Mini egg rocky road

Easy to make and incredible to eat - the perfect treat for Easter!

Makes 8 rectangles or 12 squares
- 125g slightly salted butter
- 200g dark chocolate
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 200g dark chocolate biscuits
- 75g dried cranberries
- 100g mini eggs
- handful of white chocolate chips

1. Line and grease a baking tin and set aside.
2. In a pan, heat the butter and dark chocolate and stir until melted, then stir in the honey.
3. Crush the biscuits until mostly crumbed but with some chunks, then stir into the melted chocolate mixture with the dried cranberries and mix until well combined.

4. Leave to cool down a little for a few minutes, then stir in most of the mini eggs, leaving 8 or 12 to place on top depending on how many rocky roads you're making.
5. Pour/spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth down, then place the mini eggs on top and scatter with the white chocolate chips.

6. Leave to set in the fridge for about two hours, then using a sharp knife cut into rectangles or squares.

Enjoy :)

You might also like to try delicious Creme Egg Brownies this Easter!

Lemon drizzle cupcakes

Everyone who likes a bit of tangy sweetness will love these!

They are the perfect, Spring cupcake, particularly if you use cute cupcake cases (mine are from poundland)

 They will stay moist for a good few days as well, just in case you don't eat them all at once...

I whipped them up for Mother's Day and my mum ate 3 in one go - just to prove how delicious they are.

Makes 10-12 cupcakes
- 125g butter
- 125g caster sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 125g self raising flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- dash of milk
- dash of vanilla essence
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For the lemon drizzle icing
- 200g icing sugar
- juice of 2 lemons
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon, for decoration

1. Line a cupcake tray with cases and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth, beat in the eggs then fold in the flour and baking powder. Mix until smooth with a dash of milk, vanilla essence and lemon zest.
3. Spoon into cupcakes cases then bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

4. To make the lemon drizzle icing, simply mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice and stir until smooth and fairly runny. Spoon/drizzle on top of the cupcakes - as much as you prefer, then finish with some lemon zest!

Enjoy :)

Easter chocolate biscuit squares

The quickest, most delicious chocolate treats that you will want to make them time and time again.

Top with mini eggs or these cute flower decorations (from Sainsbury's) for Easter/Spring!

This is a recipe I've posted before - I named them Chocolate Smartie Squares because I usually top them with smarties: find here!

Makes 16 squares

- 50g margarine

- 150g dark cooking chocolate, broken into pieces

- 2 tbsp runny honey

- 250g digestive biscuits, crushed

- 16 mini eggs or edible flower decorations

- edible glitter (optional)

1. Line a square tin (7 inch) with grease proof paper, and grease with margarine. (make sure the paper sticks up out the sides of the tin as you will need to use this to grip when removing the squares from the tin)

2. Melt the margarine, chocolate and honey in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove from the heat and add the biscuit crumbs, mixing thoroughly until coated.

4. Spoon into the tin and push down, smoothing the top. Mark into 16 squares with a sharp knife, and place a mini egg or edible flower decoration in the centre of each, and sprinkle with edible glitter (if using).

5. Leave to set in the fridge for a couple of hours, then break into the squares and serve.

Enjoy :)

Coffee & walnut mini loaf cakes

A little slice of heaven

The perfect size for a naughty treat (bigger than a cupcake!)

And a fantastic idea for afternoon tea

I couldn't help but smother them in coffee buttercream too (and more walnuts)

Makes 4-6 mini loaf cakes

- 2 eggs

- 70g brown sugar

- 120g plain flour

- 100g butter, melted

- 2 tsp baking powder

- pinch of salt

- handful of walnuts, roughly chopped

- 2 tsp instant coffee

For the buttercream

- 50g butter, softened

- 150g icing sugar, sifted

- dash of milk

- 2 tsp instant coffee

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and flour mini loaf tins.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until a little foamy.

3. Gradually sift in the flour, baking powder and add the salt and melted butter. Mix until combined.

4. Stir in the chopped walnuts. In a mug, add a tiny amount of boiling water to the coffee, then stir into the cake mixture (you can make it as strong or as weak with coffee as you would like).

5. Divide the mixture between the moulds (about 2/3 full), and sprinkle with some grains of instant coffee and some more chopped walnuts.

6. Place the moulds on a tray, and bake in the oven for around 25 minutes, or until a knife in the middle of the sponge comes out clean. Leave in the tins to cool slightly before turning out onto a wired rack for further cooling.

7. While cooling, prepare the icing. Cream together the softened butter and icing sugar, then add the milk and coffee, stirring until smooth and well combined - add more icing sugar if too runny. Taste to see if more coffee needs to be added depending on how strong you like it (but try not to eat all of it!)

8. When the cakes are cooled, roughly spread on top with a knife then top with a walnut in the middle of each, some more chopped walnuts, and some more coffee grains.

Enjoy :)

Valentine's chocolate & raspberry cupcakes

Double chocolate chip cupcakes with a raspberry jam centre, chocolate frosting and a raspberry topping

Perfect for Valentine's day - for your boyfriend, girlfriend, friends, family, or just for yourself!

They taste divine too

Makes 18 deep cupcakes
- 225g margarine
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 225g self raising flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- dash of milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- cocoa powder
- 100g milk chocolate chips
- raspberry jam

For the frosting and topping
- 200g butter, softened
- 275g icing sugar, sifted
- dash of warm milk
- 150g dark cooking chocolate, melted
- fresh raspberries
- freeze dried raspberry pieces (or red sprinkles or hearts)
- edible glitter (optional)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a cupcake tin with cases. (Use special ones for valentine's day!)

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until well combined. Whisk in the beaten egg, then fold in the flour and baking powder.

3. Stir in the milk, vanilla essence, enough cocoa powder to change the mixture to a deep brown colour, and the chocolate chips. Mix until well combined and then spoon into the cupcake cases (about 2/3 full).

4. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the middle.

5. Once cooled, cut the top centre out of each cupcake and spoon in a teaspoon of raspberry jam into each.

6. Place the tops back on (trying not to eat them) and set aside.

7. To make the chocolate buttercream frosting, beat together the butter, icing sugar and milk until smooth (be patient). Then stir in the melted chocolate.

8. Spoon the frosting into a large piping bag with a star nozel and get piping! (you can also just spoon and spread onto the cakes if you prefer)

9. Place a raspberry on the top of each cupcake and sprinkle with the freeze dried raspberry pieces, or whatever decoration you are using, and finish with a dusting of edible glitter.

They will look something like this when you finally get to eat them!

Enjoy :)

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

These are a little bit of heaven. They smell and taste just like autumn - you've got soft apple chunks, 'chewy' dried cranberries, crunchy pumpkin seeds and the warming cinnamon flavour. These muffins are perfect for this time of year - they are super moist and crisp on top just the way I like them. They kind of taste like Starbucks pumpkin spiced lattes which are so yummy, I think it must just be the cinnamon.These are honestly one of my favourite baking creations to date, I will be coming back to this recipe every autumn now. If you make them please have one straight from the oven for me! mm mm

Makes 8 muffins

- 200g plain flour

- 50g soft brown sugar (plus extra for the topping)

- 100g caster sugar

- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder

- pinch of salt

- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (plus extra for the topping)

- 100ml milk

- 80ml sunflower oil

- 1 large egg, beaten

- few drops of vanilla essence

- 1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and chopped

- 75g dried cranberries

- 50-75g pumpkin seeds (optional)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees / gas mark 6.

2. Mix together all the dried ingredients in a large mixing bowl (flour, sugars, baking powder, salt and cinnamon)

3. In a jug, mix together the milk, oil and beaten egg until combined.

4. Gradually stir in the mixture in the jug into the dry ingredients until combined, then add in the apple chunks and mix together.

5. Next, stir in the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, if using, and mix until well combined.

6. Line a muffin tin with muffin cases and spoon the mixture into them.

7. Fill them quite full, then place in the oven for around 20 minutes or until golden grown on top.

8. When they are done, take them out of the oven but leave them in the tray for a few minutes while you mix together some brown sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl, for the topping.

9. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top of each muffin whilst still hot, this just makes them look nicer and gives extra flavour and sweetness! Place on a wired tray to cool or enjoy warm from the oven.

I accidentally ate one when it was hot out of the oven (don't worry, it was a mis-shapen one because it didn't fit in the muffin tray). It was so delicious - this is what it looked like inside, of course the other muffins looked better because they weren't flat and squished.  

Enjoy :)