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.

30 days / 30 things Day 29 & 30

Nearly there, I will finish this by the end of September which is partly why I'm doing these last two posts together.

This post is about a cookery quick fix and my favourite cake. These couldn't go more hand in hand that with this recipe. It's so easy, not even any weighing - just a bit of measuring. The recipe does use cups but it's either an excuse to treat yourself to the lovely Nigella Lawson ones or get a cheapy set from a supermarket. The results are amazing and this is a cake that my family ask for again and again ! I often do it as a birthday cake as the picture below will show, done for my son's 2nd birthday.

EASY PEASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

185g butter at room temperature cut into cubes

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

1.5 cups sugar

2 cups plain flour

1 cup cool tap water

3 eggs

2/3 cup of cocoa

Grease and line two sandwich tins, preheat the oven to 180C

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and using an electric whisk on low speed slowly combine

Increase to high speed and mix for 3 minutes until looks pale. It make look a little curdled but that's ok

Tip into the tin and bake for around 30 mins or until a skewer comes out clean

I use whipped cream and black cherry jam to sandwich this together and then use the icing below (from Nigella's custard sponge cake) to tip over the top. It sets fast to if you're decorating it, be quick ! I've never used all of this though so maybe 1/2 the recipe ?

60ml water

2tbsp golden syrup

125g caster sugar

175g dark chocolate broken into small pieces

Heat the water, syrup and sugar in a pan over a moderate heat. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and beat until the chocolate has melted and the icing is thick and shiny. 

Tip over the cake.

30 days / 30 things Day 15

GAH ! I'd just caught up and then I forget to post yesterday, I truely am rubbish with this......

Day 15 is a dream meal. There are just so many possibilities for this that I could write for days. Currently I think my dream meal would be one I didn't cook, see I'm easily pleased really. But no, I will go further than just a meal that someone else cooks and washes up from.

I was thinking about this this morning while on the cross-trainer at the gym, I'm sure there is something very wrong with that but hey ho it got me through. It's not just about the food, it's about the location and the company too. There are just so many options it made my head spin ! Do I go for a Michelin starred restaurant or do I go for the beach bar serving amazing seafood ? Town or country, hotel or at home ? Friends, family or both ?? In the end I decided on something really simple and surprised myself. There were two options but I will save the other option for another post.

My dream meal would be at my house with my closest friends and their kids, my husband and our kids and a gorgeously informal meal with everyone pitching in to help and plenty of good wine. Food wise I think it'd be something simple but really well cooked like a big pot of chilli that everyone can just dive into and help themselves. I'd serve it with a choice of jacket potatoes or rice with all the accompanying bits and pieces like tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa, sour cream and cheese. For pudding I'd serve something gorgeously gooey and chocolatey that everyone would love.

These chocolate brownies are the best I've ever tasted and I cook them time and time again. Either serve just as they are or with really good quality vanilla ice cream, raspberries and raspberry coulis to really posh them up.

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES (from Fiona with thanks xx)
makes a pan full !

100g butter
50g cocoa powder
2 eggs
225g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g self-raising flour
50g chocolate cut into small chunks or 2 mars bars cut up

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line a baking tin (8 in square by 1.5in deep)
Melt the butter and sift in the cocoa powder, making sure there are no lumps
Beat the eggs and then stir in the sugar and vanilla
Add to the butter and cocoa mixture
Sift in the flour and then finally stir through the chocolate
Pour into the baking tin and bake for about 20-25 mins
Turn down the oven by about 20 degrees and bake for another 10 mins
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 mins before cutting up

These should be lovely and gooey in the middle, just try not to eat them all at once

30 days / 30 things Day 10

Phew ! Into double figures !!

Today's is an easy post, food that makes me happy. If I'd written this before the weekend the food would still have been the same but I have to make a special mention of this particular food experience.

Chocolate - a cliche ? Maybe, but I don't care. I love chocolate. I love the way it melts in the mouth and gives a delicious sugar hit. Dark (but not too dark), milk or white - ok if you're being all purist about it I know white chocolate isn't truely chocolate ! I love chocolate truffles and especially chocolate cake.

But to make me happy just a square of good quality milk chocolate will hit the mark nicely thank you.

Now onto this weekend. I ate the most amazing chocolate ice cream I think I've ever eaten in my life - ever. It was thick and rich and very chocolatey. Actually I hadn't chosen ice cream for pudding but had to have two spoonfuls of the Husband's when I realised just how truely stunning this chocolate ice cream was.

Having eaten that, I don't think I'll ever be able to eat any other chocolate ice cream again. It was made by the hotel so until we go back I can only dream.

Chocolate crispy cakes

Well the mojo has been well and truely lacking here in the last few weeks.


Sadly that's partly due to circumstances, having a nightmare at work and being too tired to think about meal planning. So, we've been living off left overs out of the freezer aka "freezer surprise", quick meals and takeaways.


But that will all end ! I have a week off, I've made an appraisal of my cupboards and freezer and will be back on the cooking trail asap.


For the moment I've just made chocolate crispy cakes with son no1 after faithfully promising him for the last 2 weeks that we'll make these. It's the tried and tested favourite of kids parties everywhere and not that you'd need a recipe but in case you do...


CHOCOLATE CRISPY CAKES
makes about 24


120g good quality milk chocolate
2 heaped tablespoons golden syrup
40g butter
70g rice crispies
1 small bag of mini eggs

Melt chocolate, syrup and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of water (or bain marie if you're posh)
Stir in the crispies until coated
Spoon into cases and decorate with whatever you fancy ! We used mini eggs here.