Sunday Treats - Shortbread Brownies

Last weekend I was in a quandary ... did I fancy shortbread or brownies? It was like Sophie's choice (I exaggerate....kind of)

So, after spending about 20minutes searching for pictures of each to see if my eyes and stomach could make a decision, I decided... Shortbread Brownies!

I took my favourite brownie recipe, my favourite shortbread recipe and combined the two. I definitely made the right decision - it was exactly what I fancied!!

Ingredients
Shortbread
120g butter, softened
55g golden caster sugar
130g plain flour
40g dry semolina
pinch of salt

Brownies
275g golden caster sugar
190g unsalted butter
185g good quality chocolate (I like to use 80% cocoa) but standard plain chocolate will do the job just fine
90g plain flour
3 large eggs (free range please guys - or even better...fresh!)
Optional: 70g Rice Crispies

The brownie recipe also works perfectly well without the shortbread. My favourite recipe as it's not too rich :)
Serving: 24 triangles

Method
1) Start with the shortbread. Beat the softened butter with the sugar and salt until pale and creamy. TIP: It's hard work creaming butter and sugar together until pale, but it really is the secret of successful desserts :)
2) Sift the flour over the creamy mixture and add the semolina. Beat until combined and it forms a dough - it should just about stick together
3) Line a large baking sheet with parchment or baking paper

If you haven't already, get the kids involved. And if you don't have kids, YOU get to act like one now!

4) Time to take little bits of the dough and roll them into many many little balls. The balls should be around a 1cm across

5) Once you've used up all the dough, place the tray in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up again. Preheat your oven to 150degrees (130degrees fan oven)
6) Place the shortbread into the oven for 30minutes. You don't want the shortbread to brown, so if you can see signs of them turning golden, reduce the heat. Take out the oven and leave to cool

Lets start the brownies!

7) Break up the butter and chocolate into small pieces and place in a Pirex bowl. Half fill a small saucepan with water and place the bowl just inside the saucepan so that the bowl is resting on the edges of the saucepan. Make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl. This is a type of Bain Marie

8) Place the Bain Marie on a low heat and gently melt the butter and chocolate, stirring occasionally. Once melted, leave to cool

9) Take a large mixing bowl, break your eggs into it and add the sugar. Whisk them together until they form a thick, pale, creamy consistency which is about double its original volume. This may take around 5 minutes - if you want to cheat a little, use an electric whisk on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes

10) Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Gently fold the chocolate in, until everything has combined. Fold instead of mix to keep the air in - this way your brownies will stay light and airy

11) Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture. Gently fold together until a glossy gooey mixture forms, but don't fold too much or you'll loose that lovely airy texture

Everything is about to come together... eek, can't wait!!

12) Fold in the cooled shortbread - or the shortbread you have left... I can guarantee quite a few of the little drops of heaven have already been consumed! TIP: Now is the time to add those optional Rice Crispies. The Rice Crispies go soft and make the brownie a little more chewy.Turn up the oven to 180degrees (160degrees for a fan oven) once the shortbread has been removed

13) Line a brownie tin (around 24x20cm) and pour the mixture in. Place in the oven for 25minutes. If after 25minutes the middle of the brownie still feels wobbly, pop it back in for 5 minutes

14) Remove from oven. Once it has cooled slightly, take a knife and mark out your brownies

15) Now this might be the hardest thing in the world, but you SHOULD allow the brownies to cool completely before turning them out. I'll leave that decision up to you

YOU'RE DONE! Eat, enjoy, freeze some (yer right), take them to a picnic and give some to friends (again, yer right)



Time Saver: I must confess that this is definitely a 'Sunday Treat' and isn't the quickest thing to make... BUT both the shortbread and brownies on their own are pretty quick and simple. PLUS you could double the brownie mixture, cook them all and then freeze the ones you don't want for another day - simple pop them in the oven for 10minutes to warm through. OR make double the shortbread mixture and freeze the other half - I recommend freezing the dough in the shapes you like (cut out biscuit fingers for example) rather than the cooked shortbread, as it turns out much better







TIP: If you want to use the shortbread recipe on it's own to make thicker shortbread fingers, leave in the oven for around an hour and sprinkle them with brown sugar once they've just come out of the oven. Mmmm tasty!

Have you combined two recipes to make one giant success? I'd love to know!

Sunday (sewing) Treats - Wrap Dress

I don't know about you guys, but today was the first time I didn't feel like my fingers and toes were going to fall off the moment I even thought about the outside. The sun was out - and I almost felt warm for a while.

This MUST mean SPRING IS HERE (I don't want to hear any 20th March rubbish). Prime time to whip out the wrap dress I made last year.

Wrap dresses are really quite simple to make once you know your way around a sewing machine. Once you've had a go at a couple of simple cotton dresses, give a wrap dress a try. Only a few different pattern pieces are used and you don't have to be too exact with your cutting and sewing; the nature of the dress and material is quite forgiving.

For someone who has a couple of sewing projects under their belt, I would say this type of dress would take you about 6 hours, so a perfect 'Sunday Treat' activity or 2 evening's work. Pretty efficient I'd say!

TIP: I have since made this dress for a friend as a birthday present - why don't you give it a go; a lovely handmade present :) I knew her rough dress size, but didn't worry too much about sizing, as you wouldn't notice if it was a slight bit too big or small. Perfect! Maybe she'll be willing to put a picture of her wearing it up here...hint hint ;)

I have recently been bought some lovely blue jersey fabric which i'm going to make another wrap dress out of. This time i'll make a short sleeve version, perhaps experimenting with lace trim. I'll post some pictures up here when I've finished. Wish me luck!

TIP: Try experimenting with lightweight and heavyweight jersey materials. This one is a very lightweight jersey, with only a little stretch in it. I recommend starting with a jersey with only a small amount of stretch if you're new to the sewing world.

Some good Wrap Dress patterns are listed below (I've listed their original source, but have a search on the internet for British suppliers of the patterns. There's plenty out there - just type in the pattern code into a your search bar):
- Vogue V8379
- McCall M5974
- Butterick B5206
- StyleARC - Kate Dress
- I can't recommend highly enough Lisa Comfort's 'Sew Over It' Ultimate Wrap Dress course. You'll come away with a wrap dress pattern, one completed wrap dress and a whole heap of new knowledge and skills. The teachers will help you at every stage, and are so welcoming - all you need to do is choose your fabric and book a place on the course. Plus you get cake and tea whilst you sew, what more could you ask for? I love it there!

Send me some pictures of your completed wrap dresses and feel free to ask any questions. Sunday Love x x x

Sunday Treats - Honey Oat Bread

I've said it before but Sunday really is a great day for making bread; it's relaxing, stress relieving and smells heavenly. Treat yourself to Sunday!

Homemade bread can sometimes taste a bit like 'homemade bread'; a taste some people love (me included), but I get it, sometimes you just want some indulgent, sweet, store bought white bread. This Honey Oat Bread is my version of just that - but without all of the unnatural sugars, preservatives and chemicals.

Time Saver: Try using a break maker for this recipe instead for a full proof way to achieve great results. Plus you can start it off and then leave it whilst you get on with your other Sunday jobs, whilst enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread. Follow your owner's manual, but if you've lost it - add warmed liquid ingredients first, leaving the yeast until last. Don't forget to add the warmed honey and sprinkling of oats once the dough has risen in your machine (about 1 hour before end of cycle).

Ingredients:
530g white bread flour
80g rolled oats uncooked
250ml milk
125ml water
3tbsp butter
100g honey
1.5tsp salt
7g dried yeast

For topping
2tbsp honey
2tbsp oats

Serving: 1 medium size loaf or 8 rolls

Method:

1) Gently heat milk, water, butter and honey - then pour into a large mixing bowl

2) Add all of the dry ingredients in to the bowl, omitting half the flour, and stir to combine all ingredients. Leave for 5 minutes, or until mixture begins to look spongey... That's the yeast doing its thing.

3) Gradually stir in the rest of the flour. Time to get messy - get your hands in the bowl, making sure all ingredients are well mixed.

4) The mixture will probably be a little sticky - this is perfect. Lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough. Knead knead knead for at least 10 minutes. If it's still sticky after this, add a little more flour and water if it's too stiff.

5) Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1- 1.5 hours, until dough has doubled in size. TIP: On top of a boiler is great for this, or in an airing cupboard.

TIP: Now get on with your daily jobs and start looking forward to some lovely lunch time sandwiches with home made bread!

6) Knock back (punch the air out). Then place on a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle the width of your loaf tin. It should be about 1cm thick. Roll up the dough tightly and place in lightly oiled loaf tin. Cover, and leave in a warm place for 1-1.5hr, until dough has doubled in size.

TIP: Time for some more chores. What a productive morning you're having!

7) Preheat your oven to 190degrees (170degrees fan). Gently warm the honey for the topping, and pour over the top of the loaf. Sprinkle with the topping oats.

8) Cook for 45minutes until beautifully golden. Take out of oven, leave to cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. YUM!!!

9) Enjoy your home made, just sweet enough, touch of 'store bought' loaf of bread. If you've got any suggestions, please let me know!

TIP: Why not try making some rolls instead of a loaf. After the first rising period, break up into small balls and place on a greased baking tray. Cover and keep in a warm place for 1hour. Then cook in a preheated oven (170degrees fan) for 30-40minutes. Mmm rolls with soup for work :)

Sunday love x x x

Sunday Treats - My absolute favourite breakfast

Now this is pretty indulgent, BUT incredible...Cinnamon breakfast rolls. This is the closest I can get to the real 'Cinnabon' taste. Pure heaven. Let me know what you think!

TIP: While these are probably considered a treat, and you may not want to eat all 12 - the great thing is that they freeze so well! Just pop them in the freezer before you cook them. To defrost place them on a plate for around 10 mins then cook them for 5mins longer than you would normally. The icing also keeps well in the freezer and takes next to no time to defrost on side whilst you perpare your rolls.

Time Saver: Use a bread maker to start the dough - it's a really great investment - quick, simple & makes the house smell amazing! But if you don't have one, it works just fine without one (and great when you require a bit of stress relief), just follow a normal dough-making recipe with the above ingredients.

Ingredients:
For the bread machine
230ml of warm milk, gently heat in saucepan or microwave
2 medium eggs, preferably at room temperature
75g melted margarine (TIP: butter doesn't work so well - it makes the rolls tougher. Therefore you can use a low fat margarine if you prefer)
610g bread flour
1tsp salt
7.5-8g dried yeast
1 level tablespoon ground cinnamon
Inside the rolls
200g light brown sugar
80g softened butter
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
100g mascarpone cheese
75g softened butter
175g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract, good quality if possible
pinch of salt

Serving: 12 regular rolls or 24 mini rolls

Method:

1) Place ingredients in bread machine according to owner's manual. If you don't know where your manual is, usually the best way is to put in the liquid ingredients first, followed by the dry ones, putting yeast in last - this is so that the yeast doesn't get activated by the warm liquid too early.

1b) If you're not using a bread machine, add ingredients to a large bowl in the same order, omitting half the flour, stir with a wooden spoon as you go.  Leave until bubbles appear and the mix looks a bit 'spongey' - i.e. the yeast has started activating. Then gradually add the rest of the flour, stirring until it gets too difficult stir. Then you can get stuck in with your hands and knead knead knead. Really go for it for about 10 minutes! Then leave, covered with a clean tea towel in a warm place for around 45 minutes. Once risen knock it back, punch all of the air out. I told you, great stress relief!

TIP: This is the time you can do your normal day-to-day activities, all the while knowing that soon you'll have some really scrummy treats for your efforts- the mixing of ingredients really doesn't take much time.

2) Take out of machine or bowl and lay dough on a lightly floured surface. Cover it again and leave for 10 minutes. In the mean time mix together the cinnamon and sugar, for the inside of the rolls, in a bowl

3) Roll dough out into a rectangle that is about 1cm thick (around 40x52cm or 60x35cm if you're doing mini versions)

4) Spread the softened butter over the dough - I find it's easier with the back of a metal spoon. Then sprinkle with then cinnamon sugar mix

5) Start at one of the long edges and begin to roll into a long sausage shape

6) Once rolled up cut into 12 rolls of around 4.5cm thick (or 24 of around 2.5cm thick)

7) Place rolls on a baking sheet fairly far apart, as they will grow. If you're doing mini ones, grease up a muffin tin and place one mini rolls in each hole. Now cover again and leave for another 30 mins. They should double in size (ish). Also, the butter will begin to melt and it may look like it's oozing out, don't worry about this; it's seeping into the dough to make yumminess too! Preheat oven to 190degrees (170degrees for a fan oven)

TIP: More time to get on with the boring chores. The pieces of heaven are getting closer to completion

8) Uncover the rolls and place in the oven for 15-20minutes until golden. Don't leave them in too long as they'll go hard, soft and gooey wins every time.

9) Whilst rolls are in the oven cream together all of the cream cheese icing ingredients. Don't forget to sift the icing sugar.

10) Take rolls out of the oven, and appreciate the smell in the house, leave on tray for 2-3 minutes and spread 3/4 of the icing over the warm rolls. Serve immediately with the extra icing on the side.

Indulge and enjoy these little beauties. Let me know how you get on, and how they compare to the real thing. And don't forget...freeze them before you bake them and you can have them every Sunday morning - no effort required :)

Sunday Love x x x x

Sunday Treats

Everyone like a bit of indulgence, so why not enjoy your Sundays, slow down a little and appreciate the simple things.

To help out, i'm going to introduce Sunday Treats - posts on a Sunday which may take a little longer to achieve, but are worth the effort. 

Don't be put off by the idea of it taking too long and I know most of you don't feel like you have much time to spare - so i'll help out where I can, suggesting ways to save time and incorporate it into your other daily commitments :) 

So join me and treat yourself to Sunday...

                       ...and you might just get to catch something like this

View from our kitchen on a Sunday evening. Lovely