Rocky Road Muffins

Rocky Road Slice

Have been tinkering in the kitchen again.  I was envisioning a rocky road inspired muffin and so i whipped up some chocolate muffins with a few additions and from what I'm told they're really yummy.  Sitting here at the moment the recipe with a few tweaks will be perfect - as is would make a nice brownie mixture.  I havent included nuts in this recipe.

Tweaked Rocky Road Muffins

60gms unsalted butter
2 cups of plain flour
1 egg
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of white sugar

4 Tblspns of best cocoa you can find (im generous with my cocoa more is better than less in my book)

2 tspns baking powder
100gms dark chocolate bits
100gms white chocolate bits
handful of small marshmallows
cup of frozen raspberries

Cream sugar and butter.  Add the egg and mix well.  Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder.  Add to egg/butter mixture, alternating with milk until all mixed well.  Fold in the chocolate bits, marshmallows and raspberries.  Spoon out into muffin cases - makes 10 - 12 muffins.  Preheat oven to 190C cook for 20 mins or until risen.

Original recipe - tasted awesome but didnt rise that well (which might have been temp 180C and the baking soda) and may be more suited to a brownie:

1 cup of plain flour
1 tspn of baking powder
1 egg
1 tspn of baking soda
1/2 cup of milk
50gms of butter
1/2 cup of sugar
4 tblspns of cocoa
100gms of white chocolate
100gms of dark chocolate
handful of marshmallows
1/2 a cup of raspberries

Same directions as before.  Baked for 30 mins at 180C.

Very moist recipe - yummy according to B - king of the sweet muffin.

I was thinking that a dark chocolate ganache and marshmallow topping might be nice - if you were going for a once in a while treat.  No photos I forgot to take any, will next time.

S.

It'll warm the cockles of yer heart..

So the weather has turned decidedly chilly, with the prospect of snow tomorrow or friday we have had soup twice this week.   When I was a kid we would have large pots of soup (in particular pumpkin or bacon bone) bubbling away for hours on the stove or on the cast iron fireplace in the front room.  There is just something satisfying about eating soup and sharing it with friends and family.  The soup we had tonight was based on this recipe.

Celeriac and Cheddar Soup

1 tbsp butter

3 sliced onions

3 potatoes peeled and diced

1/2 a large celeriac peeled and diced

1 litre of vegetable stock 

4 Sage leaves

Rind of a medium sized lemon

1 cup of grated cheddar cheese

1.   In a large pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook for 5 mins until softened, add the potato, celeriac, stock, sage and lemon peel.

2.   Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 30 mins, remove and discard the lemon zest and sage leaves, blend the soup until smooth.  When smooth add the cheese, serve with buttered toasted seed bread.

This week we also had Tomato and Tamarind soup with toasted spices and raita that B found in Cuisine.  OMG it was really, really good tasted perfect and B even made a dark rye bread to go with it.  It did smoke up the kitchen a bit when he toasted the spices, but it smelt good :)

I made the fruit bread today - was okay I thought the fresh cranberries made it too tart but as it was made to be toasted it should be fine.  Next time I will use more fruit and use crasins  instead of fresh cranberries.

S.                                                                                                             

So this is Christmas...

And what have I done?  Well Santa John I have been quite productive I think.  I made sloe gin and raspberry gin, apple and hawthorne jelly (hawthorne's I picked myself), hawsin dipping sauce, apple and red pepper chutney, chocolate christmas cake balls, cranberry and spiced squash christmas muffins and I just put up the christmas lights :).  Christmas lights always make me feel good.  I brought some lovely fresh cranberries when I was at borough market, which went into the freezer and I used in the muffins, but now Im thinking I want to make some fruit bread for christmas morning.   Lots of lovely fruity toast with drippy marge yum!  Am searching for the right recipe as we speak - I'm looking at this one but with some major tweaks - no saffron or almonds - I want it a bit more like hot cross buns with a heap more fruit.  Actually I have found this one which will just be made into a loaf but with lots more fruit.

S.

Cranberry and Spiced Squash christmas muffins

I found this recipe but tweaked it to give it the Christmas Goddess touch :)  You will need to bake one medium size butternut squash split in half for about an hour and a half at 180C.  Cool the squash and remove the flesh, removing excess fluid.   I also sprinkled a little sugar on the top of each muffin before cooking.  Have also been taste testing the chocolate balls I made the other week - they are improving with age - yum!

Cranberry and Spiced Squash Muffins

2 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons Baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup baked squash flesh

1 cup of fresh/frozen cranberries

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup of milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1.      Cream brown and white sugar with butter.

2.      Combine egg with creamed sugar.

3.      Add remaining wet ingredients and mix.  

4.      Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice and salt.  Make a well and add to wet ingredients.  Mix to a smooth batter.

4.      Generously grease a 12-muffin tin and dust with flour or line with paper muffin cups.

5.      Fill muffin cups about 2/3-full with batter.

6.      Bake muffins in preheated 180C oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until nicely browned.

S.

Chocolate Christmas Balls and Sloe Gin

So I have shaken my Sloe gin (Left) and Raspberry gin (Right) today - the raspberry red colour is gorgeous and will make a nice pressie for someone.  I also made chocolate christmas balls which are currently in the fridge setting and when I pull them out I will cover them in more chocolate -yum!  

Chocolate Christmas Balls

800gm christmas cake
200gms dark chocolate
120gms unsalted butter
3-4 tablespoons of Brandy (or 2 of orange juice)
2 tablespoons of finely chopped glace cherries or citrus peel

Crumble christmas cake into large bowl, add brandy and set aside.  Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler or glass bowl in hot water, when melted add to christmas cake/brandy mixture.  Mix well, then using a teaspoon make small balls, rolling them around in your hands.  Place on lined tray and put into fridge to set for 1 - 2 hours.  Then ice with more chocolate and return to fridge until icing set.  Makes 30 - 40 little balls.

You can use white chocolate on top of dark chocolate and use glace cherries or jelly lollies to make them look like little puddings.  Yummy!!!

S.

Check it out - I has been struck down by the domestic goddess syndrome

Just so you dont think i have fallen quite off the earth - although I have found myself in small secular community - apparently a lot of BNP supporters in this part the world.  I have also found a side of me that quite enjoys making stuff and since I have naught but time on my hands I thought I would share with you.  In the past month I have made apple and hawthorne jelly, hawsin dipping sauce, slow-roast tomato sauce and apple and pepper chutney.  I might mention B has been productive too he has made his world famous christmas puddings - which we are sharing for the lucky few.  I also put away sloe gin and raspberry gin yesterday into the dark cool cupboard to steep.  I have been productive.  I foraged for the Hawthornes and Sloes btw.

Apple and Hawthorne Jelly

1.5 pounds of Hawthorne berries washed and dry

4 windfall apples

2 litres of water

Juice of 1 lemon

1 pound of sugar

Put Hawthorne berries, apples and water into large pot and boil for an hour. Mash the pulp every 15 minutes or so.

Strain the pulp, letting the juice run through muslin cloth or old clean teatowel. Add lemon juice and sugar.  Bring up to a rolling boil for approximately 15 minutes.  Put into sterile jars - voila makes around three jars of yummy jam.

The apples contain the missing pectin - although to be fair I think the berries probably had a reasonable amount in them.  Will put up other recipes at a later date.

S.