Easter Treats in the Kitchen

It is virtually impossible to diet at Easter in fact sometimes I think its worse than Christmas! With so many sweet treats on offer from hot cross buns, Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies to egg shaped candy and Simnel cake.

This year I decided to try out some new recipes with a quirky Easter twist.

Creme egg Cookie Cups

Creme Egg Cookie Cups

Cookies are a popular sweet treat with many people both young and old. They are also relatively easy and quick to make with most ingredients quite often being in your kitchen. This year I wanted to attempt to make combine the popular cookie with a creme egg effect after seeing a picture online. So here’s how I did it..honestly people will go wild for these yummy super tasty treats!

Ingredients

*250g plain flour
*2g of bicarbonate of soda
*170g of unsalted butter (melted)
*220g soft brown sugar
*100g of white caster sugar
*1tsp of vanilla essence
*1 egg
*1 egg yolk
*335g chocolate chips
*Pinch of salt

For the icing egg yolk

*150g of icing sugar
*boiling water
*Yellow food colouring

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 165 degrees.
2. Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl, then add the salt and set aside
3. In a bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar thoroughly. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Then mix in the flour ingredients until mixed. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Lightly grease a cupcake tin and place 1 tbsp of mixture into each section of the tin. There is no need to spread out the mixture.
5. Place in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
6. Take out the oven and using the back of a teaspoon press down the middle to create a cup shape. Leave to cool.

Using the back of a spoon press down the centre of the cookie

7. In a separate bowl mix together your icing sugar and water to create a thick paste. Place this in the centre of your cookie cups and leave to set.
8. Add a drop of yellow food colouring in the centre of each cookie cup to create the yolk.
9. Finally, put your feet up, show them off to your friends and enjoy!!

My final Easter bake this year was a luxury chocolate cake. A light chocolate sponge centered with a chocolate butter cream and topped with my special ganache icing and not forgetting the decorations of Maltesers and Bunnies. This cake was absolutely divine and any chocolate lovers heaven.

Chocolate Easter Cake

Easter is that one time of year that their is absolutely no limit on the amount of chocolate in any recipe – so if anyone’s calorie counting and on that bikini diet maybe this recipe isn’t the one for you! If people would like this recipe then leave a comment and I will post it onto another blog.

Hot Cross Bun Season is nearly over!

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Along with chocolate eggs, fish Friday and egg hunts Easter brings a cooks delight..The Hot Cross Bun!

Mixed Fruit and Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns

When it comes to Easter you can’t beat anything more than indulging into a lovely sticky, fruit filled hot cross bun. It definitely gets your taste buds tingling!!

So how do you like yours? Recently I’ve seen a wide variety of hot cross buns on offer in supermarkets and bakery’s. From the traditional fruit and cinnamon bun to cranberry and nutty buns but the one I can’t get my head around is the double chocolate hot cross bun. Yes it has the traditional cross making it easy to identify but seriously how is this a Hot Cross Bun? Even a chocolate lover like me is still greatly in favour of the traditional fruit bursting bun lightly toasted and covered in butter.

Lightly toast, spread with butter and enjoy!

Cooking these buns of delight is really not all that complicated so why not give it a go?

Hot Cross Bun Recipe

Ingredients

*300ml of milk
*500g strong white bread flour
75g of golden caster sugar
*10g of salt
*Sachet of fast action yeast
*50g butter
*1 beaten egg
*90g Sultanas
*90g Currants
*50g Mixed Peel
*10g Mixed Spice
*Olive oil for greasing

For the Cross
*75g of strong white flour
*water

For the Glaze
* Egg cup of boiling water
*1tsp of sugar
*A pinch of spice

Method

Bring the milk to the boil and then remove from the heat and leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature.
Mix the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter and egg together in a bowl, then slowly add the warmed milk until it forms a soft, sticky dough

Put all your ingredients into a bowl

3. Add the sultanas, mixed peel, chopped apple, orange zest and cinnamon, then tip out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat until smooth and elastic.

4.Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for approximately one hour, or until doubled in size.

Allow 50- 60 minutes for dough to prove

5. Divide the dough into 16 even buns, and roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured surface. Arrange the buns on a baking tray lined with baking powder, leaving enough space so that the buns just touch when they rise and expand. Set aside to prove for around 30-50 minutes.

6. For the cross, mix the flour with about five tablespoons of water in small bowl, adding the water one tablespoon at a time, so that you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a continuous line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses.

Pipe on crosses

7. Bake for 15 – 25 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven, or until golden-brown.
8. Mix together the water, sugar and mixed spice. After removing the buns from the oven using a pastry brush, brush on the sugar water to glaze the buns and leave to cool.
9. Enjoy slightly toasted with warm butter and a good old cup of tea.

serve toasted with butter

Everyone loves a cupcake!

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Nowadays one of the most popular things to bake is the cupcake. There simple, easy
quick and anyone can make them. You can make them as complicated or as fun as
you like. Even children love to bake and decorate them!

I personally don’t think there’s anything better than a light fluffy sponge of all
flavours and variations with a great big swirly dollop of icing sprinkled with your
favourite decorations.

Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate sprinkles

My most favourite thing about cupcake making is they are perfect for anyone. Children love being in the kitchen and what better than concocting a lip smacking delight that they can enjoy as a snack knowing that they made it! As a nanny I have spent hours in the kitchen watching the children covering the cakes in all kinds of colourful decorations with smiles on their faces!

But what’s your favourite? Mine is probably chocolate. A simple chocolate cake with a creamy chocolate icing topped with a mouth watering delight! What more could you want?

Chocolate cupcakes with a caramel egg

A simple cupcake recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

3 eggs
6oz butter
6oz sugar
6oz self raising flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Method

1. Weigh out all your ingredients.
2. Put the sugar and butter into a bowl – using an electric hand whisk mix the ingredients for around 3-4 minutes until the mixture is pale in colour.
3. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and add the vanilla extract. Using a fork whisk together.
4. Add the eggy mixture to the butter and sugar. Mix together quickly with the electric whisk.
5. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mixture and using a metal spoon fold the flour into the mixture.
6. Put the mixture into cupcake cases in a tray and then put into your preheated oven at 180 degrees for around 12 minutes.
7. To check your cupcakes are ready place a thin knife in the middle if it comes out clean your cakes are ready.
8. Place cakes on a cooling rack and leave to cool.
9. Once cool its now time to decorate – using butter cream or water icing and lots of decorations get creative and design your very own batch of cupcakes.
10. Once done sit down with a cup of tea for the adults and a squash for the children and enjoy!!