Chocolate chip cookies

250g softened butter
1/2c castor sugar
1/2c sweetened condensed milk
2 1/4c plain flour
chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 180deg C and line 3 baking trays with baking paper
- Beat butter, sugar and condensed milk with an egg beater
- Reduce speed and gradually add flour.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Roll into balls and place on trays, allow room for spreading and press lightly with fingertips.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden.

Yum! I slightly overcooked 2 out of 3 of my trays, and I got close to 3 dozen cookies out of it (small cookies, as you can see from the picture). I also only used about 120gm choc chips instead of the 250gm recommended, but these are yum! The condensed milk makes them a bit sweeter than normal cookies so I liked having less chocolate chips. So yummy warm!

Lemon slice

250g wine biscuits
1 cup desiccated coconut
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
120g butter
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

LEMON ICING2 cups icing sugar, sifted
40g butter, melted
Juice of 1 lemon

- Line a 17x27cm baking tin with baking paper. 

- Crumb biscuits in a food processor. Combine with lemon zest and coconut in a bowl.

- Melt butter in a saucepan and add sweetened condensed milk. Pour into biscuit mixture.

- Press into tin, chill for 1 hour.

- When set, pour over lemon icing.

This is yum! A bit too sweet for my liking (yet I could eat chocolate until the cows come home) but really nice. Workmates definitely approved, flatmates approved, that's a success in my opinion!

Tequila apple pies

Warning: Do not make these early in the morning. The smell was way too intense!

40g tequila
Juice of 1 lime
1/4tsp cinammon
1 1/2tsp vanilla
4 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
6tbsp flour
3/4c brown sugar

- Combine the tequila, cinnamon, lime juice and vanilla in a medium sized bowl. Soak the apples for 15 minutes. Drain apples but don't discard the liquid, you need it later!
- Add the flour and sugar to the apples and combine well.
- Cut pastry to fit into a greased muffin tray (I used puff pastry, possible not the best idea, as the tops exploded!) - I think next time I will bake them in ramekin dishes instead, that usually works out better for me
- Pour in the apples, and top with more pastry or a crumble mix or whatever you want!
- Bake at 180deg C for 20 minutes odd (I didn't actually take notice of the time, but I made them in the morning and then reheated them for another 15 minutes that night which probably took total baking time to closer to 40 minutes, and they weren't overcooked, they were crispy and delicious)

As angry as I was that the tops exploded off these pies, they looked really cute! I combined the rest of the tequila liquid with some cream and icing sugar to make tequila cream! yum! The tequila wasn't noticeable at all, these pies were so so good, I'd definitely make them again. And there was none left after our dinner party, which is always a good sign.

Lemon choc chunk cupcakes

1c (240g) butter
1c white sugar
4 eggs
1tsp vanilla essence
zest of 1 lemon (I used 2)
2c standard flour
2tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1c fresh lemon juice (I only used 1/2 a cup)
1 lb chocolate (I used half a block of the new Cadbury Marvellous Creations peanut butter toffee block, cut into small pieces)

- Beat butter and sugar until fluffy
- Add eggs one a time, mixing after each.
- Add vanilla and lemon zest
- In a seperate bowl sift flour/baking powder/salt. Add to wet mixture with chocolate and lemon juice
- Scoop into well greased muffin tray (or use cupcake cups)
- Bake at 180 deg C for 20-25 mins

Wow these are great! This is my kind of cupcake (because I don't usually eat my own baking) moist and lemony, with the occasional mouthful of chocolate. I really love this!

Berry custard pie

Ingredients

150g frozen berries

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tbsp custard powder

1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2c milk

- Place berries and cinnamon in a bowl, mix, pour into ramekins or a pie dish

- Combine custard powder and sugar, add a little milk and mix to a paste. Stir in remaining milk and stir over a low heat until custard has formed

- Pour over fruit and bake at 180 deg C for 25-30 minutes

This was okay. I definitely prefered my apple sauce pie from a few weeks ago, but Tom enjoyed this. I think I'm just not a fan of warm berries. And I forgot the cinnamon! Was quick and easy though, and I got to add my new favourite thing- whipped cream in a can.

Mint chocolate cupcakes with mint cream cheese icing

Thanks Nigella.com for the recipe.... http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/mint-chocolate-cupcakes-1170

Ingredients: MAKES 18

225g self raising flour (for the record, I used normal flour and an extra 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)
4 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
225g caster sugar (I used normal sugar)
225g butter
4 eggs
1 tsp mint essence
100g choc chips

- Preheat the oven to 160 deg C
- Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa
- In a seperate bowl cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time
- Gradually add flour mixture
- Stir in mint essence and choc chips
- Spoon mixture into paper cases, bake for about 25 mins

Icing: The original recipe was double this, but I iced more than 18 cupcakes with this icing, which was surprising.

1/2 packet of cream cheese (I used light)
1/2c softened butter
1/2 packet of icing sugar
1tsp mint essence

- Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with electric mixer
- Gradually add sugar, beating at low speed
- Add mint extract and mix.

Easy! I also added a bit of green colouring to make it look minty, looks very fake but I love the look. I also crushed a mint aero bar and some flake bars to sprinkle on the top.
These are awesome! I love mint/chocolate as a combination so I love them, but I can't imagine not-mint-inclined people would feel the same. They are a paler brown than the peanut butter cupcakes, and nowhere near as moist, I think they're a bit more appealing.

Enjoy!

Peanut butter chocolate cupcakes

Peanut butter balls:

• 1 – 1 1/4 c powdered sugar
• 3/4 c creamy peanut butter (I used crunchy, because it's all I had)
• 50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients, beat well. 

Roll into 1inch balls- don't make them too big, remember they have to be concealed in the cupcakes

Place on a baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes while you make the cupcake batter

Cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use baking cocoa, not drinking cocoa)
1/8 teaspoon salt
40g butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 175 deg C
Sift flour, baking soda/powder, salt and cocoa
In a seperate bowl cream the sugar and butter (mine didn't look like regular creamed butter and sugar, so I added another 10g or so of butter)
Stir in vanilla
Add the flour mixture alternately with milk
Beat well

Pour 1tbsp ish into the bottom of the muffin tray IN A PATTY TIN! THIS IS CRUCIAL! I just ruined a batch because I didn't use them, the cupcakes stuck to the tin. Place a peanut butter ball in, and place another tbsp or so on top of the ball.
Bake for 15 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean

There is no photos, because I didn't use patty tins, and so the muffins were Ugly, if they even made it out alive. The review is that they are nice and sweet, but they appeared very moist, but are a lovely rich dark chocolate colour. I will try this recipe again in a few months, when the feeling of failure has left my body. On the upside, the peanut butter balls are delicious, I ate them partially frozen and loved them but I'm a devoted peanut butter fan. 

Coconut & berry crumble

Ingredients

• 500 g mixed berries
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp berry jam

Crumble

• 1½ cups plain flour, sifted
• 60 g desiccated coconut
• 60 g rolled oats
• 80 g brown sugar
• pinch salt
• 120 g butter, diced into even pieces

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Put berries, caster sugar, cinnamon and jam in a saucepan and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes, allowing the flavours to combine and the jam to dissolve. Allow to cool slightly.

Place flour, coconut, oats, brown sugar, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until you have a breadcrumb consistency, or you can do this by hand — mix the dry ingredients together then rub the butter into them.

Tip your fruit mixture into a large, ovenproof dish and top with your crumble, ensuring you get an even covering. Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until the top is golden and you can see the fruit bubbling at the edges. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

YUM! Fruit desserts are growing on me, especially on a winter night. Again, we topped with cream in a can, and I'll certainly be going to bed happy tonight!