Oat and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey guys, here is a new recipe that is absolutely delicious and are fun to make and share. My mum, sister and I made these at the weekend. Happy Baking. :-D

Ingredients:

220g unsalted butter softened
100g chocolate chips
200g light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
250g Scottish porridge oats
1tsp salt

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

2. In a large bowl cream the butter, brown sugar, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Then put the flour, bicarb, cinnamon and salt into the bowl ,and stir into the wet mix until no flour is visible you may need to use an electric mixer. Then stir in the oats and chocolate chips.


3. Put tablespoon fulls of the mixture onto baking trays that have been prepared with baking parchment. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown and delicious.


4. Leave on the tray then after a few minutes put them on cooling racks.

Makes around 15

Happy Baking

Beth x

I Won a Cupcake Competition!

Hi guys, I recently have won a junior cupcake competition. With a new range of cupcakes that I have been taught how to do by the Telford Cake Lady. I practiced and practiced, then entered the competition and... Won first place!

This is my entry that I am extremely proud of:

My granny also won 3rd place in the fruit cake competition in the Wenlock Festival of Baking. She was very pleased with her entry.

Overall it was a great weekend.

Happy baking! Beth x

How To Make Animal Cupcakes

I went to a cake decorating course recently, a brilliant woman showed me 6 fabulous cupcakes and step by step way on  how to make them. When you know how to do it, it's simple. Hope you have fun and this helps.

Ingredients:

5 cupcakes- vanilla or chocolate.
Piping bag full of  vanilla butter cream with red food coloring down the side for swirl.
Black ready roll icing
Red ready roll icing
Yellow ready roll icing
Chocolate flavored ready roll icing
Green ready roll icing
Orange ready roll icing
White ready roll icing
Green butter cream in piping bag with grass nozzle.
1 Ice cream cone with chocolate cake in it. ( make sure the bottom of the cone is flat so it stands up.)
A flake
Marshmallows
Mini eggs
Chocolate butter cream
Boiled water to stick icing on or edible glue which works to.

Method:

Ice cream cupcake:

1. Take the Ice cream cone chocolate cake, and the piping bag with the vanilla then starting from the outside pipe the icing on the cake like you would a normal cupcake.

2. Pop the flake in on the side.

Nest cupcake:

1. On a cupcake pipe some green icing in the center and then spread on the cupcake, so it covers the top.

2. Then in the center pipe with the chocolate butter cream, a circle to act as a nest. Sprinkle lots of mini eggs in the middle for the eggs.

Marshmallow sheep:

1. To start take your vanilla butter cream and spread over the top of the cupcake to create a surface for the marshmallows to stick on.

2. For the sheep's head take a chunk of black icing and mould it into a ball about the size of a gobstopper. Squeeze a point of the circle into an egg shape. Poke two holes into the face to make nostrils do this with a  modelling tool that looks like a pencil or with the end of a paintbrush.

3. Slide a knife under the nostrils and open the slit slightly for the mouth. Now in the head on the top make 2 slits for the ears to go in.

4. To make the ears make two balls, slightly smaller than maltesers. Then make them each into a cone. By squeezing the top and rolling. Then take the end of a paintbrush, or pencil tool to indent the cone on the side, to flatten it slightly. Insert the ears in to the slits after putting a little of the boiled water or glue in the slits.

5. For the final part of the face to make the eyes make a very small ball of white and flatten it do this twice and put a little water on both of them place on the face. Then for the pupils make two balls the size of hundreds and thousands, flatten and put a little boiling water on each and place on the white eyes. You now have a sheep's face.

6. To make the tail make a ball from the black icing the size of a Malteser, shape into a cone and stick the tail onto the cupcake also put the head on- the other side but no need to put water on the icing because you stick it onto the butter cream. Next put marshmallows all over the butter cream, filling in all the gaps.

Ladybird cupcake:

1. Take another cupcake and pipe some vanilla butter cream in the center and spread all over the top of the cupcake.

2. Take the red icing and roll out to the thickness of about half a centimeter- cut out to fit the top of the cupcake, then place onto the cupcake. take a knife and then down the middle around half way down the cupcake cut  a slit, for the wings.

3. Take some black icing and roll out to the thickness of about half a centimeter, then using a pastry cutter- the one used last time is fine. Cut out a circle of black icing. Now take the circle and cut the icing again, but half way down with the circle cutter- take away the excess and place the black face on the red base with a little of the boiling water or glue.

4. To make the mouth take a tool that looks like half a straw, then press into the face near the bottom- smiley mouth! To make the the eyes make two pea sized balls from white icing then flatten, and put on the face with boiling water or edible glue. Then make two hundred and thousands sized balls then flatten and place on the white icing, to make eyes. Then take a half -straw like modelling tool and pierce the black icing, to make a mouth on the face. You now have a lady bug!

Snail cupcake:

1. Take another cupcake and spread a little of the green icing on the cake. Then take some chocolate ready roll icing and roll it out. Cut a circular shape the size of the cupcake and place onto the cupcake. Take some of the green icing and make into a sausage shape, then pinch one end to make a head then place length ways for the snail body.

2. Roll some red ready roll icing into a sausage then roll it up so it becomes a spiral. Put a streak of boiled water or edible glue onto the body, then place the shell on. Make the smile from the half straw tool on the face an make the eyes. Place on with boiled water or edible glue. Make two holes with the end of a paintbrush on its head. Take two small hundred and thousand icing balls, shape them into cones and place inside the hole.

3. Make some flowers from ready roll icings and small flower cutters ,and stick on the sides with the boiled water or edible glue.

Caterpillar cake:

1.  Take the next cupcake and pipe the green icing on the top with a grass nozzle.

2. Then take the yellow and the orange icing and make 4 yellow colour balls and 3 orange, about the size of a malteser each. Using one of the yellow balls shape it into a cone for the tail. Place the tail at the edge of the cupcake, and then place an orange ball in front of it, then put a yellow, then an orange, then a yellow.  Then instead of in front of the yellow ball put the orange ball on top of the yellow, and then put the last yellow ball on top of the orange. You should have a sloping caterpillar body.

3. With the straw tool create a mouth. Make two holes in the head then with the orange icing, make two small cones for antenies from ready roll icing, and place in the holes. Then create two eyes and place on the face- you now have a caterpillar. Then with blossom cutters cut out 6 flowers from red icing, and put three on each side of the caterpillar out of order so it looks realistic.

Happy baking! Beth x

Mini Chocolate Caramel Bites

These are really cool, they are bite sized and creative- Happy Baking! Remember: always keep a large bowl of ice cold water nearby with making caramel for if it touches your skin- plunge it  into it the bowl to prevent blistering.

Ingredients:

200g dark chocolate 70% coco solids
150g granulated sugar
3 tbsp cold water
75g unsalted butter
1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
4 tbsp double cream

Method :

1. Melt 2/3 of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, then take off the heat and wrap the bowl in a tea-towel to stop it cooling too quickly- then stir in the rest of the chocolate until it has all melted together. Then take a silicon case mould, and then with a flat brush paintbrush coat the moulds in chocolate, starting from the base then making sure the sides are coated as well.Then put these into the fridge and after about 10 minutes coat them again in chocolate. Put in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes.

2. Flex the mould so that your chocolate cups come out- I placed mine on a plate then put them back in the fridge to keep the cool, meanwhile make the caramel.

3. Place the sugar and the cold water in a small heavy based sauce pan. Heat gently stirring all the time with a wooden spoon, until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear. Bring the mixture to the boil, without stirring until the syrup has turned into a deep rich caramel colour.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and leave to cool for a few minutes Then carefully stir in the butter and half the salt. The mixture should bubble up. Continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the butter has all melted.

5. Using a balloon whisk, gradually whisk the double cream into the caramel and keep whisking until you have a glossy sauce.

6. Put the caramel into a small heat proof bowl, and put in the other half of the salt then leave for about an hour until cold, stirring occasionally with a metal spoon. Then when the caramel has cooled take the cups from the fridge and put near the caramel.

7. Using a teaspoon spoon the caramel into each cup- you may need another teaspoon to nudge it into the cups.

Enjoy!

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