Sticky lemon slice

125g butter
1c flour
1/2c icing sugar
1c castor sugar
1/2c lemon juice
1tbsp grated lemon rind
1tbsp custard powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs

- Combine butter, flour and icing sugar in food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs
- Press into a lined baking tin and bake at 180 deg C for 15-20 mins until lightly golden
- Mix castor sugar, lemon rind & juice, custard powder, baking powder and eggs in food processor until well combines.
- Carefully pour over warm base and bake for a further 25mins until set
- When cool, dust with icing sugar and slice.

YUM! SO GOOD! Seriously, someone take it away before I eat it all.

Chocolate buttermilk cupcakes

- 120g softened butter

- 1.5c sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1tsp vanilla

- 1.5c flour

- 1/2c cocoa

- 1tsp baking soda

- 1/4tsp salt

- 1/2c buttermilk

- 1/2c water

Cream Butter and sugar with electric mixer.

Add eggs one at a time. Don't overbeat.

Add vanilla and stir.

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients

In a separate bowl combine water and buttermilk

Alternately add dry ingredients/buttermilk mixture to the butter and sugar bowl

Pour into muffin cups, fill to about 2/3

Bake at 180deg C for 15-20 mins
Cool for 10 mins before removing from muffin tin
Let cool before icing

Well, turns out I forgot the vanilla! These still tasted good though. I'm not icing them, because I used re-usable silicone muffin cups which aren't suitable for taking these in to work for my colleagues. These are VERY light, fluffy, spongy and fragile. As soon as you pull the muffin cup away the cupcake will break so if iced I imagine will be pretty difficult to eat! 

Blueberry buttermilk pancakes

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries

-In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.

-In a separate bowl, whisk wet ingredients (without blueberries)

-Combine well.

-Spoon into fry pan and sprinkle blueberries (I used tinned blueberries) over the pancake

-When holes appear on the top and/or sides shrink back, flip the pancake.

-Serve with your favourite pancake topping

Black forest brownie

200g melted butter
1 1/2 c sugar
1c cocoa
3 eggs
1/2c standard flour
200g block of black forest chocolate, chopped as finely as you can - I am lazy and impatient, and cut mine as below

- Preheat oven to 150deg C and grease a 20x20cm dish

- Use electric mixer to cream butter and sugar

- Add cocoa and beat for 3-5 mins until creamy

- Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each

- Sift in flour gradually

- Stir in chopped chocolate

- Bake for 1 hour. Brownie should appear cracked on the outside but the inside should appear undercooked. 

- Let it cool in the tin, then cut into squares and dust with icing sugar (optional, I think it tasted delicious without it)

Yum, just as delicious as the slice I had at work the other day! My favourite is when I get a mouthful with the little jellies. 

Chocolate peanut butter cookies

125g softened butter
3/4c brown sugar
1 egg
3/4c peanut butter
1 1/3c plain flour
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4c cocoa
175g chocolate melts

- Preheat oven to 180 deg C
- Use electric beater to combine butter and sugar until light and creamy.
- Gradually add egg.
- Add peanut butter and beat until combined.
- Add flour, baking soda and cocoa gradually until it forms a soft dough.
- Roll tablespoons of mixture onto a lined baking tray. Flatten with a fork.
- Bake for 15-20 mins and allow to cool for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack.
- When they are completely cool, melt the chocolate in a metal pot over a saucepan of boiling water.
- Either dip cookies in chocolate or drizzle over the top.

WARNING: Don't let the chocolate cool down! It will not melt again! :( We ended up eating semi melted chocolate that looked like cottage cheese with a spoon from the bowl. My Nana has since advised that if this happens you can add cream and re-melt. Good to know!

These cookies were good, but not fantastic. Just tasted like peanut brownie cookies, and we burnt the bottom of one of the batches. But the boyfriend was just as grateful as always!

Choc-nut slice

Base:
1c self raising flour
2tbsp cocoa
1/2c castor sugar
2/3c shredded coconut
125g melted butter
1tsp vanilla
125g chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

- Preheat oven to 180 deg C
- Sift flour and cocoa into a large bowl. Stir in sugar and coconut.
- Add butter, vanilla and nuts and stir until well combined.
- Press mixture into a lined tin, approx 28x18cm, and take for 20 mins or until golden brown.
- Allow slice to cool thoroughly before removing from the tin and icing.

Icing:
1c icing sugar
1tbsp cocoa
15g melted butter
1.5-2tbsp milk
60g chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts)

- Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl and add melted butter and enough milk to make a smooth, spreadable icing.
- Spread evenly over the base (make sure it's cool!) and sprinkly the nuts over the top.
- Leave to set for approx 1 hour before serving.

This was delicious! This was possible my favourite thing that I have ever made (except banana cake, my eternal favourite). I LOVE hazelnuts, and walnuts, and peanuts.... you get the picture! Would definitely make this again!

Coconut slice

Base:
125g butter
100g sugar
1 egg
1 1/2c self-raising flour
Jam (raspberry, strawberry, blackberry etc. I used blackberry)

Topping:
1c coconut
1/2c sugar
1 egg
Juice of 1 lemon (I used vanilla essence)

Pre-heat oven to 170deg C
Mix butter, sugar, egg and flour until it forms a soft dough.
Press into a greased slice tin, approx 30cmx25cm - mine was smaller, therefore thicker slice.
Spread generously with jam.

Using the same bowl, mix ingredients for topping.
Cover base evenly with topping, the jam will show through.
Bake at 170deg C for 20mins or until lightly browned.

This. Was. Amazing.

We had eaten a quarter of it before the day was out. That's how good it was. A work-mate commented on my "Louise cake" but for some reason it just seemed different to how my flatmate used to make Louise Cake but I can't pinpoint the difference.. Not complaining though, maybe I'll try a Louise cake recipe next time...