Chocolate, marshmallow and fudge cookie sandwich

Inspired by such a vivid foodie memory of M&S BBQ biscuits. When I was a child they used to have them every summer in a foil tray to place on the BBQ for 8 minutes. 2 cookies dipped in melted milk chocolate on the inside with marshmallows and fudge pieces… Needless to say my mum ended up hiding them every time she bought them otherwise my sister and I would open them and microwave them secretly scoffing the pack of 4. I haven’t seen them in many years yet crave them so I decided to make them!

You can use your favourite brand of fresh cookie, not the packet kind, the bakery kind, or make them. Here I used Anna Olson’s recipe ( click on the photo for a link to her recipe) which makes 24 and calls for 8oz of chocolate chips. I used 3oz white chocolate 4 oz milk chocolate and 1 oz dark chocolate chopped up into small squares which make for a lovely texture.

When baked, I left them to cool completely, and melted my favourite bar of milk chocolate (Lindt) about 200g will coat the inside of 18 of the cookies. I dipped their flat sides into the chocolate them turned them upside down with the melted chocolate facing up and on 8 of the cookies I placed as many mini marshmallows as I could fit in 1 layer, and on the other 8 I sprinkled small fudge pieces. With any remaining chocolate drizzle it over the marshmallows, then carefully stick the fudge side to the marshmallow side. Ending up with 8 cookie sandwiches. Leave to set a little and preheat your oven to 180C or fire up the BBQ.
Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, or 7 minutes on a BBQ on a foil tray or baking tray. The marshmallows should hold their shape but be melted inside, the fudge soft, the biscuits warm, gooey and chewy and the chocolate melted and sticky!

These really are the ultimate way to finish off dinner or a BBQ can be eaten messily with your hands and can be assembled in the morning to bake in the afternoon. Or make the cookies a day in advance and just assemble when you need something quick, easy and utterly delicious!

I wish M&S would bring them back, but these are even yummier and bigger ha ha!

Happy baking x

Easy Chocolate Caramel Cookies

I previously posted Anna Olson’s chocolate chip cookie recipe using Lindt Linder white truffle bars, as where this is still my favourite flavour I tried something different today… Lindt milk chocolate and caramel bar, chopped up like chips. Delicious!

Where chocolate chips don’t melt and hold their shape, I prefer the chocolate to melt into gooey puddle in the cookie dough, so these variations don’t disappoint.

As my 21 month old daughter would say… yummy!!!!

Happy baking x

Layered Toffee, Butterscotch and Chocolate Ice cream Cake

This impressive looking dessert is again gluten free, easy to make and impressive to look at not to mention delicious to eat! It is made up of layers of chocolate Swiss roll finely sliced with layers of different ice creams covered in a milk chocolate ganache. I served it with a hot fudge sauce and whipped cream! But it’s lovely just as it is, and the great thing is you can use your favourite flavours, and buy your ice cream!

For the chocolate Swiss roll I used Anna Olson’s recipe, http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/bake-with-anna-olson/recipe.html?dishid=12596&titleid=272497 and the frosting recipe she uses for the Swiss roll I made and poured over the top for a smooth finish.
After making the sponge I allowed it to cool completely in the tin, then sliced it horizontally so the layered were thin. I lined a loaf tin with cling film and put one piece of sponge at the bottom. I then spread over some toffee ice cream which was slightly softened, I then placed more sponge on top. I then placed in the freezer covered with cling film with a smaller loaf pan to weigh the layers down for about 20 minutes just to firm up a little. I repeated with different ice creams and finished with 2 layers of sponge. I then wrapped it all in cling film and allowed to set in the freezer over night.

When totally firm I turned it out of the tin, placed on a plate and spread over the ganache then left uncovered to set in the freezer for an hour. Now, it’s ready to eat!

This is a great make ahead dessert, and keeps for ages in the freezer. Once you have mastered the technique you can experiment with any shape, any flavour, anything you like!

Enjoy! Happy baking x

Raspberry pavlova with marscapone cream

My family came to visit today, and I didn’t want them to go hungry… So I made a selection of gluten free desserts as my auntie is a celiac. Her favourite dessert is pavlova, and this one did not disappoint. My dad said it was the best dessert I’d ever made, not overly sweet and served with a sharp summer berry coulis.
For the pavlova recipe I used Anna Olson’s recipe (click on the photo for the link).
For the marscapone cream I mixed 250g of marscapone with 300ml of lightly whipped cream, added 1tsp of vanilla bean paste, and sweetend with 2tbsp of icing sugar sifted in. I layed this in the centre and covered with fresh raspberries, then dusted with a little more icing sugar.
For the summer berry coulis I used a pack of frozen summer fruits, put in a medium saucepan on a medium heat and added 1/4 cup of superfine sugar (caster sugar) I stewed this together, brought to a boil for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar, strained through a sieve and left to cool at room temperature.

It really is a delicious and impressive dessert. You can make the meringue to day before and when it has cooled completely leave in a tin over night, then you just have to assemble.
You can also use other fruits, strawberries or blackberries work beautifully!

Happy baking x

Carrot cupcakes with 2 frostings

I love carrot cake, the lightly spiced sponge contrasting with moist carrot. I used Anna Olson’s basic recipe however I left out the nuts (I really don’t like nuts) and used 2 different frostings as my sister doesn’t like cream cheese frosting but I do! Click on the picture for the link to the recipe. I baked it as a cupcake, without a wrapper, lightly greasing and flouring the tin so they didn’t stick and baked at 170C for 18 to 20 minutes.
I used the cream cheese frosting of Anna’s however I had no lemon juice to dissolve the icing sugar, so I used lime and it worked beautifully, tangy and rich. The other was a simple water icing, using freshly squeezed orange juice added to sifted icing sugar until thick ribbon consistency. They were delicious and got totally devoured. Even without any frosting these cakes are a winner!!

Happy baking x

Iced spiced buns

I really adore the smell of hot cross buns, however I’m not the biggest fan of currents or raisins. So I decided to experiment, using Anna Olson’s hot cross bun recipe for inspiration and a base to work from, (click on the picture for the recipe), I adapted it to my tastes and the finished result was delicious! The smell of them baking is just the start! The sweet and soft dough with the delicate spicing made for a real treat.
I replaced the lemon zest for 1.5tsp of finely grated orange zest and added a pinch more ground cinnamon. I allowed the buns to prove together to rip them apart and give them rustic edges. I glazed them as the recipe stated while they were still warm then iced them with a simple water icing when cooled.

It is really a recipe to try, it’s great to experiment with flavours of enriched doughs.

Happy baking x

Chocolate slice cookies

This simple crisp yet tender biscuit uses the same pastry as the tart au chocolat I posted previously. They are so quick and so easy and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, use them as the outer biscuits for a sandwich cooking with a simple vanilla filling.

By clicking on the photo it will take you to the cookie/pastry recipe then have a look and see what else you can do with this versatile and delicious dough!

Happy baking x

Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla swirl frosting

Still searching for the best vanilla cake recipe today, and had recorded an episode of Bake with Anna Olson, so decided to give her recipe and method a try.
The cupcakes turned out very different to any other I’ve tasted, they were so fluffy! This is probably due to the fact England does not have ‘cake and pastry’ flour, so instead I used a fine sponge flour which is self raising, so with the addition of baking powder, it must have made it very soft. The batter was runny like that of The Hummingbird Bakery recipe, which allowed for an even bake, even rise and soft light sponge.

Click on the picture for the link to the recipe. For the swirl effect frosting, I made a batch of the vanilla frosting and coloured 1/3 with gel food colouring, then filled my piping bag, with half white and half pink so when I piped it onto the cupcakes it swirled.

It is definitely a recipe to try. And you can’t beat a classic vanilla sponge.

Happy baking x

The perfect chocolate chip cookie

I am a massive fan of gooey chewy cookies, especially if they contain white chocolate, but make no mistake you can use your favourite chocolate. Tip… Make sure they are slightly under baked and refrigerate the dough for an hour before baking, this will ensure an even spread. Click on the picture to link to the recipe I used… Please enjoy