Week 27 - Daim Bar Birthday Brownies

Good news! I have a new fridge, so I'm no longer having to survive on tinned food & frozen veg. Not that there's anything wrong with tinned food & frozen veg, but not being able to have milk for a cup of tea was sure to test any ones patience! All in all it's been a much calmer week in the kitchen, although I swear my toaster is still trying to kill me :-)

Now we're over the half way point of my blogging challenge, it got me thinking back to when I first started & I went back to read some of my early posts. It's made me realise how much I enjoy writing each week & receiving comments about my creations. (The baking's not been too bad either!) But it also made me feel a little sad to think what I might do when I reach week 52, do I just stop writing? Now I've released my inner writer I want to keep on going! Maybe I need to think of a new foodie challenge to embark on, but maybe one that is less calorific! For now though I'm happy I've got another 25 weeks to go...so bring on this weeks recipe.

I created this recipe for my Mum as it's her birthday this week. She has a super sweet tooth so I thought brownies would hit the spot! Rather than using the traditional walnuts, I thought I'd have a go with bashed up Dime bars. Sorry, Daim bars! (Yes I am old enough to remember when Snickers were Marathons, Starburst were Opal Fruits & Daim Bars were Dime Bars...armadillos!) It gives them a lovely almondy crunch & the sweetness offsets the bitterness of the dark chocolate. I thought of this after making the Malteser Cookies a couple of weeks back, sweeties are a good source of recipe inspiration for me!

50g plain chocolate
65g butter
175g caster sugar
2 eggs
Few drops vanilla essence
50g plain flour
1/2tsp baking powder
3 Daim bars bashed up

1. Melt together the chocolate, butter & sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs & vanilla, then finally fold in the flour, baking powder & Daim bar pieces.

2. Line a baking tin approx 15cm square with either baking parchment (just don't set fire to it like I did!) or foil to stop the brownies sticking. Pour in the mixture & bake in the oven at 180c/GM4 for around 30-35 minutes until the top just starts to crack.

3 Leave to cool in the tin, then lift out & cut into squares.

So there you have it, Birthday Brownies (sparkler optional!) Happy Birthday Mum! Hope you like them & you enjoy our day in the big city being ladies what lunch xx

See you all next week, Rebecca x

Week 24 - Cherry Bakewell

Ok, so the psychic octopus got it right & England have crashed out of the world cup! Guess we have to pin our British hopes on the tennis now, GO MURRAY!! But there was quite enough talk about sport last week & to be honest I'm a bit bored with it...so on to more exciting things.

This weekend I'm heading off for a spot of camping, fresh air & the great outdoors (I have been assured there are showers & we are in walking distance of civilisation!) The weather is set to be pretty good so I'm hoping it'll be a chance to relax, although I'm a little concerned about how you can keep Rose chilled in a tent! Continuing with the trying new things theme of the year there is a stables near by, so I may have a go at horse riding, if for nothing else but to be able to say 'I'M ON A HORSE!' For those of you thinking, Rebecca, that's clearly not funny, click here, you'll laugh out loud, it's definitely one for the ladies!

This weeks recipe is a recommendation from the guys at www.bakingmad.com It's a lovely site about all things baking, they have a great archive of recipes & lots of baking tips. Have a peek if you get a chance. Now I really like Cherry Bakewells, but I have to admit I'm used to mine being from a certain Mr Kipling, topped with white icing & a cherry. Like the Millionaires Shortbread I made a few months back, I always thought they would be too tricky to make at home? It does take a little more effort than usual, but it is worth it. Baking Mad, I hope I've done your recipe justice, my cakes aren't known for looking perfect, but usually taste good!

For the base
300g plain flour
50g golden caster sugar
65g semolina
1/4 tsp baking powder
175g butter

For the filling
340g jar cherry jam

For the topping
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
175g golden caster sugar
175g ground almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
175g butter melted
25g flaked almonds

1. Put the flour, sugar, semolina & baking powder into a bowl, rub in the butter until you get a soft dough. Take a baking tin approx 8 x 12 inches & press in the dough to form the base. I lined my tin with foil to make it easier to remove after cooking. Bake the base in the over on 180c/GM5 for 20 minutes. Lift out & leave to cool for a few minutes.

2. Whisk the eggs together, then stir in the sugar, ground almonds & vanilla. Next whisk in the melted butter.

3. Spread the base with the jam, I found it was easiest to empty the jam into a bowl & give it a good stir to loosen it up. Then pour over the eggy, almond mixture & pop back into the oven for another 25 minutes.

4. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds & return to the oven for a final 15-2o minutes, until the top is golden & set. Leave to cool completely in the tin (I tried to cut it when it was still warm & ended up with a gooey mess!), then lift out & cut into fingers, squares, whatever you like!

These are perfect with a cup of tea, sorry Mr K, your services are no longer required! Let me know what you think if you try them? I'm off to continue packing for the camping trip, it's currently a toss up between sleeping bag or shoes, there just isn't enough space in my rucksack & I've been told there's no way I can turn up with a wheelie suitcase! So, I'll see you in a week, when I will be all at one with nature & I'll tell you more about the plans to celebrate hitting half way in my 52 week baking challenge. Ta ta for now, Rebecca x