Post From The Past: Creme Egg Brownies

With Easter just around the corner, I thought that I would dig up the recipe for these delicious Creme Egg Brownies that I first previewed on my blog around this time last year. There are so many lovely Easter treats recipes floating around at the moment including the classic 'Easter Nests' made from shredded wheat to more challenging bakes like making your own hot cross buns from scratch! However, this super chocolate-y and indulgent brownie recipe will always be a firm favourite in my eyes. You can read my original post from last April by clicking here, or else, keep on reading for a recap of both the ingredients you will need and the step-by-step instructions.

Ingredients needed
185g of unsalted butter
185g of dark chocolate
85g of plain flour
40g of cocoa powder
3 large eggs
275g of golden caster sugar
6 Cadbury's Creme Eggs

Step 1
Place your Creme Eggs in the fridge to firm up for later. Then, melt the dark chocolate and butter together using whichever method you prefer and set it aside to cool.

Step 2
Crack the three eggs into a bowl and add all of the golden caster sugar. Mix the ingredients together at a high speed for around 3 minutes or until the mixture has doubled in volume.

Step 3

Pour the cooled chocolate and butter mixture into the bowl with the eggs and sugar. Gently fold until everything is combined.

Step 4 

Sieve your plain flour & cocoa powder into the mixture and gently fold it all together. Pour the finished mixture into your greased/lined baking tin, smooth it out and cook for 15 minutes.

Step 5

Whilst the brownies are cooking, take your Creme Eggs out of the fridge and cut them into halves using a sharp knife. After the 15 minutes are up, remove the brownies from the oven and gently press the egg halve into the mixture. Cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 6
Cut the brownies into squares whilst they are still hot and in the tin, as it is much easier, and then leave them to cool. Then, dig in!

Please let me know if you decide to try out this truly scrumptious recipe for yourself, I know you won't regret it (apart from maybe the calories haha!) My boyfriend has booked some time off of work this week and so I am really excited to make another batch with him this week. I cannot wait to dig in and I bet that you can't too!

A Twist On Tanya Burr's Cookie Recipe

Hi guys. I haven't done any food related blog posts in quite a while, so I thought that it was about time that I posted another recipe for you all. Many of you may have seen Tanya Burr's recent YouTube video making White & Milk Chocolate Cookies and I'm sure you'll agree that they looked really tasty, so I wanted to make some of my own. The only difference is that I wanted to change up the recipe just a little so I swapped out the white chocolate for some orange flavoured chocolate instead. The beauty about this recipe is that you can substitute the chocolate to whatever type you like, so feel free to experiment yourselves or just simply follow the instructions below. So, without any further ado, here is my recipe for Orange & Milk Chocolate Cookies. Enjoy!

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

325g self-raising flour
300g caster sugar
200g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 egg
200g milk chocolate
200g orange flavoured milk chocolate (mine is from Mr Simm's)
Dash of milk

Before you begin, you will also need to preheat your oven to 200°c and line two baking trays with grease-proof paper.

1. Using an electric whisk, add both your sugar and butter into a bowl and whisk until they are fully combined. Then add your egg into the mixture and whisk until smooth.

2. Next, adding a little bit at a time, whisk your self-raising flour into the mixture. Once combined, your mixture should look crumbly and dough-like. At this point, if it looks a little on the dry side, add a little dash of milk to your mixture too. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball.

3. Then, it's time to add up your chocolate. Break up both your milk chocolate and orange flavoured milk chocolate into squares and then add it to your dough. Make sure you disperse the chocolate evenly throughout your dough so that your cookies are even and all have a good amount of chocolate in them later on.

4. Grab little handfuls of the completed dough and roll them into balls and place them on the baking tray (I managed to make eight large cookies but you could make smaller ones if you would like, as long as you adjust the cooking time.) Ensure that the cookies are spaced out as they do spread out a lot whilst in the oven.

5. Place your cookies into the oven and cook them for 10-12 minutes but no longer. The cookies may look not fully cooked when you take them out but I can assure you they are, plus the continue to cook outside of the oven. The cookies should look crispy around the edges but nice and gooey in the centre.

6. Allow your cookies to cool for around half an hour and then tuck in!

So that's it for my Orange & Milk Chocolate Cookie recipe. They were super easy to make and were even more delicious, the chocolate just melts in your mouth and the cookie has a wonderful soft and gooey texture. I hope you enjoyed my adaptation of Tanya's original recipe. Please let me know if you give this recipe a go for yourself by leaving a comment below!

Easter Baking: Creme Egg Brownies

Hi guys. With it being Easter this week, I decided to attempt making a very exciting Easter themed treat - Creme Egg Brownies! For those of you who do not live in the UK, Creme Eggs are made by Cadburys and are sold in England around Easter each year. These yummy milk chocolate eggs are filled with sweet yellow and white fondant icing inside to emulate the look of a real egg. This recipe has been circulating on the Internet for quite a while now and I thought that I would give it a go. The outcome was amazing, plus the recipe is pretty simple, so I thought that I would share it with you all so that you can attempt it yourselves over Easter. Let's begin!

The ingredients you will need are:

185g of unsalted butter
185g of dark chocolate
85g of plain flour
40g of cocoa powder
3 large eggs
275g of golden caster sugar
6 Cadbury's Creme Eggs (cut into halves)Before starting, make sure that you have all of your ingredients and equipment on hand and lightly grease the tin you are going to cook the brownies in with butter or by using parchment/grease proof paper. Also, refrigerate your Creme Eggs as this will make them easier to cut into halves later on. Then, preheat your oven to 160°C. 

Step 1
Melt the dark chocolate and butter together using either the microwave or in a bowl over boiling water, whichever method you prefer. Set aside to cool.

Step 2
Break the three large eggs into a bowl and add the 275g of golden caster sugar. Mix the ingredients with an electric whisk on a high speed for 3-8 minutes. The end result should look thick, creamy and pale in colour. It should have also doubled in volume.

Step 3

Make sure that your chocolate and butter mixture is relatively cool and pour it into the bowl containing the eggs and sugar. Gently fold the chocolate in until everything is combined.

Step 4 

Sieve in 85g of plain flour and 40g of cocoa powder into the mixture. Gently fold in the flour and cocoa until it is fully incorporated into the mixture. Pour the finished mixture into your greased/lined baking tin. Make sure that it is spread out evenly to get a better and more attractive result. Cook for 15 minutes.

Step 5

Whilst the brownies are cooking, take your Creme Eggs out of the fridge and cut them into halves using a sharp knife. Be extremely careful as this is very tricky and accidents can happen (I cut myself with the knife as it slipped off an egg!) After the 15 minutes are up, remove the brownies from the oven and gently press the egg halve into the mixture. Cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes or until a skewer or knife inserted into the brownie mix comes out clean.

Step 6
Cut the brownies into squares whilst they are still hot and in the tin, as it is much easier, and then leave them to cool.

And viola, that is how you make these delicious and decadent Creme Egg Brownies! Have you ever tried this recipe before? What are your favourite Easter treats? I hope that you enjoyed this post and please let me know if you give this recipe a go yourself, I would love to see the outcomes. I hope you all have a great Easter weekend! 

DIY Desserts: Oreo Cheesecake

Hi guys. Today I am posting my second ever food-related blog post! Seeing as my 'DIY December: Chocolate Orange Cookies' post was really well received, I thought it was only right to start introducing some more baking posts into my blog from time to time. As I have quite a sweet tooth, I have decided to focus on making desserts and so from now on, this mini series of posts will be appropriately called 'DIY Desserts.' Yesterday, I decided to make an Oreo Cheesecake which I have to admit was pretty daunting as I have never made any kind of cheesecake. However, it was easier than expected and so I wanted to share this yummy recipe with you. Let's get started!

To make this tasty cheesecake, you will need:

3 x 154g packets of Oreos
Mini Oreos for decorating
300g cream cheese
300ml double cream (or whipping cream)
75g unsalted butter (melted)
150g white chocolate
1 teaspoon of powdered gelatine
1 tablespoon of water

At this point, ensure that you have all of your ingredients and equipment (mixing bowls, spoons, scales, whisk etc) out ready to use. Lightly grease your tin (preferably one with a pop-out base) with butter. 

Step 1

Separate and remove as much of the filling of some Oreos as you can until you get 200g of just the biscuits to use for the base of the cheesecake and discard of the separated filling. Place the Oreos in a re-sealable bag to prevent making a mess and use a rolling pin to finely crush the biscuits. 

Step 2

Add the crushed Oreos into a bowl along with the 75g of melted butter and mix together. Press the mixture down compact into the base of your greased tin evenly and put the tin in the fridge whilst you carry on with the rest of the recipe.

Step 3
Put a tablespoon of cold water into a small bowl along with a teaspoon of powdered gelatine. Place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water until the gelatine fully dissolves into the water and set the mixture aside.

Step 4
Using the same technique, measure out and melt 150g of white chocolate in a bowl and heat over a saucepan of simmering water. Alternatively you could melt your chocolate in a microwave in small intervals, (checking it and stirring it as you go,) until the chocolate is smooth.

Step 5
In a bowl, whisk the 300g of cream cheese until smooth. Add in the gelatine and melted chocolate that you prepared earlier and mix it until fully combined.

Step 6
In a separate bowl, whip the 300ml of double cream until it thickens and forms soft peaks on the whisks (see photo.) Afterwards, gently fold into the cream cheese mixture until everything is combined. Chop up the remaining portion of the Oreos into small chunks and stir them into the mixture.

Step 7
Remove your tin from the fridge and poor the mixture over the biscuit base. Spread the mixture evenly using a spatula or palette knife so that the top of the cheesecake is even. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least another four hours or overnight if possible.

Step 8
Remove the tin after refrigeration by running a palette knife around the edge or by popping up the base of your tin. Decorate your cheesecake in whichever way you like using some mini Oreos. For best results, leave your cheesecake out for 15-30 minutes before serving.

Viola, that is how you make this delectable Oreo cheesecake! I hope that you all enjoyed my second ever baking post, as there will be plenty more to come in the future. With Valentines Day only a week away, this would be a great dessert to make if you are cooking for a loved one or even if you are single and feel like treating yourself! Please let me know if you do try this recipe yourself and what you think of it. I absolutely loved it! Thank you :)

DIY December: Chocolate Orange Cookies

Hi guys. Today I thought I would do something that I have never done before...a food-related blog post! Over the past few weeks, I have been heavily influenced by Miss Glamorazzi's (Ingrid Nilson's) DIY December videos on YouTube. She has been making lots of yummy Christmas themed treats, as well as cute homemade presents and decorations, so I thought it would give it a whirl myself. I have been meaning to do something like this on my blog for some time now and I've finally gotten around to it. Normally, I tend to stick to baking cakes or cupcakes but sometimes is nice to branch out and try something new. With that in mind, I decided to bake some Chocolate Orange Cookies. 

Although these cookies are not technically Christmas themed, I think they are a lovely little treat for this time of year and would be great accompanied with a cup of tea or coffee whilst sheltering from the cold, winter weather too. I originally got this recipe off of the BBC Good Food website which you can view here, however, I altered the recipe slightly as I did not have any white chocolate at hand. 

To make 15-18 small cookies or 10 larger cookies, you will need:

125g dark chocolate

150g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2tsp salt
75g light brown sugar
125g softened butter
Zest of one large orange
200g milk chocolate chips
1 egg

At this stage, you will need to pre-heat your oven to 170°C (Gas Mark 6) and line a baking tray so that your cookies do not stick.

Step 1
Break up the 125g of dark chocolate into a microwave-proof bowl and melt it in the microwave in 30 second intervals, checking and stirring it as you go, until it is completely smooth. Alternatively, you could do the same over a pan of simmering water until fully molten. Then, leave the chocolate on the side to cool.

Step 2
Measure out the plain flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl and set aside for later. Cream the 125g of butter and 75g of light brown sugar and beat it in a bowl until it's light and fluffy (using an electric whisk for this step makes it a lot easier!) Then, add the melted dark chocolate into the mixture and whisk once again.

Step 3
Add in the orange zest and egg and whisk until the mixture is combined. Then, fold in your flour mixture which will eventually create a sticky dough. Throw in the chocolate chips and give the mixture a final stir to ensure that the chips are evenly distributed. 

Step 4
Now for the messy bit! Roll the dough into small or large balls (depending on your preference) and place them onto the lined baking tray. Bake for roughly 15-18 minutes or until a skewer or knife inserted into the middle of a cookies comes out clean with no mixture on it. 

Step 5
Once the cookies are done, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool on the tray for up to 10 minutes. Then, you can transfer them to a cooling rack or a plate. At this stage, the cookies may seem quite soft and may appear un-cooked but I can assure that they are. As they cool, the cookies will harden. Do not try and cook them for any longer otherwise they will either burn or become dry.

And viola, that is how you make delicious chocolate orange cookies! I hope that you enjoyed this post and please let me know if you give this recipe a go yourself, I would love to see the outcomes! Hopefully I will be able to start incorporating some more food-related posts into my blog on a more regular basis as and when I can :)

My Month Via Instagram - June 2013

Hi guys! It's come to that time of the month again where I share what I have been up to during the month of June with all of you. This month has been pretty mellow for me as I am focusing on getting my life together and consequently, I have signed up to do some voluntary work at a local ante-natal clinic. With that being said, whilst being busy going through that process, I have had a pretty busy month when it comes to nights out. So, without further a do, here's what I have been up to!

1. My first night out of the month was with my friend Lucy. We decided to go to a nightclub in our hometown that plays alternative music (which is right up my alley as rock is my favourite genre of music.) I was also excited to wear my new dress as pictured above. This really cute tie-dye cut-out dress is from a range in New Look called Cameo Rose and I am obsessed with it. When I wear it, I feel really confident and that is always a good thing! To view the dress on New Look's website, click here.

2. Shortly after, I went on another night out with my friend Danielle. We went to a club about a twenty minutes drive away from where I live which requires you to be a little more dressed up. Danielle came round mine for a few pre-drinks and I ended up doing her entire make-up look complete with some lovely false eyelashes. We both had a really great night and danced the night away, despite the fact that my feet were killing me in my heels. The sacrifices us girls make for fashion, eh?

3. This is just a little snap I took of my gorgeous dog, Sasha. She is a labrador-husky cross and I swear that 50% of my Instagram photos are just of her looking adorable. In this particular shot, she was begging me for food (as per usual) in my kitchen. 

4. This month, my parents went away to Suffolk for the week and so I was left in charge of the house. I am normally quite lazy when it comes to tidying up after myself but I turned into a bit of a domestic goddess throughout the week. Cleaning, cooking, hoovering - you name it, I did it. On one particular afternoon I was feeling a little creative and I ended up making some delicious Devil's Food cupcakes. As you can see from the picture above, they turned out pretty well. I especially love the leopard print cases which I bought in Tesco's, I am a sucker for leopard print items! They tasted divine and I ended up scoffing the whole lot - oops!

5. This is a little bit of a random photo to include but whilst in town on a sunny afternoon the other week, I decided to nip in to Costa and buy a drink to cool me down. I ordered a cranberry & raspberry iced lemonade and it's safe to say, I'm now addicted. Since that day, I have bought another two and they are so good. I highly recommend that you get one if you are passing by!

6. Last but not least is my final night out for this month with my friends Lucy, Harriet and Charlotte (from left to right.) Again, we gathered at my house for some pre-drinks and a gossip before heading out. We also had a bit of a 'glamming up' session where I curled the girls' hair and so on. As you can see, I wore my trusty tie-dye dress once again as I literally cannot get enough of it. This was my favourite night out of the month as me and the girls are rarely all free at the same time to go clubbing all together, especially as Harriet is usually away at university. However, I paid the price for the extremely drunken night the following day, where I was very ill and hungover which was not very pleasant at all!

So, that's it for this month! I hope you all enjoyed reading about what I have gotten up to over the past four weeks. As always, I always appreciate and love reading your comments so please do not hesitate to leave your thoughts below.