in the egg, flour, nuts, sugar and a pinch of salt, and beat gently until everything is combined but still runny

- divide the mixture between the pudding basins and bake for 15 mins (or 18 mins if chilled)

- leave to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto small plates

All American Chocolate Cookies

These are absolutely irresistible and addictive, and in my opinion, totally worth all the calories!  They’re very chocolatey without being too rich, with a soft and chewy middle and a slight crunch around the outside.  Just how cookies should be! :)

I used lindt chocolate with caramel pieces as it was on offer and thought it would go great in the cookies, but you can play around with the type of chocolate you use.  The original recipe also used whole peanuts along with the peanut butter, but I left these out as I didn’t want them to be too peanutty.

 

My mixture made around 12 fairly decent sized cookies, and they do keep well for a few days if they last that long!  You really do need to leave them sitting for a good 5 minutes before attempting to move them though as they have a tendancy to break and fall apart if you move them while still hot.

Ingredients:

300g milk chocolate

100g caramel chocolate

100g light muscovado sugar

85g butter, at room temperature

100g crunchy peanut butter

1 medium egg

½ tsp vanilla extract

100g self-raising flour

Method:

- preheat the oven to 180C

- chop 200g of the milk chocolate, and all of the caramel chocolate into rough, irregular chunks but keep separate

- break the remaining 100g milk chocolate into a mixing bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water

- stir the chocolate until melted, then tip in the sugar, butter, peanut butter, egg and vanilla

- beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed, then stir in the flour, all the caramel chocolate and half the milk chocolate chunks

- drop big spoonfuls on to baking sheets, leaving room for them to spread and stick the remaining chunks into the cookies (2-3 pieces in each)

- bake for 12-15 minutes until they are tinged very slightly darker around the edges (they will be soft in the middle, but will crisp up as they cool)

- let them cool and firm up for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then lift off with a wide spatula on to a cooling rack

Mini Egg Muffins

I was rummaging through my snack cupboard the other day and ended up finding 2 bags of mini eggs left over from easter that I must have forgot about (no idea how as I LOVE mini eggs!).  I was so tempted to eat them all there and then, but I just about managed to stop myself and convinced myself that they would taste a lot better sitting on top of even more chocolate :P

So, I had a little look online for what I could make, and in the end decided upon chocolate muffins topped with chocolate frosting and my beloved mini eggs! Perfect! :D

The mixture makes 12 muffins, which themselves are really moist and chocolatey, and the addition of the frosting makes them even more moist and yummy! Please excuse my icing skills, I was in a hurry as I was going out that evening!  If you’d rather not cook with nuts, you can swap the ground almonds for 100g more flour.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

150g pot natural yogurt

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g golden caster sugar

100g self-raising flour

40g cocoa powder

100g ground almonds

175g unsalted butter, melted

For the topping:

225g icing sugar, sifted

100g butter, softened

2tbsp cocoa powder

30ml hot water

Mini eggs

Method:

- line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases and heat oven to 190C

- in a jug, mix the yogurt, eggs ahuhund vanilla extract

- put the dry ingredients, plus a pinch of salt, into a large bowl and make a well in the middle

- add the yogurt mix and melted butter, and quickly fold in with a spatula or metal spoon but don’t overwork it

- spoon into the cases (they will be quite full) and bake for 18-20 mins or until golden, risen and springy to the touch

- cool for a few minutes, then lift onto a wire rack to cool completely

- to decorate, beat the icing sugar and butter together, then blend the cocoa and water to a smooth paste and beat into the butter mix

- spread over the top of the muffins and decorate with mini eggs

Raisin Loaf

I was really bored yesterday, as I usually am on Sundays, and so decided the best thing to do to help pass some time would be to bake!  I had a couple of things in mind that I wanted to make, one of which being a raisin loaf, which I had fallen in love with when I had some at Christmas! 

I used 250g of raisins and found this to be the right amount for me but you can always use more or less depending on your personal preference.  You can also experiment using different combinations of dried fruits. 

At first, the butter/sugar mixture looks really stiff, and adding the egg/flour makes it turn into more of a crumbly cookie dough like mixture, but then it all comes together when you add the fruit in.

The loaf is really moist and has a lovely sweet after taste from the orange juice.  It is pretty crumbly though so a sharp knife is needed to be able to cut the loaf cleanly.

Ingredients:

250g raisins

225ml hot water

juice 1 orange (about 75ml) plus zest

50g butter

100g light brown sugar

1 egg

225g self-raising flour

Method:

- place the dried fruits in a bowl and pour over the hot water, orange juice and zest

- cover with cling film, then leave for at least 4 hours or better still overnight.

- heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease and line a loaf tin

- beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg followed by the flour

- carefully stir through the fruit mixture

- spoon the mixture into the tin, then smooth over the surface with the back of a spoon

- bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean

- leave to cool in the tin, then turn out, cut into slices and serve

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sorry for the delay, I’ve been so busy with coursework and exams but all that’s over now so I can get back to my baking! I actually made this a couple of months ago but never got round to blogging it until now because of revision etc.

I got the recipe from the Good Food website and followed it properly apart from using water instead of tea for the dates as I didn’t have any tea in the cupboard.  I also shop-bought my toffee sauce but you can easily make your own.

The cake is very moist, and lasts for a few days. It’s just as good eaten when warm as well as when its cooled down, drizzled with lots of toffee sauce! Yum :)

Ingredients:

220g dried dates, stoned and chopped

250ml water

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

175g golden caster sugar

80g unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp mixed spice

toffee sauce

Method:

- heat the oven to 180C and lightly grease a tin

- put the dates and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil

- cook for 3-4 minutes to soften the dates and then stir in the bicarbonate of soda

- beat the butter and caster sugar together with a wooden spoon until pale and creamy, then beat in the eggs, flour and mixed spice

- fold in the date mixture, pour into the tin and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is just firm to the touch

- put the toffee sauce in a pan over a low heat and simmer until its gently heated

- cut the pudding into squares/triangles and serve with the warm sauce

Peanut Butter Cake

This cake is great for peanut butter lovers like myself! And with the addition of caramel/toffee sauce, chocolate and peanuts, it tastes just like a snickers bar! :)

For the cake itself, I used a basic Victoria sponge recipe.  I weighed my 4 eggs and then measured out the same amount in flour, butter and sugar.  I also added a drop of vanilla extract but you can always leave this out if you don’t have any around. When adding the egg in stages, the mixture will look a bit marbled so don't worry, but the end mixture should be pretty thick and creamy looking.

For the filling, I used a bit more peanut butter and toffee sauce than stated, but you can use as much or as little as you prefer.  The caramelised roasted salted peanuts do sound a bit odd, but they are delicious, although you really do need to watch them very carefully while toasting as they do burn easily.  Make sure you cut the cake just before the chocolate sets or else it will just break up and we don't want that! 

Ingredients:

For the cake:

220g caster sugar

220g softened butter

4 eggs, beaten

220g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

Drop of vanilla extract

For the filling and topping:

50g salted roasted peanuts

1 tbsp icing sugar

100g milk chocolate, roughly chopped

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp caramel/toffee sauce

                                      

Method:

- heat the oven to180C

- prepare two 20cm sandwich tins by greasing them thoroughly

- beat the butter until pale and light, then add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy

- break the eggs into a separate bowl and beat them lightly

- add the eggs to the batter mix in stages, beating in each addition thoroughly before adding the next

- sift the flour and baking powder together and using a large metal spoon, fold in the sieved flour to the egg and butter mixture

- divide the mixture equally between the two prepared tins, bake for 25-30 minutes and then cool on a wire rack until completely cool

- turn the oven up to 200C

- toss the salted peanuts and icing sugar with ½ tsp water until well coated and claggy

- spread over a non-stick baking sheet and roast for 5 mins, tossing them a couple of times until golden and coated in a shiny caramel before tipping onto a lightly buttered plate

- put one of the sponges onto a plate, spread with 3 tbsp peanut butter (or more), then dot with the dulce de leche and spread with a palette knife

- sandwich the second sponge on top, then spread with the chocolate topping and scatter with the caramelised peanuts

- melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and leave to cool slightly

Best Ever Brownies

The last time I made these, I was really impatient waiting for it to cool completely and so started cutting it up while it was still a bit warm. BIG mistake! The lovely gooey centre hadn’t set properly and so it just crumbled and went all mushy.  This time, I was determined to wait until it was totally cooled, which I just about managed :)

I got the original recipe here http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1223/bestever-brownies which used both milk and white chocolate but I didn’t have any white chocolate so just used double the amount of milk chocolate.  The recipe also calls for a square tin but I used a circular cake tin and it turned out fine.  You could also get away with using a bit less sugar (about 240g instead of 275g) if you wanted to.

I managed to get about 30 evenish pieces (lost track of counting as I had a couple while cutting :P) but you could get more/less depending on how big or small you want your pieces to be.  They are very chocolately and fudgy, and more so, addictive! The perfect treat for a chocolate craving :)

Ingredients:

185g unsalted butter

185g best dark chocolate

85g plain flour

40g cocoa powder

100g milk chocolate, roughly chopped

3 large eggs

275g golden caster sugar

Method:

- melt the butter and dark chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan with hot water, then leave the mixture to cool to room temperature

- heat the oven to 180C and butter a cake tin

- tip the flour and cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl

- break the eggs into a bowl, tip in the sugar, and whisk until they look pale, thick and creamy, like a milk shake, and about double its original volume

- pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a wooden spoon using a figure of 8, until the mixture is a mottled dark brown colour

- hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly

- gently fold in this powder using the figure of 8 (the mixture will look dry and dusty at first, but it will end up looking gungy and fudgy) and then finally stir in the milk chocolate chunks

- pour the mixture into the prepared tin, gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it

- cook for 25 minutes before opening the oven and gently shaking the tin

- if the brownie wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin

- leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold before taking out of the tin and cutting up

Strawberry and Chocolate Muffins

This is the first time I’ve baked in months because of revision and exams so it’s nice to be back in the kitchen again!  My New Year's resolution was to start a baking blog so here's hoping I get the chance to update it regularly.  I’ve made these muffins before with raspberries and white chocolate, so I thought I would try them with strawberries and milk chocolate this time as I had strawberries that needed using up.  They’re delicious both warm when the chocolate is slightly melted or when cooled when the chocolate is harder. Win Win! :) 

My strawberries were quite big so I got about 8-12 smallish chunks from each one, and I just roughly quartered each chocolate square.  The mixture will be quite thick and gloopy and just drop off the spoon in a big blob, but thats the way it should be.

The mixture makes 12 muffins, and you can adjust the amount/type of chocolate/fruit you use, or even half the recipe.  They do keep for a good few days in an airtight container, though they never really last that long in my flat with my boyfriend scoffing them after breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Ingredients:

250g self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

200g strawberries, cut into small chunks

200g bar milk chocolate, cut into small chunks

100g golden caster sugar

2 eggs, beaten

150ml pot natural yoghurt

100g butter, melted

Method:

- preheat the oven to 200C

- line a 12-hole muffin tin with some muffin cases

- sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, then stir in the berries, chocolate and sugar

- add the beaten eggs, yoghurt and butter, and stir to combine (it doesn’t matter if the mixture looks a bit lumpy, it’s more important not to overmix or the muffins will turn out tough)

- fill the cases and bake for 20-25 mins until risen and golden brown and then transfer to a rack to cool