Lately #43

What a week. I'm so thankful to have this week off. Time to be lazy, read a book, bake lots and explore in my new car. This morning I bought myself a car seeing as I passed my test just over a week ago. We went to the shop earlier and we all returned safely so I think we can call it a success.

Some of my favourite blogs in the past week:

That's so yesterday

Take Courage

Bleubird Vintage

The Cake Hunter

Be sure to take a look!

Bonfire Brownies Recipe!

As my banana bread recipe went down a treat I've decided to make baking more of a thing on here, so expect to see a lot more recipes. I came across this recipe in Ideal Home Magazine and knew I had to make them. I am a massive brownie fan and all the extra chocolate just makes them gooey and delicious!

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter

200g plain (dark) chocolate

4 eggs

300g caster sugar

175g plain flour

100g marshmallows

100g Daim bars, cut into pieces

100g Crunchie bars, cut into pieces

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Grease and line a shallow cake tin.

2. In a heavy based pan, melt the butter. When the butter has melted break the chocolate into pieces and add to the butter. Melt over a low heat and allow to cool.

3. In a separate bowl beat together the eggs and sugar. Stir this mixture into the cooled down chocolate and butter. Sift in the flour and mix well.

4. Add the marshmallows, Crunchie pieces and Daim pieces to the mixture and stir until well combined.

5. Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for 25-30 minutes for a gooey brownie (if you like a cakey brownie you can leave it for a bit longer).

6. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

7. Serve with fresh cream or ice cream!

This brownie is a cross between a rocky road and brownie. It's sticky and gooey and perfect for any Halloween/Bonfire parties you might be having.

If you decide to bake these, please let me know and send me a picture via twitter. I love seeing your baking too!

♥

Banana Bread Recipe!

I love banana bread and as I'm feeling under the weather I decided to make a loaf to cheer myself up!

Ingredients

250g/8oz Butter

250g/8oz Granulated Sugar

250g/8oz Self Raising Flour

2 Level Teaspoons Baking Powder

4 Eggs

2 Medium Bananas

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180°C/350°F.

2. Line a loaf tin with baking parchment/greaseproof paper.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a mixing bowl.

4.Sieve half of the flour into the mixing bowl. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add half of the beaten egg mixture to the main bowl and mix together.

5.Add in the baking powder and the rest of the flour (make sure you sieve this too!). Add in the remaining egg.

6. Cut up the bananas into small pieces and mash together slightly. Add this banana to the main mixing bowl and mix well until all combined.

7. Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin.

8. Place in the oven for 1¼ -1½ hours. Use a cake tester or cocktail stick to test if the cake is cooked right through.

9. Serve with butter and warm cup of tea! (Or it would be perfect with a dollop of thick cream)

Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you give this ago, I'd love to see your photographs!

♥

Mama's Apple and Blackberry Crumble!

This is an all time favourite in my house. We have our own apple tree in the garden and a few wild blackberries so yesterday my mum made this and I hung over her shoulder photographing it!

Ingredients:

10 small cooking apples.

2 handfuls of blackberries

1 tsp Cinnamon

185g/6½ oz Plain flour

55g/2oz demerara sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

100g/3½oz unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350º/Gas Mark 4.

Chop up the apples into chunks and add to pan. Throw in the the blackberries with 2tbsp of water. Add sugar to taste (for a sharper crumble use less sugar) add the Cinnamon too. Put on the hob until the apples are soft.

While waiting for your apples to soften you can start on the crumble mix. To make the crumble topping, put the flour and sugar in a large bowl, then mix in the melted butter. Quickly mix until crumbly. The texture should be almost like sand.

When the apples and blackberries are soft and a gorgeous pink colour place them in a ovenproof dish. Carefully arrange the crumble mix over the fruit. Sprinkle over a little more sugar and pop in the oven for 25 minutes or until the crumble topping is brown.

Serve with warm custard!

Such a delicious recipe and a true favourite. Let me know if you make this and send me a photograph if you do! I'm really loving lifestyle/baking posts at the minute so if you guys have any other suggestions for things you'd like to see or if you know of any brilliant baking/lifestyle bloggers let me know!

♥

Recipe! Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies!

I asked the other day if you guys wanted to see any baking posts as it’s one of my passions and you said yes! So here it is. A nice and easy one today. Chocolate chip oat cookies. They are so nice! The chocolate inside the cookie oozes out and tastes divine. Perfect for any occasion! Here’s the recipe:

125g of unsalted butter

125g of golden caster sugar

1 medium egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

125g of porridge oats

150g plain flour

½ tsp of baking powder

200g of plain chocolate, cut into 1cm chunks

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/ 180°. The recipe says to lightly grease two baking trays. I used baking parchment/greaseproof paper and my cookies didn’t stick!

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and creamy.

Add the egg, vanilla extract and oats.

Sift the flour and baking powder together over the mixture and mix until evenly combined.

Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Put dessertspoonfuls of the mixture on the prepared baking trays, spacing them well apart to allow room for spreading. Flatten each one slightly with an back of a fork (I just used my hand).

Bake for 12-15 minutes until risen and turning golden, but still soft. Leave on the baking tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

The cookies will keep around a week in an airtight tin. Not that there going to stay around that long!!

They taste so much better than a brought biscuit and they are cheap, simple and easy to make!

Let me know if you make some!

♥