Chocolate chip cookies

Again ! We're now stuck in house moving hell - it was all going fine. A completion date agreed and we were ready to roll. Hurrah we thought. No. Suddenly our buyers solicitor started dragging his feet and not returning calls to our solicitor. Our first exchange date came and went and then suddenly we were looking at it being very tight to make our second exchange date and thus completion. After a few frantic phonecalls it would seem that the idiot solicitor can't tell the difference between the 5th and the 15th *imagine me banging my head against a wall here*. SO, the upshot of it all is that we are having to shunt everything on 2 weeks. I am beyond cross and very frustrated about the whole thing. I'd quite like to take out my frustration on said solicitor but I'll just have to imagine that in my head !!

Anyway, this has meant that I've been seriously running down the fridge, freezer and cupboards in preparation for moving, only to find I've got another 2 weeks to feed my family before I can do a good restock. This is the explanation of the lack of blog posts. It's hard to blog when you're eating increasingly bizarre freezer teas.

Today in desperation the boy and I made chocolate chip cookies and God they were GOOOOD ! It made everything slightly more bearable. These cookies have the right amount of squidgy and crunch and a batch really isn't going to last the day. I originally got this recipe from a fellow blogger a long time ago. It's so long ago though I've forgotten where and when so I can't even name check them - so sorry to whoever you are and thanks for the greatest cookies !

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
makes approx 18

100g butter - I have also used Stork and it was fine
75g soft light brown sugar
2 T golden syrup
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g chocolate chips - you can sub nuts, fruit or anything really here, all yummy.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
Then add the syrup, vanilla and flour - it will get really tough to mix now ! Finally add the choc chips.
Spoon onto baking trays in little balls and spaced well apart
Bake at 180C for 8-10 minutes. They will be very soft when they come out of the oven but that's fine.
Cool on a wire tray and try not to scoff all at once.

Chocolate tiffin

aka chocolate refridgerator cake, chocolate cement call it what you will but it is a memory that most of us will have from our childhood. Infact Prince William (keeping it topical, see what I did there ?!) has requested a chocolate fridge cake at his wedding reception.

Normally I have a wedge of this at Costa with my latte at about 10000 calories a slice but dammit it's good. As I am trying to use up the Easter Egg mountain my children seem to have amassed I thought I'd try making it at home. I've already made a batch of chocolate crispy cakes and we still have 3 eggs to use up. That's before we've started on the other 4 eggs that are still in their boxes.

So, a rather make it up as you go along recipe here but it tastes good and cut into 16 squares only works out as 5 weightwatchers pps, happy days.

CHOCOLATE TIFFIN
makes 16 squares

225g digestive biscuits
110g butter
50g raisins
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
1tbsp each of drinking chocolate and cocoa - if you prefer dark choc use two of cocoa
150g milk chocolate

Crush the biscuits in a bowl to smallish pieces
Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan and then add the raisins and cocoa and bubble for a few minutes
Mix with the crushed biscuits and stir to combine
Press into an 8 inch square tin and press down
Melt the chocolate and smooth over the top. This makes a thin layer but just use more chocolate if you want a thicker layer
Leave to set for a couple of hours in the fridge, cut into squares and try not to eat all at once.

Homemade hobnobs

Last year I got into quite a good routine of baking on a Sunday afternoon. Very restful - apart from when son no1 wants to get involved - and gave me something homemade to put in lunchboxes the following week. Not wanting to be a smug Mummy about it, but I'd prefer my kids had a home made biscuit or piece of cake rather than a pre-wrapped chocolate biscuit.

Anyway, I fell out of the routine and son no 1 has been begging me to start again. So today I found a recipe on the money saving expert website for "home made hobnobs". Biscuits are not normally something I'll have in the house because of the temptation issue rather than anything more "pure" than that ! The Husband knows never to buy milk chocolate digestives but he can buy dark chocolate ones as I don't like them - good job he prefers them.

So, my house currently smells lovely and toasty with the smell of freshly baked biccies and oh my God, they are seriously LUSH. I've just had two (see what I mean ?!) with a cup of coffee and could easily eat a couple more, but won't.


HOMEMADE HOBNOBS
makes about 30

8oz sugar - I used light brown soft sugar
8oz butter
8oz self-raising flour
8oz porridge oats
1 tblspn golden syrup
1 tblspn hot water
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Melt the butter, sugar, syrup and hot water over a low heat
Add the bicarb
Add to the oats and flour and mix well
Place small spoonfuls onto baking trays spaced well apart and flatten slightly
Bake at 180 for 15 minutes until golden
Allow to firm up slightly on the tray before transferring to a wire rack