I just love the Malteaser adverts, but then . . . I love Malteasers and I am a bit naughty! But in a nice way, or at least I think I am!



I think there's only about 11 calories in a Malteaser . . . the candies, not the brownies. I don't dare hazard a guess as to how many are in one of these brownies, but it's ok to indulge yourself once in a while, as long as it's not every day.



I have one son who swears he is allergic to Malteasers . . . I don't really think he is. He got a tummy bug one time after eating a whole carton full, and swears it was the Malteasers that made him sick. I never bothered to correct him . . . more Malteasers for me. ☺



These are really delicious golden malt flavoured brownies, filled with toasted walnuts and scrummy little bits of melted malteasers, at once milk chocolatey and chewy crunchy. Topped with your favourite chocolate buttercream frosting and more malteasers and some chocolate sprinkles, they go down a real treat with the teens and younguns.



Ok . . . confess . . . us olduns love em too!



*Malteaser Brownies*
makes 16 naughty bars
Printable Recipe

Only one word for these tasty babies. Scrummy!

75g chopped walnuts (3/4 cup), toasted
175g plain flour (1 12 cups)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 generous TBS of malted milk powder
pinch of salt
175g of softened butter (3/4 cup)
225g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup)
3 large free range eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
75g malteasers (2 1/2 ounces milk chocolate coated malted milk balls)
halved

To finish:
Your favourite chocolate buttercream icing
milk and white chocolate malteasers
assorted chocolate sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 170*C/325*F, gas mark 3. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin. Line with parchment paper. Butter the paper. Set aside.

Put the butter and sugar into a bowl. Cream together until light and fluffy. Beat in the beaten eggs a little at a time, making sure each addition is well mixed in. Stir in the vanilla.

Whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, malted milk powder and salt. Fold into the creamed mixture until well incorporated. Stir in the halved malted milk balls and walnuts. Spoon into the prepared baking tin, smoothing over the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely in the pan.

Once completely cold, spread the top with the chocolate buttercream. Cut into 16 squares and decorate as you wish with malteasers and chocolate sprinkles.

I recently received a gift certificate for Amazon.uk from the Fairy Hobmother so that I could buy anything I wanted to treat myself with. It was no surpise that I got myself several cookbooks. I know . . . I didn't really need them, but I do love my cookbooks and I am of the opinion that you can never really have too many! (Shhh Todd!)



Anyways, this was one of the ones I got and I fell completely in love with it. I have long been a fan of Bonne Maman conserves and compotes and so I was intrigued with the idea of a whole cookery book devoted to using them in a variety of ways!



This tasty book is a very appealing collection of 88 delicious looking "Seasonal" recipes for sweet and savoury dishes. The pictures are mouth watering, and I can tell you I have quite a few ear marked for trying out . . . recipes like Herby Lamb with Woodland Dressing, Lemon and Wild Blueberry Swirl Cake, Roasted Potato Salad with Apricot Chilli Mayonnaise, and this tasty one here for Crispy Crumbed Romano Peppers!




There are extra tips and suggestions included with many of the recipes; and there’s a special section with clever ideas for using the very last teaspoon from the jar.



There are also lots of inspirational ideas, beautifully illustrated, on how to use the iconic jars creatively. Things like attractive storage for cooking spices, seed packets, buttons and cotton reels, novel Christmas candle holders or chic summer cordial glasses . . . included are many wonderful and imaginative suggestions on how to use the timeless jars and make a stunning style statement.



I guess you can tell that I am well pleased with this book. The peppers turned out fabulous. It seems quite an unusual combination . . . beautiful romano peppers stuffed with a mixture of golden onions, chopped capers, and blueberry jam . . . then topped with a goats cheese and egg topping, rolled into crispy bread crumbs and then roasted until the peppers are meltingly soft and delicious. As odd as the ingredients may sound, they really do work together wonderfully!!



*Crispy Crumbed Romano Peppers*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Beautifully roasted romano peppers, stuffed with a delicious mixture of onions, capers, blueberry jam and goats cheese, and then rolled in panko crumbs and baked. Scrummy yummy!

2 large spanish onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 TBS butter
4 TBS wild blueberry conserve
2 TBS capers, drained and coarsely chopped
4 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
2 X 200g packs of Romano peppers (4 peppers)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
4 ounces soft goats cheese
8 TBS dried white bread crumbs or panko

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet until foaming. Add the onions and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in the blueberry conserve and tomato puree. Set aside to cool.

Slit the peppers along one side of each. Open out just a little, remove any seeds and discard. Divide the onion mixture between each pepper. Beat half of the egg mixture into the goats cheese. Spread this mixture over top of the onion filling in the peppers.

Put the breadcrumbs into a shallow dish. Brush the outside of the peppers with the remaining egg, then roll in the bread crumbs, patting lightly to help them adhere.
Place onto the prepared baking sheet.

Roast in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is golden brown.

 




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Not sure why I did it . . . I really should have known better, but . . . the other day when I was in the grocery store, I succumbed to temptation and purchased two punnets of red plums, simply because they were on offer for £1.



Todd and I love red plums . . . so sweet and juicy. These were not, of course, and even a few days of sitting in a paper bag on the counter top didn't help. Destined never to fully ripen . . . as so often happens when you cave in and buy fruit out of season.

There was nothing else to do but to use them for cooking.



I decided to make a delicious Plum Crumble Tart with them. I like this particular recipe because I am rather lazy at times and it didn't involve rolling out pastry or chilling pastry.



The crust for this particular tart is rather like a lovely hazelnut cookie that kind of cradles the cooked plums . . . which, after baking, become all sweet and sticky, and then of course there is the added pleasure of more of the hazelnut crust scattered and crumbled over the top.



Moreishly delicious and the pefect way to use up a couple punnets of plums that were never going to be any good for eating out of hand. All was not lost and I redeemed myself, I think . . .

Todd just loves his Banger's and Mash. If I want to make him happy, that's all I have to cook up. He could eat them more than once every week!



I do think they have lovely sausages over here in the UK. . . well the best quality ones at any rate. The el cheapo ones are just plain nasty . . . but you could say the same thing about cheap sausages anywhere in the world. Full of fat and fillers, they are just horrible. There's no denying it.



But there is nothing tastier or more beautiful than a really good Butcher's sausage. I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . you can tell a good Butcher by the quality of his sausages!! We've got the best here in town, I think. R & J Dodd . . . there, I said it!



I picked up a pound of his lovely Pork and Chive sausages yesterday and I wanted to do something special with them, without destroying Todd's fancy . . . you know the old Banger's and Mash thing.



Anyhoo . . . I took the premise and I ran with it, glazing the sausages in a deliciously sticky sweet, fruity and spicy glaze and pimped the mash up with some chives and buttermilk. I love taking the boundaries of the traditional and stretching them!



Todd thoroughly enjoyed. Mission accomplished. He didn't even miss the Bisto.



*Sticky Bangers with Buttermilk and Chive Mash*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This ain't yo mama's bangers and mash!

1 pound good quality butcher's sausages
2 dessert spoons of mango chutney
2 dessert spoons of apricot preserves
2 dessert spoons of grainy Dijon mustard

For the mash:
2 pounds floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
( a maris piper, or a russet type of potato)
2 ounces milk (1/4 cup)
2 ounces butter (1/4 cup)
4 to 6 ounces of buttermilk (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
salt and black pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add about a TBS of oil or less, just enough to coat the pan and allow it to heat up. Add the sausages in one layer, reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning frequently, until nicely browned all over and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

In the meantime place the potatoes into a pot of lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until fork tender and then drain well. Place back into the saucepan and shake over the residual heat of the burner to dry out. Mash well with a potato masher. Beat in the milk, butter and buttermilk until ight and fluffy. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the chives. Keep warm.

Stir together the mango chutney, preserves and mustard. Turn up the heat under the pan of sausages. Pour the mango mixture over top. Heat to a boil and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the sausages are lightly glazed and sticky, but not burnt. Remove from the heat.

Divide the sausages and the mash amongst 4 heated plates and serve immediately along with your favourite vegetable. (Todd likes peas and carrots. He's so predictable!)

We've got people coming over later on this afternoon for a visit and some tea . . . you know the drill . . . finger sandwiches, a cake, and some other scrummy bits. I also wanted to make something a little bit different for these Brits, something that would lift my tea time repast from being humdrum and predictable, into something extra-ordinary.



I found this recipe in one of my Marks & Spencer's Cookbooks, Baking Bible. It's one of my favourite baking books and is filled with quite a variety of baking recipes from cakes . . . to tarts . . . to breads . . . and everything in between.



I've baked quite a few of them at one time or another, and they have always turned out beautiful. I thought these oaty milk chocolate and peanut butter squares would go down a real treat.



They are very reminiscent of an American type of slice or square as they are often called over there in the big US of A. Moreishly oaty, sweet and stogged full of milk chocolate bits and nuts.



The Peanut Butter is a surprise, and a pleasant one. I do hope they go down well. I couldn't resist cutting two yesterday and of course I couldn't wait for them to completely cool down before digging in. Oh wow. These are fabulous!



*Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Tray Bake*
makes 20
Printable Recipe

Deliciously scrummy oaty squares stogged full of lovely peanut butter flavour and milk chocolate chunks.

10 1/2 ounces milk chocolate (can use milk chocolate chips)
12 ounces plain flour ( 2 3/4 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
8 ounces butter (1 cup)
12 ounces soft light brown sugar (about 1 2/3 cup packed)
6 ounces rolled oats (scant 2 cups)
2 1/2 ounces chopped toasted pecans (generous half cup)
1 large free range egg, beaten
400g (14 ounce) tin of condensed milk
2 1/2 ounces crunchy peanut butter (1/4 cup plus 1 TBS)

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

Finely chop the chocolate. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Drip in the butter, cut into bits. Rub this into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar and rolled oats. Remove 1/4 of the mixture and place it into another bowl. Stir the chocolate into this. Set aside. Beat the egg and stir it into the remainder of the crumb mixture. Press this mixture into a 12 by 8 inch baking pan.

Bake in the heated oven for 15 minutes.

Stir together the condensed milk and peanut butter. Pour this over the partially baked crust. Sprinkle the chocolate crumb mixture over top and lightly press down.

Return the pan to the oven and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into squares to serve.



Go on . . . bake them today. You know you want to! ☺

There is nothing more beautiful, both to look at and to smell than gorgeous English Lavender. Down in Norfolk they have fields and fields of the stuff.



When we lived in the cottage down in Kent, the whole back of the house was flanked with beautiful lavender and during the lavender season, you could scarce move without being assaulted by it's beautiful smell. I have spent many an afternoon sitting out on the patio watching the bumblebees bumble from bloom to bloom. Such a pretty sight.



We have lavender here at our house in Chester as well, albeit not as much and it is just ready to burst into bloom, several weeks ahead of it's usual season . . . but that is result of the unusually warm April we had I think . . . Each year when it grows I am careful to harvest some of it to be used in our dresser drawers to help to keep our clothing fresh, and to lay amongst our sheets, pillow slips and towels in the linen closet as well. It smells just beautiful. More gets saved and put into bowls here and there in the house to keep the air fresh and yet more gets stuffed into jars of sugar to be used in delicious baked goods such as these lovely scones.



You might think that with a smell such as strong as lavender can be, that it would overwhelm the flavours of things that are baked with it . . . but you would be completely wrong.

The lavender sugar in these scones gives them a subtle fruit flavour and scent, and goes so very wonderfully with fresh lemon curd or preserves.

Make it a wonderfully different teatime treat by baking these lovely scones. Keep them guessing as to what your secret ingredient is. Buttery, subtly scented, with a lovely little crunch.



You can use storebought lemon curd of course . . . but making your own is really quite easy. I have a recipe here. It's wonderful! I think you'll find it will come in handy for all sorts.




*English Lavender Buttermilk Scones*
Makes about a dozen
Printable Recipe

These delightfully buttermilk scones are infused with lavender sugar and go very well with my homemade lemon curd, or preserves for a special Spring tea.

225g of self raising flour (scant 2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
50g of unsalted butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)
75g of lavender sugar (see below) (scant 1/2 cup)
150ml of buttermilk (5 fluid ounces)
salt
To serve:
your choice of lemon curd or preserves

Preheat the oven to 220*C/ 425*F/ gas mark 7. Butter a baking sheet. Set aside.

Stir the flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Drop in the butter bits and rub them in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the buttermilk, and stir in with a fork, only adding enough to create a soft dough. Tip out onto a floured board and knead a few times before patting out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter. Place onto the baking sheet leaving plenty of space in between for spreading. Brush with some more buttermilk.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving with your favourite spread.

To make your own lavender sugar:
Press two of three clean sprigs of fresh lavender, or a couple of TBS of lavender buds which you can buy in the spice section, into a jar of caster sugar and leave for at least 24 hours before using. Use pesticide free blooms, and wash and dry them before using.

Oh, I am so very annoyed with myself. I told myself the other day that I wasn't going to bake anything scrummy for a while . . .



I wasn't going to bake anything that I couldn't resist stogging into my cake hole for a while . . .



I wasn't going to bake anything so scrumptiously moreish that I would find it hard to resist for a while . . . and then what do I do???



I go and create something so moreishly, decadently, scrumptiously magnificent that NOBODY would be able resist it!!




I know . . . I'm one bad puddy tat! But then again . . . I can't stay mad at me for long.

One bite and you will be in flap jack heaven. Buttery, sweet, nutty and oh-so-very hard to leave alone. Resistance IS futile.



*Cranberry, Pecan and White Chocolate Flap Jacks*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Sweet and scrummy. Just perfect for those times when you want a little something to give you some extra energy.

5 ounces butter, plus extra for greasing (1/2 cup plus 2 TBS)
200g of porridge oats (2 cups)
25g of dessicated coconut (1/4 cup)
50g light muscovado sugar ( generous 1/3 cup packed)
5 TBS golden syrup
6 ounces toasted pecans, broken into chunks with your hands (1 1/4 cups)
2 ounces dried cranberries (1/3 cup)
100g bar of white chocolate (about 3 1/2 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 7 by 11 inch baking tin and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

Melt the butter together with the sugar and golden syrup, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.

Stir together the oats, coconut, pecans and cranberries. Pour the cooled butter mixture over top. Stir to combine well. Break up 2/3 of the chocolate into bits and stir into the mix. Press into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and mark into squares while still warm. Allow to cool completely, then cut all the way through. Melt the remaining white chocolate and drizzle it over top of the bars. Store in an airtight container.