The recipe I have to share with you today creates something almost too dangerous to have in the house . . .



Seriously . . . tis a good thing this is the season of giving . . .



Imagine a chewy, fudgy, buttery blonde brownie . . .
stogged to overflowing with scrummy little bits of rich, sweet white chocolate . . .



and crunchily addictive hunks of macadamia nuts . . .
Now . . . top it with a gooey, sticky caramel toffee topping.



See???? I have created a monster . . .
but what a scrumdiddlyumptious way to go!




*White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Blondies*
Makes one 8 inch square pan, or 16 bars
Printable Recipe

Squidgy blonde brownies stogged full of white chocolate, macadamia nuts and glazed with caramel!

4 ounces softened unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
9 ounces soft light brown sugar (1 1/4 cups packed)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large free range eggs
5 ounces plain flour (1 cup)
3 1/2 ounces coarsely chopped macadamia nuts (3/4 cup)
3 to 4 ounces white chocolate, chop coarsely
250g soft toffees (about 1/2 cup packed)
2 fluid ounces water (1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 5. Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper leaving an overhand to ease in lifting the bars out when done. Butter the pan and the paper lightly.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat iin the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Stir in the flour, making sure it is completely incorporated. Fold iin the nuts and chocolate. Spread into the prepared pan. Bake in the heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Place the toffees in a small saucepan, along with the water. Cook and stir over medium low heat, stirring constantly until the toffees are melted and the mixture is smooth. Using a fork, drizzle the hot caramel glaze over top of the brownies. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Todd and I took a wander through our local parade of shops this morning. I had some post to send off . . .



and I wanted to pick up a few odds and sodds, like milk before the bad weather hits . . . nothing worse than running out of the essentials in bad weather.



We popped into the Butcher's to see a friend and pick up some sausaages. Oh, he had some Christmas fruit ones, which we had for our tea tonight . . . very scrummy!



Then we popped into the local bakery to have a cake and a hot chocolate . . . jam doughnuts to be precise . . . so bad for you, I know . . . but oh so yummy once in a blue moon.



The shelves were filled with lovely cupcakes and treats for the kiddies over the Christmas Hols. I was quite taken with their crispie cakes, so cute.



I often make these at Easter and decorate them with Easter Eggs, but these were Christmas ones, and really cute, but . . . at £1.29 a piece, I thought to myself, they would be very easy to make at home and . . . at a fraction of the cost.



So then we went to the Newsagent's to pick up some flake bars and I came right home and threw some together!



I think they ended up quite cute! I sifted a drift of icing sugar over all of them, and then on half of them I did yule logs made from the chocolate flakes (cut into smaller pieces) and a few red and green decorations to look like Holly, and then on the other half I used some of my precious Christmas sugar decorations that I hoard like gold.

Some are destined for the little lad next door I think, and the rest . . . well
. . . ahem.

I'm really just a kid at heart!



*Christmas Crispie Cakes*
Makes 8 large ones, or 12 small ones
Printable Recipe

Crisp and chocolatey and very Christmassy! Children love them!

3 ounces crisp rice cereal (3 cups)
50g of good quality milk chocolate (I use Green and Blacks) (About 2 ounces)
50g of good quality dark chocolate (Again Green and Blacks) (About 2 ounces)
Assorted decorations
a bit of melted chocolate to help adhere the decorations
sifted icing sugar


Melt both chocolates in a bowl set over simmering water. Don't allow the water to touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk well together. Place the cereal into a bowl. Pour the chocolate over top and mix well with a spoon. Line a bun tin with paper liners. (I like to use pretty ones) Spoon in the cereal chocolate mixture, heaping it up a bit. Allow to sit at room temperature for an hour or so to set. Dust with icing sugar to look like snow. Melt a bit more chocolate and add Christmas sprinkles and decorations to suit. Chocolate Flakes cut into short lengths make great logs! If you can get some holly leaves they look pretty nice sitting on top of the logs. I used holly sprinkles and they are not as nice, but are still attractive.

One might be tempted to argue that these are not English . . . but they do very closely resemble little Scottish fruit tarts, which are almost exactly the same . . . except that the Scottish version contains some whiskey and lemon, instead of vanilla.



Although they are claimed to be a Canadian Treat . . . having looked at the Scottish recipe for a similar tart . . . one can clearly see that these delicious butter tarts have their roots firmly planted in Scottish soil . . .



Imagine a rich and flaky pastry . . . with a buttery filling, all gooey and rich and stogged full of lovely dried currants . . .



You could use sultanas or course, and or nuts . . . or even all three. You could even add chocolate chips . . .



We like them just plain . . . with currants.



They never last long in this house. It's impossible to eat just one.

Seriously.




*Gooey Butter Tarts*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Flaky pastry filled with a gooey sweet filling, all buttery and filled with currants. These are the best!

For the Pastry:
6.5 ounces of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
2 ounces cold butter, cubed
2 ounces cold shortening, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vinegar
ice water

For the Filling:
3.75 ounces of Soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
4 fluid ounces golden syrup (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
2 TBS butter, softened
1 tsp each vanilla and white vinegar
pinch salt
3 ounces dried currants (1/2 cup packed)

Whisk the flour and salt for the pastry together in a bowl. Drop in the butter and shortening and cut it in with two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk the egg yolk together with the vinegar and add enough ice water to equal 75 ml. (1/3 cup) Gradually sprinkle this over the flour mixture, stirring it in with a fork until the pastry holds together. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

For the filling, whisk the sugar, golden syrup, egg., butter, vanilla, salt and vinegar together vigorously. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 230*c/450*F/ gas mark 7.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Stamp out rounds with a 4 inch round pastry cutter. Fit into shallow bun tins. Drop a few currants into the bottom of each. Top off with some of the egg mixture, filling 3/4 full.

Bake in the bottom third of the heated oven for 12 minutes, or until filling is puffed and bubbly and the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let stand one minute, and then immediately loosen and remove to a wire rack to cool completely before eating.

I don't think I ever tasted a Chocolate Chip cookie when I was growing up. We had peanut butter, or oatmeal . . .



Sometimes my mum would bake her Molasses Cookies . . . great big soft cookies, like pillows . . . they were so good with ice cold glasses of milk. They are still our favourites and one of the things we all really look forward to having when we go home.



It doesn't matter how many times I make them . . . mine somehow never taste as good as the memory of hers . . .



I think I discovered Chocolate Chip Cookie, or Toll House Cookies as they were called then, early on in my adulthood . . . the recipe pinched off of the back of a bag of chocolate chips . . . they were a real favourite of my children's, well, everyone's really!



This is a sort of glorified version of those . . . chock full of semi sweet chocolate chips and crushed chocolate covered Toffee bars, or Dime Bars as they call them over here. (Skor Bars in North America)



Each bite is chewy, buttery, crunchily moreishly scrummy yummy!! A little tin of these would make the perfect gift for someone you love . . . or . . . for YOU! tee hee!



*Chocolate and Toffee Cookies*
Makes about 3 dozen or so
Printable Recipe

Tasty little bites that are a delicious twist on the traditional Chocolate Chip cookie. Filled to the brim with tasty chocolate covered Toffee Bits and semi sweet chocolate bits. They make the perfect gift for that special someone on your list.

6 ounces (3/4 cup packed) Light brown Muscovado Sugar
4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 large free range egg
6 1/2 ounces (1 1/4 cups) plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt
6 ounces semi sweet chocolate, cut into small bits
5 ounces chocolate covered toffee bars, hammered into small bits with a rolling pin
(About 5 28g Dime bars, which are like Skor bars in America)
(I hammer them while they are still in the pack, before I open them)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Sift together the flour and baking soda. Stir into the creamed mixture, just until blended. Stir in the chocolate bits and chocolate covered toffee bits.

Drop by the heaped teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each one.

Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for several minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Store in an airtight container.

I had some apples that I needed to use up this afternoon and I wanted to give my new cooker a trial run, so I thought I would make some delicious apple squares.



Imagine a buttery, nutty crust topped with a spicy cake batter, filled with chunks of apple and nuts, and then baked in the oven until the crust is nice and crisp and the cake all moreishly moist and fragrant.



Then imagine it cut into squares and served warm (or cold, it's up to you) and topped with some softly whipped cream.



The perfect dessert for these late autumn days and evenings . . . or your Thanksgiving Celebrations . . . of to serve to that good friend of yours that just happens to stop off for a nice cuppa after an afternoon of shopping . . .



Family friendly, friend friendly, delicious and easy, this is a winner on all counts!



*Sour Cream Apple Squares*
Makes 12 to 15
Printable Recipe

Delicious and moist apple squares, warmly spiced and served with whipped cream.

280g of plain flour (2 cups)
340g soft light brown sugar (2 cups packed)
4 ounces butter, softened (1/2 cup)
115g of toasted pecan nuts, chopped (1 cup)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
250ml of sour cream (1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large free range egg
2 medium apples, peeled and chopped (I use Granny Smith)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Whisk the flour, and brown sugar together in a bowl. Drop in the butter. Beat with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the chopped nuts. Remove 370g (2 3/4 cups) of the crumbs and press into the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch glass dish. To the remainder of the crumbs add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, soda and salt, mixing it all together well. Beat in the egg, vanilla and sour cream. Stir in the apples. Spoon evenly over top of the crumb base.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serve warm or cold, cut into squares, along with some whipped cream.

This is a cake that I have always wanted to try, having seen them in bake shop windows . . . but I never had the dariole type of tin molds that you need to bake them in . . . so I despaired of ever being able to bake them . . . at least until I saw this recipe!



Adapted from the cookery book, Women's Institute Cakes, by Liz Herbert, this particular recipe does away competely with the traditional tin molds!



Baked in ordinary paper muffin cases, these are simple and uncomplicated. There's no buttering or flouring of molds . . .



The paper cases peel very easily off the cakes, which are then simply coated in sieved jam and dessicated coconut.

Mmmm . . . soooooo scrummy yummy!

I hate to admit it, but I inhaled two of them quite accidentally . . . before I knew what was happening.



The rest have been put under lock and key . . .

Unfortunately I have the key, tee hee! (Or should I say luckily!!) I'm soo, soo bad, I know . . .but in a very good way.☺ ☺ ☺




*Cupcake Madeleines*
Makes 14
Printable Recipe

A variation of the traditional English Madeleines, except using paper cases instead of the tin molds normally used. Quite, quite delicious!

4 ounces butter, softened (1/2 cup)
4 ounces soft margarine (tub) (1/2 cup)
4 ounces caster sugar (a generous 1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
4 ounces self raising flour (1 scant cup)
1 TBS milk

For the topping:
2 ounces dessicated coconut (1/2 cup)
4 to 5 TBS red fruit conserve, sieved
7 glace cherries halved

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Place 14 paper muffin cases on a baking tray. Set aside.

Cream together the margarine, butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, making sure each addition is throughly incorporated before proceeding. If the mixture begins to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour and continue. Once the eggs are completely beaten in, fold in the flour and just enough of the milk to make a soft batter.

Divide the mixture equally amongst the baking cases. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cakes are completely cooled, remove the paper cases. Place the jam into a small bowl and warm slightly in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Place the coconut into another bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush a thin coating of jam over the base and sides of each cake. Roll them into the coconut to coat the jammed surfaces. The top of the cakes is now the bottom. Place on a wire rack to set. Brush the bottom of each of the cherry halves and use to garnish the middle of each cake. Enjoy!!

I recently found myself with an extra jar of marmalade in my larder that would soon be going out of date so wanted to find a way to use some of it up. Normally that isn't a problem, because we both love marmalade.



I think marmalade is one of those things that you either love or you hate. Some people love it's almost bitter tang and others . . . well, they wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole!

Me, I am a lover, from way back. I just can't get enough of it and have been known to slather so much of it on my buttered toast, the actual toast is hard to find!!!




In other words, I could eat it by the spoonful and sometimes do . . . ahh . . . I know . . . I'm incorrigible!



These soft moist cakey squares are only mildly flavoured with it's delicious tang . . . it's unmistakably there, but quite subtle . . .



Combine that with the deliciously tart lemon drizzle icing . . .



And the sweet candied orange peel topping . . .




And you get something quite close to bliss. Seriously.

Well . . . as long as you like Marmalade and cake that is!




*MarmaladeTray Bake Squares*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Marmalade is one of those things you either love or hate. We happen to love it. Delicious cake squares, with the underlying tang of marmalade, set off by a zingy lemon glaze icing and a garnish of candied orange peel and baby orange jelly slices.

3 ounces of butter, softened (a generous 1/3 cup)
3 ounces soft margarine (a generous 1/3 cup)
6 ounces caster sugar (a scant cup)
the grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
the grated zest of one unwaxed orange
4 TBS of orange marmalade
2 eggs, beaten
8 ounces self raising flour (a scant 2 cups)
3 TBS fresh orange juice

For the decoration:
the peel of half an orange
2 TBS granulated sugar
3 fluid ounces water
the juice of half a lemon
8 ounces icing sugar, sifted (2 cups)

petite orange jelly slices (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and base line an 11 by 7 inch tin. (I like to leave an overhang on the two short sides for ease of removal.)

Place the butter, margarine and sugar into a bowl, along with the fruit zests. Cream together with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the marmalade and then slowly beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour and orange juice to make a soft dropping consistency. (You may or may not need all the Orange juice.)

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, leveling off the surface and making it slightly hollow in th emiddle. Bake for 30 to 25 minutes, until well risen, golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Pare the peel from the orange, taking care to remove any white pith. Roughly chop into small pieces. Dissolve the sugar in the water in a small pan. Add the orange peel and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the peel is candied. Drain the peel from the syrup. (I like to keep the syrup to use in other things. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.) Set the peels aside to cool.

Whisk the icing sugar and lemon juice together until you get a smooth paste. Pour over the top of the cooled cake and spread to cover evenly. Pile 12 small heaps of the peel evenly spaced over the top of the cake, along with a jelly if using. Leave to set completely before cutting into pieces to serve.

There is nothing I enjoy more than taking a traditional British baking idea and adding my own creative twist to it. Call me crazy, but . . . I get a whole lot of satisfaction out of this activity.



One of my favourite flavours over here has to be Bakewell anything . . . tarts, pudding . . . I think it's just fabulous.



Bakewell tarts are little shortcrust pastry tarts filled with jam and almond flavoured sponge. Topped with an almond fondant icing and a cherry, I even enjoy the cheap grocery shop versions.



Bakewell pudding traditionally has a flakey pastry base, covered with jam and an almond frangipane filling, and is exclusive to the Derbyshire town of Bakewell.



Call it what you will, I just love the elements of Bakewell . . tart, pudding . . . whatever. If you have almonds cherries and jam involved, I am there!



I have made the traditional Bakewell Tarts on here in the past, and then I have played with the flavours a bit more and created Bakewell Whoopie Pies. (Oh my but they were good, good . . . GOOD!) I even once baked a Raspberry Bakewell Cake from a recipe I found in BBC Good Food Magazine.



When we got home from church today I thought I would bake some scones and I thought to myself . . . hmmm . . . Bakewell Scones might be tasty!



Imagine it now . . . yummy sweet seedless raspberry preserves, sandwiched between two scone layers made all buttery and flakey with marzipan and butter having been rubbed in . . . with a touch of flaked coconut (not traditional I know) for some added texture, and then topped with an egg wash and flaked almonds. Baked until scrummily flakey and crisp on the bottom and top and then drizzled with an almond glaze and topped with a glace cherry half, I have only two words to describe these little delights.



Moreishly Moreish!!

Sooooooo scrummily yummy! I bet you can't stop at eating just one . . .



Sinful I know! But what a wonderfully wicked way to go! I think I have found a new weakness to add to the rest . . . sigh . . .



*Bakewell Scones*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

Raspberry preserves sandwiched between two layers of a scrummy almond and coconut scone dough, topped with crunchy flaked almonds and then finally glazed with an almond glaze and topped with a glace cherry!

8 1/2 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
2 TBS caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 ounces flaked sweetened coconut (1/2 cup)
3 1/2 ounces marzipan, chilled (about 1/3 cup)
2 ounces chilled unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
100ml of milk (1/3 cup)
1 large free range egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 TBS seedless raspberry preserves
1 egg yolk, beaten together with 1/2 tsp water
3 TBS flaked almonds
To glaze:
2 ounces icing sugar
a few drops of almond extract
water
4 glace cherries halved

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*f/ gas mark 5. Lightly butter a baking sheet and set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and coconut together in a bowl. Cut the marzipan and butter into bits and drop them into the flour mixture. Rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Whisk the whole egg, milk and extracts together. Add all at once to the flour mixture and stir in with a fork to make a soft dough. Divide in half and pat out 3/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Stamp into 8 rounds with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, gathering the scraps and repeating until you have 8 rounds. Place the 8 rounds on the baking sheet. Top each with 1/2 tsp of raspberry jam, keeping it in the centre. Pat out the remaining dough to the same thickness as the first lot and stamp out 8 more rounds, once again gathering the scraps and re patting. Place these rounds over top of the jam topped rounds, pressing gently around the edges to seal the jam inside. Brush the tops of each lightly with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with flaked almonds, pressing them in gently.

Bake in the heated oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until well risen and golden brown on the tops and bottoms. Remove from the oven to a wire rack.

Whisk together the icing sugar, almond extract and enough water to make a smooth drizzable glaze. Dribble this over the warm scones and top each with a cherry half.

Delicious served warm or cold. Store in a tightly covered container.