Millionaires shortbread

These are the perfect companion if you are out and about this Easter, wrap them up in baking parchment and tie with some ribbon.....

or just scoff in front of the tv either way their delish.

For this recipe you will need:

Shortbread:

1 cup of plain flour

3 teaspoons of corn flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup of butter (I used slightly softened butter & it turned out perfect)

1 tablespoon of really cold water 

1 egg yolk

Gooey caramel:

 1 can of condensed milk

1/3 cup of real butter

2 tablespoons of golden syrup

1/2 cup of light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Luscious ganache:

1 2/3 cups of chocolate (I used a mix of 70% & milk)

1/3 cup of fresh cream

Start by pre heating your oven to 160'c. Then in either your food mixer or by hand mix all the dry ingredients of the shortbread together making sure there are no lumpy bits left. 

Next add in your butter and whizz together until it resembles a fine crumb, then lastly add in the water and egg yolk and watch the shortbread dough come together.

I used a 1lb loaf tin lined generously with baking parchment and I found the back of measuring cup when floured was the perfect tool for patting down the dough,

Bake the shortbread for approx 22mins

While the shortbread is in the oven get cracking with the caramel. Now this caramel differs from the salted caramel on my blog as I find this one sets so much better whilst the other stays runny (perfect for drizzling on anything).

In a medium sized pan on a medium heat add in all your caramel ingredients and stir stir stir until the butter has melted and the brown sugar has dissolved. Once both those ingredients have accomplished that place a sugar thermometer in the pan. 

Carefully increase the heat all the while been on the ball that the mixture does not burn on the bottom.

Keep stirring the mixture as it thickens then take off the heat once it reaches 205'c, then set aside.

I let the shortbread cool for 15mins or so before I poured on the caramel, I then popped the loaf tin in the fridge to set for 20mins.

The last step of the recipe is making the ganache, you can either make this in a Bain Marie or in the microwave at 30 second intervals. I opted for the latter.

Pop both ingredients in a microwave friendly bowl and blast away I only did two to three goes stirring really well in between blasts.

Take the loaf tin out of the fridge and pour on the ganache then spread out evenly (I used a pallet knife).

And as it's Easter I adorned my millionaires shortbread with mini eggs & malteesers then popped it all back in the fridge over night. 

If you do add the mini eggs & malteesers be mindful that it can be tricky to cut the shortbread into uniform slices but as I was cutting them in cubes it worked out perfect...

Enjoy

Rebecca x

My raspberry pinwheels

Sometimes you got alive dangerously, I read a fabulous quote the other day from Richard Gere and you know what they are words to live by.

So as a result my raspberry pinwheels came to life.

For this recipe you will need:

1 sheet of puff pastry (I have a recipe for my own puff pastry on my blog and it's super easy and divine)

1/2 a pack of cream cheese

1/3 cup of caster sugar

16 raspberries the bigger the better

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Icing sugar to dust

Begin by pre heating you oven to 220'c

Unravel your puff pastry and cut four even squares out of it using a pizza cutter, the cutter makes this a speedy job.

Then on the corners of the squares cut the pastry 1/4 of the way in. Put the pastry aside and get stuck in with your filling.

Mix the cream cheese well to achieve a smooth consistency then one by one add in the vanilla, sugar and lemon juice. 

To each pastry square add a dollop of the cream cheese in the centre then slightly spread out.

Add four raspberries to each square then taking a corner of each of the pastry squares turn it in to the centre, pressing it gently onto the cream cheese which will act like a glue!!!!!

Once all the squares have been fiiled dust generously with icing sugar and pop in the oven.

Bake for 20-25 mins you want to achieve I rich colour on the pastry to ensure it is fully cooked all the way through as the cream cheese will add alot of moisture to the centre...

When fully baked and slightly cooled dust again with icing sugar and detour with a hot cup of tea!!!

Yum

Enjoy

Chocolate in the morning

Chocolate in the morning I hear you say how naughty.....it's true I had chocolate for brekky this morning but hear me out, I was still playing by my mid week rules with this smoothie.

Instead of cocoa powder I used unsweetened cocao powder.....results DELICIOUS 

For this recipe you will need:

2 blackened bananas

1 cup of crunchy peanut butter

1 cup of almond milk (I used unsweetened)

3 teaspoons of cocao powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (don't even think about the essence Crap)

1 scoop of cookie dough protein powder (optional)

This is so simple. In your blender pop everything in and whizz away. This makes the perfect portion for one but if you have company just double the dose of goodness...

Enjoy

Rebecca x