Nigella's Everyday Brownies

I have been on a cookbook binge lately. This time I have Nigella's Kitchen which has an amazing collection of recipes. I opted for her everyday brownies which were really easy to make. They were deliciously moist and gooey with a slightly crunchy top. 

 brownie mix 

 adding eggs

adding chopped chocolate 

 ready to go in the oven 

 straight from the oven 

150g unsalted butter

300g light brown muscovado sugar

75g cocoa powder, sifted

150g plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

approx 150g milk chocolate, chopped into small chunks

icing sugar to dust (optional) 

• Preheat the oven to 190C.
• Melt the butter over a gentle heat in a medium sized saucepan. 
• When it's melted, add the sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon (still over a low heat) to help it blend with the melted butter. 
• Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, bicarb, salt and then stir into the pan; when mixed (this will be a very dry mixture, and not wholly blended at this stage), remove from the heat.
• In a bowl or jug, whisk the eggs with the vanilla extract and then mix into the brownie mixture in the pan.
• Stir in the chopped chocolate and quickly pour and scrape into a baking tin and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.  
• It will look set, dark and dry on top, but when you feel the surface, you will sense it is still wobbly underneath and a cake tester will come out gungy.  This is desirable.

Pecan Cookies

I made this on a whim late one night (as you do) - I wanted to make something that was simple and quick so it had to be cookies! I had a quick flip through my new book "1001 cupcakes, cookies and other tempting treats" (highly recommended) and came across this recipe for nutty pecan cookies.

The smell of the cookies baking and in the container was amazing! The cookies were really crunchy with the definite taste of pecans. I have to admit I drizzled maple syrup on one of the cookies the next day and it was heavenly.

 my lovely nut 'cruncher' from Lakeland  

 cookie dough 

 adding pecan nuts 

 straight from the oven 

 perfect with a cup of tea or some maple syrup for pure indulgence! 

 close up 

(Makes approximately 30 cookies of size shown)

150g unsalted butter, softened

150g caster sugar

225g self raising flour

1-2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

280g pecan nuts

• Preheat the oven to 190C.
• Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper.
• Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
• Sift in the flour and beat to combine.
• Add 1 tablespoon of milk and the vanilla extract and mix to form a dough, adding more milk if the dough is too stiff. 
• Reserve 30 pecan halves.
• Chop the remaining pecan nuts and knead in to the dough.
• Place a heaped tablespoonful of dough (I used a small ice cream scoop) on the baking sheet and press half a pecan into the centre of each cookie.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes.
• Leave to cool on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

James Bond inspired cookies

I made these cookies for my friend's James Bond themed party alongside the chocolate mint cupcakes. Again I have to thank Caroline for lending me these fabulous cookie cutters! What's a Bond party without a martini in whatever shape or form! I don't often bake and decorate cookies although I did attend a cookie decorating course at the make lounge earlier this year which was good fun. I have to admit it took a lot longer than I thought and I even forgot to take photos towards the end! 

 cookie dough 

 pipe border with royal icing 

 thin the icing then flood the rest of the cookie 

 i ran out of royal icing and time so made a few of these with writing icing. 

Gingerbread Biscuit Recipe (from the class I attended at the Make Lounge) 

(Makes about 40 medium or 20 large cookies)

250g cold butter, diced

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

560g plain flour

Hot Mix : 

5 tablespoons water

210g brown sugar

2 tablespoon treacle

3 tablespoon golden syrup

3 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

• Place all the ingredients for the hot mix in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring.
• Once boiled, remove the pan from the heat. Carefully add the diced butter, stirring with a wooden spoon. 
• Once well combined, add the bicarbonate of soda and briefly whisk the hot mix. 
• Pour into the bowl of the electric mixer and allow to cool slightly.  Once the mixture has cooled, sieve the flour into the mixer bowl. 
• Combine the two on low speed using the paddle attachment until dough forms. 

Note: If you do not have an electric mixer add the cooled spice mix to the sieved flour in a large bowl and mix together with your hands - the dough will be sticky and you may need to add a little more flour as you work it into a dough. Don't worry though, the dough will firm overnight. 

• Put the dough in a zip lock bag or warp in cling film and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or, ideally, overnight. 
• Place the chilled dough on a floured surface and knead briefly. If dough is difficult to knead, allow it to come to room temperature before kneading. 
• Roll the gingerbread dough to approximately 5mm thick. 
• Preheat the oven to 200C, Gas 6.
• Cut various shapes using cookie cutters. Using a palette knife, carefully place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. 
• Chill in the fridge on the tray for about 20 minutes.
• Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie, or until firm to touch.
• Lift cookies off the tray and allow to cool on a wire rack. 

Royal Icing using egg white powder

1 sachet of Dr Oetker egg white powder

60ml warm water

500g icing sugar, sifted 

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, empty sachet of egg white powder. 
• Add 3 teaspoons of the warm water and mix to a smooth paste using a metal spoon. 
• Add remaining warm water gradually and mix well.
• Add one third of the icing sugar. Beat on slow then a medium speed.
• Add another third of sugar and continue to beat for 1 minutes.
• Add remaining sugar as needed and beat until the correct consistency is reached.  Look for pulled up peaks that slightly flop over when the attachment is lifted from icing. Soft peak icing is the right consistency for piping borders on cookies
• Store at room temperature in an air tight plastic container, cover surface with cling film then place lid on.  If using immediately, cover bowl with a damp cloth. 

To Pipe and 'flood' fill your cookies using royal icing:

• Put royal icing in a bowl and colour using paste colours if desired. (When not using your mixture, keep covered with a damp J cloth or paper towel to keep it from drying out)
• Using a piping bag with a small round tip (or snip the end of the piping bag), pipe a border on your cookies in a steady smooth line. Leave to dry for at least 5 minutes.
• Once you've piped the border, thin the remainder of your royal icing with a few drops of water until a runny consistency is reached.
• Using another piping bag filled with the runny icing, fill inside the borders to fully cover the cookies with icing. Avoid over filling as this can cause over flowing.
• Use the nozzle to move the icing quickly before it begins to set; guide the icing out towards the piped border. (or use a toothpick if piping without a nozzle)
• Sprinkle with edible glitter if using.
• Once the area is filled, avoid touching the cookies for at least 20 minutes.
• The surface should be completely dry in 2-4 hours, but if possible, allow to dry overnight for best results. 

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

My friend decided to host a James Bond themed party for her birthday this year. I decided I would make dessert as a surprise. (what else would you expect from me, right?) I knew I wanted to make cupcakes but couldn't decide on the flavour. I have tried cocktail cupcakes previously and they have not been very successful. I thought about black forest cupcakes but in the end decided to make chocolate mint cupcakes. I used my favourite chocolate cupcake recipe from the Primrose Bakery and added some peppermint extract. The cake was really light and spongy with a lovely, refreshing  minty taste. Definitely a hit at the party! I also ordered these really cute personalised cupcake toppers from ebay and some poker chip toppers as well. I had some difficulty removing the toppers so excuse the torn edges!

Special thanks to Caroline who kindly lent me her cake stand and cookie cutters (martini shaped cookies coming up in the next post)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE!! 

 adding chocolate to creamed butter and sugar 

egg whites 

 delicious cake batter 

 ready to go in the oven 

 

For the cupcakes
(Makes 15 cupcakes)

115g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) 

85g unsalted butter, at room temperature

175g soft brown sugar

2 large eggs, free range or organic, separated

185g plain flour, sifted

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

250ml semi-skimmed milk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

2 teaspoons peppermint extract 

• Preheat the oven to 170C
• Break the chocolate into pieces and melt (In a microwave or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water).
• Stir occasionally until it has completely melted and is quite smooth. Leave to cool slightly. 
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth, which should take 3-5 minutes using an electric hand mixer. 
• In a separate bowl  and with clean beaters, beat the egg yolks for several minutes. 
• Slowly add the egg yolks to the creamed mixture and beat well. 
• Next, add the melted chocolate to the mixture and beat well. 
• Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a separate bowl. 
• Put the milk in a jug and add the vanilla extract to it.
• Add one-third of the flour to the chocolate mixture and beat well. 
• Pour in one-third of the milk and beat again.
• Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk have been added. 
• Add in the peppermint extract. 
• In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks start to form. 
• Carefully add the egg whites into the batter, using a metal spoon. 
• Do not beat or you will take all the air out of the mixture. 
• Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full.
• This is a fairly liquid batter, so take care when spooning out.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 
• Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in their tins for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool.
• Once they are completely cool, ice the cupcakes with buttercream icing.

Peppermint Buttercream Icing

110g unsalted butter,at room temperature

60ml semi-skimmed milk, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (adjust to taste - I used 1 teaspoon)

500g icing sugar, sifted

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, milk, peppermint extract and half the icing sugar until smooth.
• Gradually add the remainder of the icing sugar and beat again until the buttercream is smooth and creamy. 
• Taste the icing at this stage to see if you want to add more peppermint extract. 

Carrot Cupcakes

I used the same Hummingbird Bakery recipe to make these carrot cupcakes as well as the 3 layer carrot cake. Just thought they deserved a post of their own :) Click here for the recipe.

 delicious cupcakes 

 cream cheese frosting 

 sprinkle with chopped pecans 

 voila! 

Carrot Cake

I made this lovely carrot cake as a birthday cake for a colleague at work.  I used the recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook and it turned out really well. I modified the recipe slightly as I didn't have any walnuts to hand but lots of pecans. Everyone was suitably impressed and I think it's probably better than the other carrot cake I made earlier in the year but it's a very close call. I do love a good carrot cake - if you have a better recipe, do let me know!  

adding pecan nuts 

 lots and lots of grated carrots! 

ready to frost 

 layers of frosting between each cake

 3 layer carrot cake which was slightly wonky! 

 topped with whole and chopped pecans 

 with candles :) 

Recipe adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
Carrot cake
300g light brown sugar
3 eggs
300ml sunflower oil
300g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice (or ground ginger)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
300g carrots, grated
100g shelled pecan nuts (or walnuts)

3 x 20cm cake tins

• Preheat the oven to 170C.
• Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated. 
• Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed. 
• Stir in the grated carrots and pecan nuts but hand until they are all evenly dispersed. 
• Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tins and smooth over with a palette knife. 
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched.
• Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 
• When the cakes are cold, put one on a cake stand and spread about 1/4 of the cream cheese frosting over it with a palette knife. 
• Place a second cake on top and spread another quarter of the frosting over it. 
• Top with the last cake and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. 
• Finish with pecans. 

Cream cheese frosting (you need 2 quantities for this recipe) 

300g icing sugar, sifted

50g unsalted butter, at room temperature

125g cream cheese, cold

• Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment onmedium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
• Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. 
• Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed.
• Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes.
• Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny. 

Maple Syrup and Walnut Cupcakes

My second entry for Cupcake Camp London was a fall/autumn inspired cupcake - maple syrup and walnuts. I had initially intended to make bacon and maple syrup cupcakes but wasn't quite brave enough so I made these instead. The end result was a simple, clean tasting cupcake. I may try the bacon version one day so stay tuned.... :) 

cream butter and sugar 

adding maple syrup 

adding walnuts 

 delicious! 

cream cheese frosting 

Maple Walnut Cupcakes
170g butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 cups flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy as shown. 
• Beat in the maple syrup.
• Add the vanilla and eggs.
• Beat until the mixture is smooth.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk.
• Beat well.
• Stir in the walnuts.
• Fill the cupcake liners until 3/4 full. 
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in the pan. 

Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Frosting
225g cream cheese
85g butter
3 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-5 tablespoons maple syrup (adjust to taste)

• Cream together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. 
• Slowly sift in the icing sugar and continue beating.
• Add in the vanilla and maple syrup. 
• Beat until smooth.