Mini Chocolate Hearts

These are cute, little gift ideas for birthdays or valentines day. They are also very easy to make! Happy baking!

Ingredients: 

300g of 70% coco Milk chocolate couverture buttons

Method:

1. Pour two-thirds of your chocolate into a heatproof bowl, and melt over a saucepan half filled with water. The base of the bowl should not touch the water otherwise the chocolate would melt too quickly. Also don't boil the water, keep it to a gentle simmer. Occasionally stir the chocolate until it's all melted.

2. Take the chocolate off the heat and wrap the base of the bowl in a tea towel, so the chocolate doesn't melt too quickly. Then pour the remaining chocolate into the melted chocolate, and stir until all of the chocolate has been melted.

3. Make sure the mould is clean and dry then use a teaspoon to fill each of the heart moulds ,using another teaspoon to scape any excess chocolate off the spoon. Don't worry if you spill any chocolate over the mould. Fill all of the rows of hearts. Then gently vibrate and tap the mould so the chocolate spreads into all of each heart.

4. Scrape any excess chocolate that has spilt onto the mould off with a pallet knife then return it to the bowl. Set the chocolates in the fridge until firm.

5. Once set flex the mould and the chocolates should pop out. Trim the edges of the chocolate and arrange them in a box to give as a gift or you could just eat them!

Happy Baking.Beth x

3 Plait Loaf

Ingredients:

310ml warm / tepid water
2tsp dried yeast
1tsp caster sugar
450g plain flour
30g butter chopped
1tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1 tbs milk

Method:

 1. Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a jug until frothy. Then preheat the oven to 220C.

2. Place the flour in a large bowl and add the butter, rub the butter and flour in your finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the salt and combine to the mixture. Then make a well in the center of the mix and pour in the yeast mixture, mixing constantly with a fork. Once the yeast is combined in use your hands to form a dough.

3. Then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 15 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth to the touch. Place in a large bowl over the oven or in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size. That will be at least an hour.

4. Knock back the dough on a lightly floured surface for 2-3 minutes. Until it returns to it's original size.

5. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Then divide the dough into 3 equal portions and roll into sausages until about 30 cm long and 5 cm wide. Place on the tray and create a plait tucking the ends underneath the loaf.

6. Combine the egg and milk together in a small glass, then with a pastry brush lightly coat the bread with the mixture. bake for 10 minutes at 220C then lower the temperature to 180C for a further 20 minutes until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on its underside.

Best served warm. Happy Baking ! Beth x

Gingerbread house

 I needed a challenge to do with baking so I made this with my Mum and sister- we all had great fun doing it. I hope you all love this. I got this recipe from the Good Food website. Happy Baking :-D .

Ingredients for House:

250g unsalted butter
200g dark muscovado sugar
7tbsp golden syrup
600g plain flour
2 tsp bicarbonate soda
4 tsp ground ginger

Ingredients for decoration:

500g icing sugar
2 egg whites
2-3 packs of chocolate fingers
Generous selection of your own choice of sweets
few edible silver or gold balls

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Then melt the butter sugar and golden syrup in a medium sized pan.

2. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger into a large bowl, and add the butter mixture, mix well until it forms a stiff dough. If it won't come together add a splash of water. If it's then too wet add a sprinkling of flour.

3. Cut out the template for the ginger bread house. Go to Good food website at the top for this. Put a sheet of baking paper on your work surface. Roll out until around the thickness of two £1 coins cut out the shape from the different templates, then slide the gingerbread still on its baking paper onto a baking tray, repeat with all the other templates. Until you have 2 side walls, 2 roof panels and a back wall and a front wall.

4. I cut the remaining dough into gingerbread Christmas trees. Bake all the sections for around 12 minutes or until a little darker at the edges and firm and then cut around the shapes to give clean edges. Then leave all the sections to cool. Put the icing into a piping bag and then begin to assemble.

5. To assemble pipe generous lines of icing along all the edges of the shapes, except the roof panels and then attach all the remaining shapes together to form the shape of a house. Put a small cup in the center of your structure so far to support it. After a few hours to make sure your structure is dry put on the roof panels in the same process as before leave to completely set overnight.

6. To decorate place the chocolate fingers secured with icing along the roof and around the edges pipe icing. Then decorate the rest of your house your own way with assorted sweets.

7. Make it snow! Sieve icing sugar onto your house to create a snowy scene. I also put on the trees made from spare gingerbread on as well.

Enjoy ! Beth x

Mini Cheesecake Cups

These are a fun twist on a classic cheesecake... but not as big. This is a bit like cupcakes but with cheesecake. I got this recipe from ' They draw and they cook '. Happy Baking! :-D

Ingredients: 

 200g of cream cheese
100g granulated sugar
2 eggs- room temp
1/2 tub Elm Lee double cream
1 1/2 heaped tablespoons of flour
50g unsalted butter- softened
8 crackers 
25g coco powder
1/4 pint sour cream
1/4 cup of sugar

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Then crush the crackers finely.

2. Mix the cream cheese and sugar together and add the eggs one by one. Then slowly pour in the double cream and mix well. Add the flour.

3. Place cupcake liners in a cupcake tray.

4. In a separate bowl mix the crackers and the butter and fill each liner with a thin layer of the mixture. (about 2tsp of the mix for each cheesecake cup.) press down to make the layer firm.

5. Pour cream cheese mixture into each cup about 2/3 of the way. Bake for 15 minutes.

6. In the mean time mix the sour cream and sugar together and then set aside. Take the cheese cake cups and chill until completely cool.

7. Poor the sour cream topping on and bake for 5 more minutes. Then cool and chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Enjoy ! Beth x

Yummy Chocolate Macaroons

These went down so quickly after a really lovely dinner. Surprisingly they were easy to make, and were not that time consuming to do. i got a basic recipe from Good food. Happy Baking :-D

Ingredients:

125g Icing Sugar
1tbsp coco
100g ground almonds
2 medium egg white

For the filling: 

50g of milk chocolate - chopped 
2 tbs milk

Method:

1.Pre-heat the oven to 180C line a large baking tray with grease proof paper.

2. Sift the icing sugar and coco into a bowl, mix in the ground almonds.

3. Whisk the eggs until they are at stiff peaks and then fold into the dry ingredients.

4. Fill a piping bag with a plain nozzle with the mixture and then pipe 24 small equal blobs around 3cm across. Leave some space between them. leave for 15 minutes and then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. leave to cool.

5. To make the filling melt the chocolate and warm the milk a little leave to cool and then put around 1tsp of filling onto 12 of the macaroon slices then put the other 12 slices onto each of those and sandwich together.

Enjoy !!!!! 

Character Shortbread Biscuits

These biscuits are really good to make with family and friends as these are really simple and fun to do. I got this recipe from the good food site. Happy Baking! :-D

Ingredients: 

125g butter
55g caster sugar-plus extra to sprinkle on top when you take them out of the oven.
180g plain flour

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190C

2. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy

3. Mix in the flour to the mixture and when fully incorporated, mould firmly into a ball so it doesn't crumble straight away in you hands.

4. Roll out your dough so it's around 1 cm thick. Then cut into shapes using cookie cutters and place onto a baking tray with grease proof paper on it.

5. Place them in the fridge for 20 mins to chill.

6. Put into the oven for 15-20 mins or until light golden brown.

7. Sprinkle sugar on top of the warm biscuits and serve.

Chocolate and Pecan Brownies

These brownies are so yummy. My Great Nana saved me this recipe card when I went to see her I gave the card to my Nana and then.... I forgot to pick up to take home but after a short phone call I got the ingredients and then I made this! Happy Baking!

Ingredients:

150g unsalted butter
150g dark chocolate
100g Pecans 
3 eggs
225g light muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g Plain Flour sifted

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C. Line a 23x33 cm baking tray. And then crush the pecans in a mortar and pestal.

2. Place the chocolate into a saucepan and start to melt it then add the butter to the pan and melt them together. Then remove from the heat and add the crushed pecan nuts.

3. In another mixing bowl whisk eggs and add the sugar and the vanilla and mix until it is smooth.

4. Fold in the flour, fold in the melted chocolate taking care not to over mix the mixture.

5. Pour into the prepared baking tin and bake for 20-25 mins or until a knife comes out clean from the center of the brownie.

6. Leave to cool and cut into pieces and serve with a sprinkle of icing sugar.

Enjoy :-)