Hugh's Ten Minute Cookies

This recipe is from River Cottage Everyday. I don't think they are as nice as Nigella's chocolate cookies from Nigella Express, but they lasted all week for lunch boxes and were nice and chewy.

For about 16 cookies you need:
125g butter
100g caster sugar
75g light soft brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g chocolate (I like a mix of white and milk)

Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly. Mix with the sugars and then add everything else. Spoon on to greased baking sheets, well spaced, and bake for 10 mins at 150 degrees. Leave to cool slightly before moving them to a cooling rack, but not for too long or they will stick...

Chocolate Flapjack

This was a mistake recipe as in I thought it would be nice to add chocolate chips to my usual flapjack recipe, and I'm sure it would have been. But they melted. So this is chocolate flapjack. Not my finest hour, but tasty none the less :)

For about 20 squares you need:
6oz butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
6oz sugar
10oz oats
1 pack plain choc chips
1 pack white choc chips

Melt the sugar, butter and syrup in a pan. Once melted add the oats and the chocolate. Press in to a lined swiss roll tin and bake at 160 degrees for 15 mins. Leave to cool then cut and scoff. I wonder whether prodding the chocolate on to the top of the flapjacks would be more successful? Anyone any tips?!

Devil's Food Cake

This makes the most delicious, moist, chocolatey cake :) It's the one Nigella uses in Feast for her graveyard ghouls cake.

For about 16 cupcakes you need:
250ml milk
1 tsp white wine vinegar
225g plain flour
50g cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb
200g caster sugar
110g margarine
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tub ready made royal icing or some chocolate ganache or nutella if you're feeling really slutty...

Put everything into a food processor and blitz till mixed (this is my kind of cake!). Pour into muffin cases and bake at 160 degrees for 20 mins or so until risen. Leave to cool and then ice with your chosen topping. They keep for 3-4 days.

Mississippi Mud Pie

I am working my way through the Hummingbird Bakery book at the moment and am trying out some of their pies. I love pies, but hardly ever make them due to the perception that it's lots of hassle. It's not. And the resulting pies have been to die(t) for. I am getting so fat from all of this! This pie is all you'd expect from the genre. Oozing, bitter chocolate base, crispy pie case and fluffy mounds of cream on the top studded with chunks of bitter chocolate. Heaven.

For 10-12 slices you need:
Filling:
150g bitter chocolate
50g butter
30g golden syrup
6 eggs
300g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
350ml double/whipping cream

Pie crust:
260g plain flour
110g butter
2-3 tbsp water

Make the pie crust by pulsing the butter and flour together in a food processor and then adding the water. Form into a dough and leave to rest for a bit wrapped in cling film. Then roll out and line a pie dish. Bake blind with beans for 10 mins and then without the beans for a further 10 mins.

Meanwhile make the filling. Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup together. Leave to cool slightly. Whisk the eggs and sugar till fluffy and combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Pour into the dish and bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 mins taking care not to burn the filling. It's done when the middle is set but still a bit wobbly. Leave to cool completely then refrigerate overnight. Just before you want to serve whip the cream and pile on the top. Sprinkle over grated chocolate before serving.

Bagels (v)

I don't have much confidence with making bread. Cakes? Yes. Bread? Not so much. However I was inspired after watching the Great British Bake Off, and learning about proving and rising and baking so thought I'd give it a go. One of the contestants made bagels, and given that we have moved in to a very Jewish area it would have been rude not to try them. They worked. Very well in fact!

For about 8 bagels you need:
2 tsp dried yeast
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
300ml warm water
500g bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

Begin by dissolving the yeast and sugar in 100ml of the water for 5 mins. Mix well and add to the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add as much extra water as you need to make a stiff, very firm dough. Knead for about 10 mins, working in extra flour if you can. The dough needs to be very very stiff and firm. Place the kneaded dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise for about an hour until it is doubled in size.

Knock back the dough and leave to rest for 10 mins. Cut into 8 equal sized pieces. Shape each piece in to a ball then form each ball in to a ring by twirling the dough on your index finger. Place the bagels onto an oiled sheet and leave to rest for 10 mins covered with a damp cloth.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and drop each bagel in (do this in batches of 2-3). Poach the bread until it rises to the surface - about a minute. Drain and then bake at 220 for about 20 mins or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and feel humbled that you Have. Made. Bagels. Eat.

Triple Chocolate Slice

This is basically a brownie by any other name. But obviously includes three types of chocolate. Cos one just isn't enough...

For about 16 slices you need:
90g plain chocolate
90g milk chocolate
150g plain flour
125 butter
2 eggs
100g soft brown sugar
130g white chocolate chunks

Melt together the milk and plain chocolate and butter. Leave to cool for a few mins. Then mix in the flour, eggs, sugar and white chocolate chunks. Pour into a lined swiss roll tin and bake at 160 degrees for about 30 mins till set. Leave to cool and then slice and scoff.

Lily's Scones (by Nigella) (v)

I thought I had blogged these already, given that they're my fave scone recipe, but apparently not. So here it is. Enjoy. And don't blame me when you get fat ;-)

For about 16 scones you need:
500g plain flour
2 tsp bicarb
4.5 tsp cream of tartar
125g cold butter, cut into lumps (or vegan marg)
300ml cold milk (or soya milk)
1 egg (for egg wash) (or more soya milk)
2 tsp vanilla sugar

Lob the flour and raising agents into a food processor along with the butter. Process till the butter is thoroughly mixed in. Then add the milk and keep the motor running till the dough comes together. Tip onto a floured surface and then roll out. The dough needs to be about 2 cms thick. Stamp into scones, re-rolling the dough till it's all used up. Place onto floured baking sheets, well spaced, and brush with the egg glaze. Sprinkle the sugar over the top. Bake for about 25 mins till risen and golden. Serve warm with lashings of clotted cream and strawberry jam, remembering to always ALWAYS put the cream on first and the jam on second ;-) I guess if you used soya marge and soya milk you could make these vegan. Instead of the egg wash use soya milk and serve with just jam or vegan cream cheese and jam.

Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Blondies

Lex and I watched peanut butter being made on How do they do it this morning and decided to have a peanut butter themed food day. I've been meaning to try this recipe for a while and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. It's another Rachel Allen recipe from her Bake cook book.

For about 18 small bite sized portions you need:
125g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g soft butter
150g crunchy peanut butter
175g soft brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g chopped white choc or white choc drops

Begin by creaming together the butter, peanut butter and sugar. Then add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour and baking powder (by this time you will have a stiff dough) and then finally add the white chocolate. You can turn the dough into a small, lined and greased baking tin if you want, but I used a mini muffin tin instead to save having to cut it up. Bake for about 25 mins till risen, golden brown and almost firm in the middle. Leave to cool then try and save for the week's lunch boxes. Fail miserably and make another batch mwahh!!

Ginger and Honey Snaps

I needed something different for Lex's lunchbox next week and fancied giving these a whirl. My mum used to make the most delicious ginger snaps on a sunday and these are pretty close to what she used to make. It's a recipe from Rachel Allen's Bake. If you substitute the butter for vegan marge and the honey for maple syrup or golden syrup then you can make these vegan too. Bonus.

For about 20 cookies you need:
225g self raising flour
2 tsp bicarb
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
100g caster sugar plus a couple of extra tablespoons for dusting
125g butter, cubed
100g runny honey

Lob everything apart from the honey into a food processor and blitz till combined. Warm the honey then pour into the dry ingredients. Mix, then press into discs, dust with sugar and bake in a hot oven (180 degrees) for no more than 10 mins (if they go too dark they will taste bitter. Eat.
Next time I make these I am going to omit the ground ginger and add some chopped, preserved ginger to dough. I might also use the syrup for the binding agent to give it an extra ginger kick.