This is such an easy and delicious recipe. One for the kids, or keep them all for yourself. The dark chocolate dip adds some luxury to these, but they work just brilliantly without.
125g butter 50g caster sugar zest of one orange 180g plain flour
Pre-heat the oven to 180C (or 170C if fan-assisted). Cream the butter and caster sugar together. Add the zest and stir through. Then mix in the flour to make a dough. Roll the dough out to approx 1cm deep and cut into fingers or rounds. Place on a baking tray (lined with baking paper) and bake for 10-15 mins (this will vary depending on your oven and the size you cut them to. You can check them after 8-10 mins to see how they are doing). Once they are just starting to turn golden the edges they are ready.
Allow to cool and they are delicious if you eat them as they are or…
Melt 100g plain chocolate in a heat proof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the owl isn’t touching the simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove the pan and tip it slightly so you can dip the cooled shortbreads in. Place on clean baking paper to set.
Well if Easter isn’t the time for a chocolate overload then I don’t know when is. Despite the huge amounts of chocolate our Enchanting Elves have consumed so far, they were desperate to do some Easter baking.
Chocolate Cornflake nests are one of those things that you forget just how good they are, plus they are simple, no bake and great fun to make! There are loads of recipes on the web, and many variations. This is our version, and I can honestly say they are DELICIOUS. So get some ingredient, clear the kitchen table and get making with your kids – it’s the perfect afternoon activity with a sweet treat at the end!
Ingredients 200g milk chocolate 50g butter 3-4 tbsp golden syrup 100g mini marshmallows mini eggs to decorate
Method
Firstly, Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup together. Melting chocolate and syrup is VERY VERY HOT. Please make sure an adult does this part. You can do this 2 ways…
Place in a microwaveable bowl and melt in 30 second bursts. Keep stirring in between bursts and take your time. It will all melt down into a rich, smooth, chocolatey liquid (about the consistency of double cream). Keep stirring after each 30 seconds and it is done once the lumps of chocolate are melted.
Place in a heatproof bowl that fits snugly over a saucepan (see the picture above of how this should look). Have an inch or two of simmering water at the bottom of the pan and make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Again, take your time and keep stiring until it has all melted together.
Carefully place the bowl with the melted chocolate mixture onto your work surface on a tea towel. This will help to stop it slipping when you stir your ingredient in.
Next stir in your cornflakes, marshmallows or any other extras you are adding to your cornflake mix. Again, take your time to get everything evenly coated. Your marshmallows might melt a bit which makes them extra delicious! Stir them all through until your have everything coated in the chocolate mix.
Now you can put mixture into your cupcake cases. Use a spoon or your hands (make sure an adult has checked the temperature of your mix if you are using your hands – it should be cool enough to handle but not set. Again, hot chocolate, syrup and sugar is very very hot, so please double check at this stage before any small hand touch the mixture). Divide the mixture evenly into your cupcake cases and try and make a slight indent or dip in the middle – like a nest!
Finally you can add your eggs – just pick your favourite brand of mini chocolate eggs, and add 2-3 to each one. We place ours in the fridge to set for half an hour (if you can wait that long…!) and then eat and enjoy!
Have a good break over the long weekend, relax and have some good family time / down time / not work time!
Happy Easter love from Griselda and the Enchanting Elves xx
So apparently it is National Baking Week this week (15th – 21st October, 2018). Here at the Enchanting Bakery, we tend to bake pretty much every day. This doesn’t dampen our enthusiasm for it though! There is nothing better than getting a few simple ingredients together and letting some magic happen!
It is fairly widely documented that baking is good for our mental health and wellbeing. Just google it, and see how many links you get. This article from the Independent seems to sum it all up. One quote that sticks out for me is “The predominant emotion evoked in respondents when baking, according to the study, is happiness followed by a sense of calm and focus.” Who doesn’t want more happiness and calm in their lives!
Whether you like to bake for mindful reasons, or just because you like biscuits, you cannot beat the feeling of seeing flour, butter, eggs and sugar be turned into something that really does spread joy to other people. And as a mother, there is nothing like an afternoon where we bake together to create something tasty, and then let the kids loose on the icing shapes and cutters. It keeps them occupied for hours, and gives them such a sense of achievement at the end, with the ultimate benefit (to them) of being able to eat it!
Even though I now bake for a living, I want to pass my passion for baking and cooking onto my children. I highly recommend it as a brilliant way to spend good (screen based!) time together, get your hands dirty, and sit and scoff together at the end.
As part of the Enchanting blog, we will be looking to share more recipes here including those chosen and baked by my children.
In the spirit of National Baking Week, let’s start with something really simple that you won’t believe can taste so good….!
As part of the Enchanting blog, we will be looking to share more recipes here including those chosen and baked by my children. In the spirit of National Baking Week, let’s start with something really simple that you won’t believe can taste so good….!
Simple Shortbread
There are lots of different recipes for shortbread including using rice and/or cornflour, plain flour, flavourings etc. However, for simplicity and as a gentle introduction, this is our favourite shortbread recipe. It works every time, uses only 3 ingredients and tastes….AMAZING!
Cream the butter and sugar together (with a hand held or stand mixer if you have it, if not with a bit of elbow grease!) Mix in the flour until you have formed a dough Roll the dough out between 2 pieces of baking paper to your desired thickness (about the thickness of a pound coin is good) Cut into fingers, or your chosen cookie cutter shapes. Place on a baking tray in the fridge and chill for 20 mins Pre-heat your oven to 180C Bake for approx 12-18 mins (ovens can vary) until starting to go golden around the edges. Allow to cook on the baking tray. Eat and enjoy!
