Snickers Cookies

oh, you are beautiful!!!

I love snickers - I love anything peanut buttery. I eat minimum 4 slices of peanut butter toast a day and I'm crazy about cookies with nuts in.  M thinks it's nuts how much peanut butter I go through when I have to put a new industrial sized pot in our shop, so I decided to take my cookies from black and white cookies recipie, and chuck in some peanut butter deliciousness. (That, and I couldn't be bothered to go buy some icing powder to make anything else!!)

Foolishly however, I took no photos of the cookies, as they were eaten so quickly...... 12 in less that amount of hours, and if you're not quick here with a camera, they gone!!

Ingredients:

Cookies - makes 12
225g flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
110g unsalted butter - softened
175g sugar
1 egg - room temperature
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
125ml milk

3-4 (depends how much you like!) chopped snickers.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 and cover a large baking tray in baking parchment. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt, and leave to one side.
2. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy (again I did it by hand!) and gradually add the sugar until pale and fluffy. Whisk in the egg, lemon and vanilla extract until combined.
3. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, alternate adding in the flour and milk just until combined.
4. Add the chopped snickers and mix in gently. 

Oh looking at this photo makes me want NEED more snickers.

 5. Place in the oven and bake for up to 20 minutes, until golden and all the chocolatey, gooey gorgeousness has melted and you could cry because they smell so good.

Public Announcement.

My piping bag arrive.

Let there be cakes.

Chewy Cookie Marshmallow Bars

So I have no money, well I do, but not to buy lots of ingredients for cakes - plus my icing bag still hasn't arrived! So I went on my favorite blog bakergirl and saw these delicious easy to make treats, and thought why not!

Ingredients
500g Chocolate chip cookies
1 Bag Marshmallows
2 tbsp butter


Method made easy
1. Let out all your anger (it's an amazing method) and hand crush the biscuits. Not into a fine dust, but until all crumbly.
2. Put the butter and marshmallows into a microwave until the marshmallows swell in size for roughly 1min 30 - 2 mins.
3. Remove the mixture from the microwave and quickly add in the crushed biscuits stirring rapidly, until the mixture goes all gooey and beautiful. (I'm dribbling)
4. Place into a foil line dish (so the mixture doesn't stick) and place in the fridge until set.
5. Cut into chunks and eat sensibly :D Not like us, all in one go.

Cookie Chunks laced together with marshmallow

Recipe Taken from Bakergirl

Cupcakes that make me cry...

I really enjoy doing this blog - however I have no ££ at the moment, well none to waste on buying baking things. So thanks to Michael's sister, I have now ventured into spending hours looking at amazing recipes and pictures online - because lets face it, my photography needs improving.

ps when michael comes home i'm totally gonna stop and get some marshmallows and oreos so I can bake something :)

Pictures not my own - taken from cutestfood.com

Half-moon Cookies

After only 2 rounds of cakes, well 4 including the lemon drizzle cakes I needed a cake rest, because I don't exercise and have no intention to! Plus, I mislaid my piping bag and decided to order a better one from Amazon, so I decided to make something I could feel confident icing. 

When I first saw these cookies on this blog I thought they looked incredibly striking and instantly wanted to try them. I thought they looked simple and wouldn't take any time... but the vanilla icing with treacle syrup in, was definitely worth it.

note to self:buy bigger dish.

Ingredients:

Cookies - makes 12
225g flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
110g unsalted butter - softened
175g sugar
1 egg - room temperature
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
125ml milk


Glaze
25g cooking chocolate
30mls golden syrup
45mls water
280g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
milk as needed

 

yes, i will did eat some with a spoon.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 and cover a large baking tray in baking parchment. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt, and leave to one side.
2. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy (again I did it by hand!) and gradually add the sugar until pale and fluffy. Whisk in the egg, lemon and vanilla extract until combined.
3. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, alternate adding in the flour and milk just until combined.
4. Use a quarter cup measuring cup (available from all good supermarkets for very cheap!) and place 6 generous dough mounds 2 inches apart. With moistened fingers pat the dough into circles 2 1/2 inches wide and 3/4 of an inch thick. Bake until the centers are firm and edged browning - about 20minutes.

5. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water and set to one side. In another pan, combine the water and golden syrup and bring to the boil. Take off the heat and whisk in the icing sugar and vanilla extract until thick. It is now optional as to whether you lick icing off your finger. Transfer some vanilla icing into the melted chocolate until you find your preferred thickness.

6. To ice the cookies, use an offset spatula choosing either side first, apply the icing and tilt downwards, using the spatula to scrape off any excess from the sides. Leave to dry for about 15mins and repeat with the other side. Allow the glaze to set 1hr before serving.

my treat for finishing.

Recipe taken from Annie's eats
 

Today I get to play with...

Vanilla Cupcakes with Jam Center and Raspberry Jam Buttercream

So I've got a bit of a baking bug and decided that letting M eat 9/12 cupcakes wasn't enough, so I made some more. I decided to go forth with the piping bag once more and not let the grey frosting put me off, so I thought Amie, keep it more simple. Which is exactly what I did.

my other love.

Ingredients

Cakes
110g Unsalted Butter
110g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract 
110g Self Raising flour
1 'blob' (that is the technical term!) of jam per cake.


Buttercream
140g butter
280g Caster sugar
A few 'blobs' jam



Method:
1. Preheat your ovens to 180 and line your cupcake tray with cases. It is now that I found that I have lost one of my newly purchased by dearly loved cupcake cases. RIP green case.
2. Beat together the sugar and butter until pale and creamy, then gradually add in the eggs and vanilla extract. 
3. Fold in the sifted flour with a large metal spoon, keeping those precious air bubbles inside the batter. Then pour even amounts into cupcake cases.
4. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes whilst resisting the temptation to open the oven beforehand! Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake to check if they're done and leave to cool.
5. Core out the middle of the cupcakes - I'm sure there's a technical way to do it, however I just took off and promptly ate the top, and made a nice hole ! Add a delicious blob of jam.

nomnomnom.

6. To make the buttercream, mix together the butter, vanilla and half (140g) of the icing sugar, once thick, add in the extra half (oh how i did make a mess!) and whip up until thick. 

Here is where I made my 2nd frosting error. The mixture was perfect, I did a couple practice stars which were gorgeous but I wasn't happy with the natural colour of the buttercream, and as I don't currently have any food colouring, I added Jam. Foolproof, I thought. No Amie, it isn't. 

Of course I didn't count for the extra liquid e.g. jam, within my buttercream so it turned from the beautiful textured delight, to a bit more runny texture. Amazing to eat but still, annoyed at myself none the less. I WILL finally get it right one day!!!

Recipe idea from BBC Food


 

Please?

Anybody Watch This Show?

I think this is what sparked my fascination with baking (that and all the free time I have recently!) People all across America who have these amazing cupcake businesses go head to head creating some of the most beautiful cupcakes I've ever seen and can only someday wish to create with amazing skill and confidence whilst I'm still here in learner stages, not taking my eyes away from the methods!

Vanilla Cupcake with an Oreo Bottom and Oreo Frosting

I am so desperate to try something that at least looks interesting, like a red velvet, but for now I have to try and get my vanilla sponge right. So I came across this blog in my new obsession of cupcake/baking blogs and although it is primarily a chocolate cupcake, I took the idea of putting a double stuffed oreo at the bottom of my cupcakes :) delicious.

Ingredients

Cakes
110g Unsalted Butter
110g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract 
110g Self Raising flour


Frosting
300mls Whipping Cream
50g Icing Sugar
6 Finely Crushed Oreo Cookies
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Method made easy!

1. Preheat your ovens to 180 and line you cupcake tray with cases. Break the oreos in half and place the side with frosting into the cupcake tray, frosting side up. 

2. Beat together the sugar and butter until pale and creamy, then gradually add in the eggs and vanilla extract. 
3. Fold in the sifted flour with a large metal spoon, keeping those precious air bubbles inside the batter. Then pour even amounts into cupcake cases.
4. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes whilst resisting the temptation to open the oven beforehand! Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake to check if they're done and leave to cool.

 

5. To make the frosting, whip together the cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl until the mixture forms stiff peaks. I did this with a hand whisk and it didn't take me as long as I would've expected! Gently fold in the crushed Oreos with a spatula.
6. Spoon the frosting mixture into a piping bag with a star tip and decorate away, finishing with an Oreo onto.


I was so pleased with my cupcakes, although a bit dense looking, but okay for a first attempt I thought. However... the mixture got too hot/wet in the piping bag and instead of having gorgeous white cream with flecks of oreos, I had grey frosting... which although tasted the same (we ate all 12!) just weren't pretty.

 Note to self - practice makes perfect

Recipe Idea from Bakergirl

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Never one to be a huge cake maker I thought I'd make one!!! I'm rather obsessed with BBC Good Food Guide and came across a recipe for a lemon drizzle cake which was so beautiful I made it twice, and M and I ate it within a few days.

Ingredients

225g unsalted butter

225g caster sugar

4 eggs

Finely grated zest 2 lemons

225g self raising flour

Method made easy!

1. Preheat the oven 180/fan, 160/gas and grease your chosen tin, or line with greaseproof paper.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together for 5mins with an electric whisk (cheater!!!) or 10mins by hand, until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

3. Whisk the eggs separately to ensure as much air as possible, and add gradually to the mixture, mixing well.

4. Sift in the flour and add the lemon zest, mixing well with a metal spoon. You can also add some lemon juice here if you like a really lemony taste!

5. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45minutes or until a thin skewer is inserted into the middle of the cake and comes out clean.
6. As the cake is cooling, prick the cake with a fork or skewer to allow the drizzle to soak through the cake.
7. Pour the drizzle (juice from 2 lemons, 85g caster sugar mixed together) over the cake, the juice will soak through leaving a gorgeous sugar crispy top.
8. Once cool, remove from tin and ENJOY!!!!


I did not take any photos of my attempt, as I forgot (the one above is not my own, but did look like it)! It was truly gorgeous and you can experiment with the amount of lemons you use to suit your taste.

First Post

I have decided to enter into the world of baking!! I am a complete beginner and am therefore making this blog so I can see how I progress throughout time! My partner works full time and at the moment I am half way into my 6 weeks off from Uni and get a great deal of joy and satisfaction from baking, and showing M, my partner, what I've made when he comes back :) So far, I'm keeping it simple as my piping as of yet is not amazing, but practice does make perfect!!!! 

I'm going to put photos on, so be kind, like I said I'm just beginning!!!!!!!!

Amie