OoOoOh spooky!

Okay, not spooky, but tasty.

IT'S HALLOWEEN!!

Unfortunately my imagination this year could only stretch to my costume, so instead of baking something CRAZY I've stuck to what I know; shortbread cookies. However, this time I've made them look cooool.

The recipe can be found in an earlier post, so all you need now is some icing! Easy peasy! 

Now, go get bloodied up and have some fun! 

Cake Coma!!

I've not baked anything for a few days but my friend and her Nan have been on a major baking spree...I'm suffering real bad! I feel like, you know in cartoons when someone gets knocked out and they can see stars; well, I can see cakes circling my head. 
Don't get me wrong, I love cake but when you've been back on a diet for just a week and been feeling so good about yourself; tucking in to four slices is one hell of a coma. 

Oh cake, you will be the death of me.

And on that note; I will be baking something this week. 

I Made Pumpkin Pie!!

For a very long time I've been planning on spending my Autumn months making typically American food. Every year I get a pumpkin, but not once have I made the choice to actually make something with it. I just carve a stupid face and watch it burn. (FYI, the smell of burnt pumpkin is not nice).
So, anyway, this year I thought I would actually do something productive with it. Of course, the only thing that sprung to mind was Pumpkin Pie. So, without further a due, here it is!

What you'll need:

Pastry (yes, I did make mine. You can always cheat though and buy it) :
-170g Plain flour
-100g softened butter
-pinch of salt

Filling:
-625g chopped & peeled pumpkin
-2 eggs
-60g light, brown sugar
-3 tbsp golden syrup (or maple if you can afford it!)
-1/2 tsp cinnamon 
-1/2 tsp nutmeg (you can use other spices if you prefer)
-200ml single/double cream - depending on how indulgent you're feeling.

The doing:

- Pre-heat the oven to 190c/375f/gas mark 5


Pastry: Rub the butter and flour together into crumbs; add one or two tbsp's of water to help bind it together. Knead gently, then pop into the fridge to chill for approx. one hour. 
Filling: Chop & peel the pumpkin; boil until soft, blend into a puree and leave to completely chill. 
Once all is chilled; roll out the pasty and lay it into a baking dish. Make sure you grease it well enough, don't want to leave the bottom behind! Mix all of the above ingredients together and pour into the pastry dish. 
I'm aware that I didn't blind bake, which is what you're supposed to do, but I never have done and my pastry has always turned out just fine. 
You can now pop the dish into the oven for approx. 40-50mins; you want the pastry golden brown, and the centre to be set but a little wobbly in the middle still. 

Once it's done, bring it out and let it chill on a wire rack then pop it in the fridge for about an hour before serving. You're best to keep it in the fridge afterwards as well. 

Now, take a step back, marvel at your work and be proud. I was! 

Hangover cure

I went out Tuesday night (it's now Thursday) and suffice to say, I still feel rather icky. Seeing as I could barely stand yesterday, today seemed like a good day to bake something. Something simple, sweet and comforting. And nothing says "CURE ME" better than m&m cookies. 
My plan was to make proper cookies, but I forgot the eggs so I reverted back to a shortbread recipe. Just as tasty. 

Ingredients:
-4oz butter
-2oz caster sugar
-6oz flour (SR or plain)
-Pinch of salt
-tsp of almond/vanilla extract
-M&M's for decorating (i've got peanut ones)

Method:
-Pre-heat oven to 170c / gas mark 3
-Cream the sugar and butte together
-Add flour, salt and extract
-Knead it into a doughy consistency 
-Leave to sit for approx. 15mins
-Once you're bored of waiting, roll it out on a flat surface to about 1/4inch in thickness. Take your cutter of choosing and cut away! I thought i'd give one of my new Halloween ones a go. 
-Decorate with the m&m's
-Pop in the oven; they cook pretty quickly, so just keep an eye on them and take them out when they're a little firm and golden brown.

Now, if like me you're not feeling too good: take a biscuit (warm), find a dark corner and veg out. 

It has to be said, that whenever I think of Autumn I think of what food I can be cooking. Nine times out of 10, it'll be crumble. Possibly the easiest dish ever, but it's a classic belly warmer. 

My constant go-to is Blackberry and Apple. 

I had some blackberries in my fridge which I had no other use for, so it made sense to knock up a crumble. Now, brace yourself for the challenge! Hah!

Ingredients:
-Whatever you want in your crumble!
-I used two cooking apples and a handful of blackberries
-The crumble will need roughly; 4oz butter, 4oz flour and a sprinkling of brown sugar on top. But depending on how crumbly you like, just keep adding. 
I also like to add oats or nuts to the crumble, but I didn't have any. They add an extra crunch!

Cooking:
-Pre-heat the oven to 180c
-Chop you fruit up roughly, and chuck into an oven proof dish (needs to be a deep one)
-Rub the flour and butter together in separate bowl
-Cover the fruit with the mix, sprinkle some sugar over the top and pop in the oven. 
-Cook for approx.30mins; or until fruit is soft and crumble is crispy. 


Pour on lashings of custard (or ice cream), eat hot and feel all good inside. 

Trick or Treat?!

I'm definitely a Treat girl. 

I've got the Halloween bug pretty bad, me and my friend have been stocking up on goodies already. One of which being these awesome little things. I think for the next month (possibly forever actually), I'm just going to be making Halloween shaped cookies. I also picked up some Halloween styled cupcake cases (there's pumpkin muffin recipe I've got up my sleeves), and they're perfect. 

I will of course be uploading any recipes as soon as I start baking. I'm not feeling too great at the moment, but hopefully next week I'll be mostly in the kitchen. 

Prepping for Christmas (part-1)

Traditional (ish) Christmas Pudding. 

I know it's only just October, but as a rule of thumb, it's about time to get your Christmas puds on the go. 
I'm currently at my mums house in the country, and of course I had the baking bug. But unfortunately she doesn't have an oven, just a hob. So the only option was to steam something; Christmas puds were the perfect option. It's just a shame I can't taste it for another 2.5 months. 
This recipe is for a traditional pudding; there really isn't much point in making it fancy, seeing as there's only two of us that will eat it. I suppose you can argue though, that there are a few differences, but it's much of a muchness. 

Ingredients:

-2oz self-raising flour
-4oz shredded suet
-4oz breadcrumbs
-2 large eggs
-8oz soft, brown sugar
-10oz mixed, dried fruit
-8oz dried cranberries
-2oz chopped, mixed nuts
-1tsp cinnamon
-1tsp nutmeg/ginger
-75ml of stout
-A glug of brandy

You will also need a bowl for the mix, a pan to steam it in, a plate,tin foil and string. 

This is part is simple: Measure out all your ingredients and mix them together in a large bowl/pan, making sure to make a wish when you stir. This is not to be done on heat.

You then need to pop the mix into your bowl of choice, place a plate over it to keep it air tight, cover in tin foil and wrap tightly with the string. Then, you need to bain-marie the pudding for 4hours. Make sure you keep topping up the water, as you don't want it burn! Once your 4hrs are up, take it off the heat, take the plate and foil off and let it cool down. Once cool, re-seal it and store it away until Christmas. You will then need to steam it again for a further 4hrs on the day of use. 

When it's all done, you can then enjoy with brandy butter, brandy ice-cream or whatever else you fancy!