Daim Cookies

This month's AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes is the letter "D". J immediately thought of Daim/Dime bars which I've not thought about before even for the first round of AlphaBakes. I love eating Daim bars and they always remind me of trips to Ikea. 

I debated about making a cheesecake or a brownie but in the end settled for a cookie. It's a simple sugar cookie recipe with a piece of Daim chocolate pressed in the middle. I was surprised that the chocolate did not melt when the cookies were baked and that they retained their shape. The cookie has a crisp edge and a soft centre and the Daim piece gave the perfect balance of crunch and flavour. 

I'm sending this to AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself. The letter this month is D. 

I'm also sending it to Family Foodies hosted by Louisa from Eat Your Veg and Vanesther from Bangers and Mash. The theme this month is Barbecues, Picnics and Outdoor Eating and these would be perfect for any of those occasions.

 

225g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
110g brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
450g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
40 - 50 mls milk
Daim chocolate pieces (or you can use smarties or M&M's)

• Beat together the sugars and butter until pale and fluffy. 
• In a separate bowl, use a whisk to beat together the vanilla and eggs. 
• Gradually transfer this egg mixture to the creamed mixture, beating between each addition. This will prevent the mixture from curdling. 
• Over this mixture, sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
• Gradually add the milk and stir until soft dough forms (be careful not to add too much milk or dough will be too sticky). 
• Leave in fridge for 20 minutes, covered. (You can skip this step if you are short on time) 
• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Remove the dough from the fridge and place a small ice cream scoop of dough spaced apart on the baking trays. 
• Press a Daim chocolate piece in the middle of each cookie and press gently. 
• Bake for 8-9 minutes or until they are golden brown, but still slightly soft. They will harden slightly upon cooling. 
• If you want a crunchier cookie, then cook for longer until brown and rather firm to touch when removed from oven.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack completely before storing. 

Zesty Lemon and Summer Fruit Roulade

This Spring Dr. Oetker has teamed up with Kimberley Wilson as part of the Even Better Baking Team to create an exclusive and delicious low fat Zesty Lemon and Summer fruit Roulade recipe. It's a light and refreshing cake which is fairly healthy and quite simple to make.  The full recipe and instructions can be viewed in the video below.

One of my colleagues said that this is her second favourite cake that I've ever baked, the first being Nigella's Olive Oil Cake. I have to say it barely lasted an hour as it was wolfed down with gusto and I have no doubt that I will be making this again. I've not made many swiss rolls but was excited to use my new swiss roll tin which worked beautifully. I actually made this recipe twice as the first was a bit disastrous. You need to be patient and whisk the eggs and sugar for at least 5 minutes - I was in too much of a hurry the first time and it didn't turn out well. 

This is my first time using the Dr Oetker Sicilian Lemon Natural Extract and I was pleasantly surprised. It smells like fresh lemons and just 1/2 teaspoon as stated in the recipe is enough to give a deep lemon flavour. The sponge was light and lemony and the yoghurt berry filling was absolutely delicious. The lemon curd worked really well with the yoghurt and berries and is definitely an idea I will be repeating for future bakes. 

 

 whisk the eggs and sugar until the 'ribbon stage' 

 filling my swiss roll tin 

 fresh from the oven 

 stir lemon curd into the yoghurt 

 spread lemon curd/yoghurt over the cake and sprinkle chopped berries on top 

 zesty lemon and summer fruit roulade 

Disclaimer: I was sent Dr Oetker products used in this recipe by Dr Oetker. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own. 

Maple, walnut and raisin oat cookies and a giveaway

I love maple syrup and have quite a few maple syrup recipes on my blog. The lovely people at Clarks Maple Syrup kindly sent me a selection of their maple syrup to try and they've also agreed to give two lucky readers a Clarks gift bag worth £25. They have a great selection of recipes on their website and you can also download free recipe booklets. 

I debated about what to make. I usually use maple syrup in pancakes or cakes so I thought about making something a little different. The Clarks Oatmeal Maple Drop Cookies really appealed to me so I gave it a go and was not disappointed with the results. The maple syrup makes for a slightly wet batter and my cookies were soft with a crispy edge. It's definitely a cookie that tastes better the day after and one that slowly grows on you. I love the flavour combination of maple syrup and walnuts. The raisins added contrasting taste and texture and the oats made it feel healthier. I used the Clarks pure maple syrup for this recipe and you can definitely taste it in the cookie. It's not overly sweet and has a lovely aroma. I can't wait to try some of their other recipes. 

As mentioned, 2 lucky readers will win a Clarks gift bag worth £25. Each gift bag will include 

• 1x 500ml Clarks Original Maple Syrup
• 1x180ml Clarks Vanilla Maple Syrup
• 1x500ml Clarks Maple Syrup Pure No.1
• 1x 180ml Clarks Pure no.2
• 1x 500ml Clarks clear blossom honey
• 1x180ml Clarks Lavender honey
• 1x180ml Clarks Orange blossom honey
• 1x 180ml Clarks Acacia honey
• Clarks Recipe book

Entry is via the rafflecopter widget. The prize is sponsored by Clarks and they will arrange delivery of the prize. Competition is open to UK residents only. A winner will be selected at random by Rafflecopter. All entries will be checked and verified and automatically disqualified if it's not a genuine entry. The closing date is 23 June 2014 at 12 midnight GMT. Good luck! 

 My selection of Clarks Maple Syrup

 milk, maple syrup, butter, flour, oats, raisins, egg, walnuts 

 ready to go in the oven

 delicious! 

Disclaimer: I was sent a selection of Clarks maple syrup to review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Flourless Chocolate and Raspberry Brownies

I was looking for something quick and simple to bake one evening with J. I had limited baking equipment and supplies so I decided on a brownie which does not require any fancy equipment. I used a BBC Good Food recipe as the title said 'Best ever chocolate raspberry brownies' They were indeed amazing and it was so good I felt I had to make it again. 

This month's We Should Cocoa challenge hosted by Michelle from Utterly Scrummy Food for Families has the theme gluten free. I adapted this recipe by replacing the flour with ground almonds, reducing the amount of butter and sugar and baked it in my individual brownie pan. The result was really good. I was told that these are the 'best brownies ever' and there wasn't a crumb left by the end of the day. The  brownies are really moist, gooey and chocolatey with a hint of tart raspberry. Personally I prefer the normal version as it's smoother and fudgier. The gluten free version tasted grainier and nuttier due to the ground almonds. However, they were both delicious and I'd happily eat a few of each version! 

As mentioned, this is for We Should Cocoa started by Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog and guest hosted this month by Michelle from Utterly Scrummy Food for Families. The theme is gluten free. 

I'm also sending it to Four Seasons Food guest hosted by Tina from the Spicy Pear this month. The challenge is usually run by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat Your Veg. The theme this month is The Colour Red and these raspberries are bright red!

And to Family Foodies hosted by Louisa from Eat Your Veg and Vanesther from Bangers and Mash. The theme this month is Barbecues, Picnics and Outdoor Eating. You can easily make the brownies in advance and they are very easy to transport.

 adding the eggs 

 adding ground almonds and cocoa powder 

 adding raspberries 

 place 1 raspberry on top of each brownie square before baking 

 

 look at how gooey the centre is ... yuuumm!!

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food

Makes 18 individual brownie square as shown 

200g butter

350g soft brown sugar

200g dark chocolate

100g milk chocolate

4 eggs

50g cocoa powder

160g ground almonds

150g fresh raspberries

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Place the butter, sugar and chocolate in a medium sized saucepan and melt over a medium heat. 
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly
• Add in the eggs and mix well.
• Stir in the ground almonds and cocoa powder.
• Finally stir in the raspberries reserving 18 for decoration. 
• Divide the batter evenly into an individual brownie pan. Place 1 raspberry on top of each square before baking. 
• Alternatively you can use a square baking tray. 
• Bake for about 18 -20 minutes or until the edges are cooked. If you want a firmer brownie then cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt Cake

I probably have too many cake tins but I just couldn't resist buying this Nordicware Jubilee Bundt tin to add to my collection. I've had my eye on it for a while and when it was on a special offer I decided it was a sign and I just had to buy it. I have quite a few of their Bundt tins and the cakes always turn out beautifully. The tins are well designed, solid and non stick if you spray it liberally with cake release spray before baking. 

The recipe on the back of the tin was for this orange marmalade cake so I gave it a go but added in an extra layer of marmalade in the middle of the cake. The result was an absolutely stunning cake in appearance and absolutely phenomenal in taste. It was light, bright and refreshing and the marmalade glaze was divine. I think the extra layer of marmalade in the middle of the cake added more flavour and moisture to the cake. 

 You have to rub the orange zest into the sugar which intensifies the orange flavour

 my beautiful bundt tin

 half fill the bundt tin 

 add a layer of marmalade 

 fill with the rest of the cake batter

 making the marmalade and orange glaze

 how pretty is that? 

 view from the top 

Recipe adapted from Nordicware

For the cake

375g plain flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

350g caster sugar

zest of 2 oranges

225g butter

1/2 cup (125ml) buttermilk

4 eggs

1/2 cup (125ml) orange juice

For the glaze 

1/2 cup marmalade

1/4 cup orange juice

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Measure out the sugar in a large bowl and add the orange zest to the sugar. Gently rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers - this helps to release the oils and creates a more intense orange flavour. 
• Cream the butter with the orange sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. 
• Combine the buttermilk and orange juice in a jug.
• Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients and mix well. 
• Pour half the batter into the cake tin.
• Add a layer of marmalade as shown -make sure you don't touch the edges as the marmalade will burn.
• Cover with the remaining cake batter.
• Bake for approximately 60 -70 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the glaze by heating the marmalade and orange juice in a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Stir frequently until you get a thick, sticky glaze. 
• Pour the glaze on the cake before serving. 

Chocolate and Mint Biscuit Slice

This is a quick and simple no bake recipe which is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. It's perfect for parties or picnics or BBQs and I'm sure I'll be making more of these as we are heading into summer. The recipe is based on a malteser traybake recipe from BBC Good Food but I've used Mint Aero Bubbles instead. 

I'm entering this to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is summer and this refreshing no bake recipe is perfect for summer. 

I'm also sending it to Dead Easy Desserts hosted by Sarah from Maison Cupcake. This takes less than 30 minutes to prepare excluding chilling time.

 mint aero bubbles, golden syrup, butter, digestive biscuits, milk chocolate

 adding the crushed digestive biscuits to the chocolate mixture

 stirring in the mint aero bubbles

 press into a tray and chill for a few hours then slice

 I love that you can still the green aero bubbles

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food
I'd recommend making a double recipe as one won't be enough!

100g butter
200g milk chocolate
3 tablespoon golden syrup
250g crushed digestive biscuits
225g Mint Aero Bubbles

• Melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a medium sized saucepan.
• Add in the crushed digestive biscuits
• Allow to cool slightly before adding the Mint Aero Bubble otherwise it will melt 
• Press into a square or rectangle baking tray and chill in the fridge for a few hours or preferably overnight.
• Slice and enjoy.