The cookie of all ‘Giant Cookies’!

Decided to just open up a random cookbook today and make whatever was on the page.  Cookies, it was then. Not just any cookies, but GIANT ones. It was not my intention for them to be that big, but the recipe did say it was for 10 cookies, more like 20 medium size ones. In the end it does not matter what size they are, these are just simply the cookie of all cookies; a little crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Just how I like them. There is one downside however, well actually there is two. Not gluten free, much to hubbies disgust (but then I did made him Tiramisu cupcakes last night) and I did not have as many choc chips as I would have liked. Recipe – courtesy of Jo Wheatley ‘Passion for baking’.

Fancy a go, here it is:

200g unsalted butter

200g light soft brown sugar

125g demerera sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

400g plain flour

1/4 tsp baking powder (recipe stated 1 tsp)

1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda (recipe stated 1 tsp)

loads of choc chips/or chopped up chocolate

 

1. Pre heat oven 170C
2. Place butter and both sugars into a mixer (I used my trusty kenwood)
3. Cream together until fluffy.
4. Beat eggs in a jug, then add to mixture a little at a time, mixing well until combined.
5. Add vanilla
6. Sift in flour and baking powders, add chocolate.
7. Using a wooden spoon at this stage mix to a dough, or dough hook on your mixer if you have one.
8. Get ready a couple of large baking sheets with greaseproof.
9. Divide mixture into 10 pieces (2o for smaller cookies)
10. Place 4 or 5 on  baking sheet. Be sure to leave large gaps as these spread out quite a bit.
11. Place on lot in oven , middle shelf. Bake for about 5 mins. Take out oven then tap the baking sheet on work top. This makes the cookies dispell air and then place back in oven for another 7 – 10 mins. (the second batch I just flattened carefully with the palm of my hand, instead of banging tray on surface)
12. Remove, leave to cool for a few mins then place another tray of cookies in oven.
13. When cool, place on cooling rack.

When cool, enjoy with a nice glass of cold milk.

Tiramisu Cupcakes – gluten free

Oh! How I have missed baking these last four weeks. Finally, I can forget about marking student’s work, well for the moment anyway and get on with making some yummy treats. Take a look at these scrumptious Tiramisu cupcakes with lashings of cream - gluten free of course. Have not tucked into one yet, but I have it on good authority that they are totally worth it. So, I had better hurry up with this blog post and grab one before they are all gone. I am in the mood for a cupcake weekend, so watch this space.

 

Here goes: (makes 9)

110g butter or baking marg

110g self raising gluten free flour (doves farm)

110g light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon coffee (dissolved in a small amount hot water)

2 tablespoons milk

For the topping you need:

300ml double cream or whipping cream

2 tablespoons icing sugar

1 tablespoon cocoa powder for dusting

 

Here’s how:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Prepare muffin cases – this mixture makes 9 standard muffins.
3. Place all ingredients in a large bowl (I used my kenwood – easy peasy), mix well until combined.
4. Add more milk if mixture is too stiff – but I have found there is no need to do this.
5. Fill muffin cases about two thirds, place in oven and bake for about 20mins.
6. Leave to cool.
7. Meanwhile, pour cream into mixing bowl along with the icing sugar. Whisk until cream is at piping consistency.
8. Load a piping bag (if you do not have one, use small sandwich bag and snip a 1cm hole in on corner).
9. Pipe as desired.
10. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.
11. Any cream left over, just eat it!

Enjoy

Anyone for Pretzels

Pretzels! When Ryan suggested making these, my immediate thought was ‘oh god, hope they come out okay’. I am ashamed to admit that this was a total first for me. Well actually, Ryan did all the hard work, I just took pictures. It was not as complicated as I first thought, simple really. There are many recipes on the internet, some that take all night (I don’t think so!) and some with much shorter time frame. Needless to say, we chose the shortest pretzel recipe we could find and one that was not too finikety. We settled for the ‘Almost famous Soft Pretzels’ recipe.

We went to Germany two years ago and became hooked on them. I thought perhaps that is what inspired him to make them, but nope, it was the Simpsons apparently. Anyway he was a little star and the pretzels were a hit. I love the combination of sweetened dough with the salt crystals. Mmmm delicious, these were super tasty.

Bits you need:

240ml milk

7g dried, fast action yeast

320g plain flour

3 tablespoon soft brown sugar

120g butter (first 60g for pretzel dough and the rest for later), softened

1 teaspoon fine salt

20g baking powder

150ml water, warm

Here’s how:

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan (does not need to be hot or boil, just warm to the touch is fine)
2. Pour it into a large bowl and sprinkle over the yeast. Leave for 5 – 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the brown sugar and mix in half the flour and the fine salt.
4. Add 60g of the butter and mix in well.
5. add the remainder of the flour to make a sticky dough.
6. Flour your work surface and turn out he dough.
7. Knead for about 5 mins, then place in a greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave somewhere warm to proof until double in size. About 1 hour is plenty.
8. Turn oven onto Gas 7 /220C, grease a large baking sheet or two smaller ones.
9. Knock back the dough, by punching it, then turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds.
10. Divide in to six pieces. Each piece need rolling out and stretching to about 40cms if you can. The recipe i used required a longer length, but we found 40cms was ample.
11. Form each pretzel shape. Here are some images on how to do it
12. Dissolve the baking powder in warm water.
13. Dip each pretzel into the solution and then place on baking tray.
14. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
15. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 mins, until golden brown.
16. Remove from oven.
17. Melt the remainder of the butter and brush each pretzel generously, place on rack to cool.

 Enjoy 

More pics of Ryan making the pretzels.

Making the pretzel dough

Knocking back, this was the fun part.

Rolling took forever

Trying to make them the same length

Very confident, knows what he is doing.

Ta da!!

Looking good Ryan

Finishing touches.

Blueberry Muffins

Just cannot keep me out the kitchen today. My husband says that I am never happy unless I am baking. Anyway, try these blueberry muffins, they are delicious. Had some blueberries hanging around so I thought why not. Perfectly moist and spongy. The recipe I used was a recipe from Paul Hollywood. It called for leaving the muffin mixture in the fridge overnight or one hour if you could not resist. Well I waited the hour, that was enough because I could not possibly wait till tomorrow. And nope, these are not gluten free, these are simply just all for me!

Bits you need:

65g caster sugar

110g margarine or butter, softened

2 eggs

110g plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

125g blueberries

pinch nutmeg

Here’s how:

1. In  a large bowl, cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs gradually, beat well after each addition.
3. Fold in flour, baking powder and nutmeg.
4. Leave in fridge overnight or one hour (one hour was enough for me)
5. Mix in the blueberries.
6. Spoon evenly into muffin cases (recipe said 10 but I got 6 good ones)
7. Bake in oven 200C for 20mins or until golden brown.
8. Enjoy with cream or simply on their own.

Enjoy 

Chocolate Cake – Gluten Free

Try this yummy chocolate cake. Totally gluten free and super moist and spongy.

Looking for inspiration I decided to just randomly open a recipe book and bake or cook whatever was on that page.

I chose ‘A Passion for baking’ by Joe Wheatley opened it up and ‘Chocolate Mud Cake’ was staring me in the face. I decided then to go gluten free so that my husband did not miss out, as he so often does when I bake. I have other tried and tested chocolate cake recipes, but I like to experiment with different recipes so that I do not have to buy gluten free specific recipe books.

I used Doves farm gluten free; self raising and plain flour as a substitute to ordinary flour. The recipe suggested a single cake tin, but there seemed ample mixture to make a layered cake. It can be very tricky to retain the moisture in a cake using gluten free flour, but this recipe seemed to do the trick. Enjoy.

Bits you need:

175g unsalted butter

300g caster sugar

3 eggs, large

75g Doves farm gluten free self raising flour

200g Doves farm gluten free plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, make sure gluten free

75g cocoa powder, make sure gluten free

200ml sour cream

5og full fat cream cheese

Here’s how:

1. Grease and line two 20cm cake tins (or a deep 20cm tin which is the one suggested in recipe book)
2. Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4
3. Beat the butter and sugar on high speed together until light and fluffy. I use my trusty Kenwood to do the job, or use a hand held mixer.
4. Beat eggs in a jug. Gradually pour a little at a time to the mixing bowl, beating well.
5. Sift the flours, bicarbonate and cocoa powder into the bowl. Remember you have two different flours to add.
6. The original recipe called for folding, but I just mixed it on low setting.
7. Add the sour cream and cream cheese. Mix well until combined.
8. Spoon cake mixture evenly into two cake tins, smooth till level.
9. Bake for about 35 minutes. A little longer if when skewer inserted comes out gooey.
10. Cool in cake tin for about 10 mins then turn out onto a cooling rack.
11. Decide how you want it covered, I went for a simple chocolate buttercream.

Enjoy

Sticky Toffee Pudding with a Baileys Caramel Sauce – Gluten Free

This delicious sticky toffee pudding with baileys caramel sauce is certainly a treat on a winters day. So much so, that it is all gone!!! With all that gorgeous sauce, who could resist. I was a little sneaky and kept some sauce aside just for me, and ate the lot. It was heaven. Give a whirl, if you have any Baileys lying around, as you do!!! And the best bit, its Gluten Free. So a gold star for me. Recipe was adapted from the Sainsbury’s winter collection cookbook. Best served warm, but the cooled caramel on the left overs was delicious, just like toffee.

Bits you need:

For the Baileys caramel sauce:

300ml double cream

125g light brown sugar

35g butter, preferably unsalted

6O Baileys (or any Irish Whiskey)

For the pud:

200ml Baileys (or Irish Whiskey)

160g dates, pitted and chopped

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda.

250g Gluten Free flour (doves farm)

2 teaspoons baking powder

225g butter, room temperature

180g granulated brown sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Here’s how:

1. Grease a baking dish with a little butter; turn oven on 180C or Gas 4.
2. To make the sauce first: Mix all the Baileys sauce ingredients together in a large saucepan (heavy bottomed is better). Bring to the boil and stir continuously, reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 15mins. The sauce will reduce and start to thicken. Leave to one side.
3. In another saucepan, place the Baileys, dates and bicarbonate of soda. Bring mixture the boil, then remove from  heat and allow to cool.
4. In a bowl mix flour and baking powder together.
5. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Use electric mixer if you have one or by hand if preferred. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and half of the flour mixture. Add the cooled date and Baileys mixture that you heated earlier, then the rest of the flour. Mix together well.
6. Pour into the baking dish and bake for about 45 mins. Remove from oven and using a skewer poke holes into the top of the pudding, pour over half of the Baileys caramel sauce and return to the oven for another 10mins.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5mins before serving. Meanwhile heat up the remainder of the sauce and serve.

Enjoy

Black Cherry and Chocolate Trifle Cake – Gluten Free

This is a fabulous dessert. Adapted from Phil Vickery’s gluten free book. It is a winner every time. Easily adapted by replacing the fruit with segments of orange and adding Grand Marnier to the custard. Delicious.

 

 

Bits you need:

Ingredients

2 eggs

225g caster sugar

175g Gluten free flour (doves farm self raising)

Pinch salt

1 ½ tsps. Baking powder

1 tsp xanthum gum

20g cocoa powder

130ml oil

130ml semi skimmed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

 

Filling

Packet custard powder (I made my own)

150g chocolate, chopped

Large carton double cream

40g icing sugar

Can of tinned black cherries, pitted.

 

Decoration

Cherries

Grated chocolate or sprinkles

 

Here’s how:

1. Preheat oven to Gas 4/180C. Grease two round tins (20cms)
2. Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl for about a minute.
3. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt, baking powder, xanthum gum and cocoa powder together well.
4. Whisk the oil, milk and vanilla together in jug.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the whisked eggs and sugar, then mix in the oil and milk mixture.
6. Divide the mixture between the oiled tins and bake for 12-15 mins, or until well risen and spongy. Leave to cool.
7. The recipe normally calls for custard to be divided and one half made chocolate. But I made it all chocolate.
8. Make your custard (packet or your own), add the chopped chocolate and whisk until melted. Leave to cool so it thickens.
9. Whip the cream with the icing sugar to a consistency that is not too thick.
10. Slice each sponge cake in half widthways.
11.  Put one sponge layer on a plate and spread with some of the chocolate custard, then place about 8 – 10 cherries all over. Fill the gaps with cream.
12. Repeat the above step two more time, finally finishing with a plain layer of sponge on top.
13. Spread with remaining cream and fresh cherries, grate chocolate over and chill.
14. Serve and enjoy.