Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

115g/4oz butter
60g/2oz granulated sugar
65g/2.5oz light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
175g/6oz plain flour
1 tablespoon corn flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
100g/3.5 milk or dark chocolate chips

Method:

Cream the butter, sugar and light brown sugar together with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix together.
Add flour, corn flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix again until all combined.
Add chocolate chips and mix again.
Use your hands now to incorporate all chocolate chips into the mixture.
Taking tablespoon size amounts of mixture, roll it in your hands to make a ball and place on baking paper on a cookie sheet.

After making all the cookie dough balls, place the cookie sheet in the fridge for 1 hour.
After the hour, these cookie dough balls can be frozen for later use.

If cooking straight away, keep on cookie sheet with baking parchment, but ensure you have a 2inch space around each cookie so they have space to spread.
Place in pre-heated oven at 160⁰C/325⁰F/Gas Mark 3 for 15-18 minutes.
They will be golden brown when cooked, crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle.
Leave to cool a little before eating.
These are perfect served still warm from the oven!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake with Fudgy Icing!

I think this recipe came from the talented Mary Berry. I know I increased the measurements of the fudge icing as there just wasn’t enough on it for me!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

225g/8oz butter, room temperature
225g/8oz castor sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
200g/7oz self-raising flour
25g/1oz cocoa powder
1 – 2 tablespoon milk

Fudge Icing

300g/10oz icing sugar
80g/3oz cocoa powder
200g/7oz castor sugar
200g/7oz unsalted butter

Method:

You will need 2 x 8” sandwich tins, greased well all over and the base lined with parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas Mark 4

Cream the butter with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until very smooth.
Add the sugar and beat for a minute or 2.
Use your spatula to scrape down the edges throughout the process.
Beat sugar and butter mixture again until looks paler in colour – about 3 minutes altogether.
Sift a tablespoon (ish) of the flour/cocoa in the bowl and crack one of the  eggs into the mixture, beat.
Add another egg and beat it until it is combined into the mixture.
Sift ½ the flour/cocoa mix into this and beat again.
Add the rest of the egg and beat again.
Sift in the remaining flour and cocoa, add the milk, and now FOLD the mixture, using a large spoon.
Make sure you are incorporating all the bits from the side with your spatula regularly.
The mixture should be of a dropping consistency and if it’s not you can add another little drop of milk.
Drop the mixture into the cake tins and using a scale measure the tins to ensure that the mixture is evenly split between the two.
Spread it gently to the side of the pans. So that the mixture is level in the pan.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 20- 25 minutes until a cocktail stick inserted comes out clean.
Once cooked, remove from oven, place on heatproof surface and leave in tins for a few minutes.
Turn them out onto a wire rack, remove the baking parchment and leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile make the fudgy icing.....

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl.
Melt the butter, sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a pan over a medium heat.
You need the sugar crystals to disappear completely over this heat, it will take a few minutes.
Once the butter has melted and you can’t feel any sugar under the wooden spoon, turn up the heat.
As soon as large bubbles start to appear on the top of the mixture remove it from the heat.
Pour this into the icing sugar/cocoa and using your wooden spoon incorporate it together.
Beat well so the mixture becomes smooth and glossy.
Using half the mixture spread it evenly over one of the cakes, use a heated palette knife to help spread it.
Place the other cake on top of this and using the remainder of the mixture cover the top and sides of the cake.

Decorate with mini eggs, edible flowers, chocolate flake...the options are endless!

Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days...it NEVER lasts that long in our house though!!

Enjoy!