Sweet Vanilla Custard Muffins

So good, an easy, simple recipe. Minimal effort, maximum enjoyment.
Put on the kettle and get ready for a nice big muffin cuddle!!

Vanilla Custard Muffins

3oz spelt flour or the same of plain flour
3oz custard powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
6oz softened salted butter
5oz vanilla caster sugar (if you don’t have this just add a touch more vanilla paste)
3 large eggs
4 tbsp milk or double cream
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
100g white chocolate chips
For the icing:
2 tbsp custard powder
3 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
about 4-5 tbap cream ( depending on the thickness you want)

Preheat the oven to 180’C and line a 12 hole muffin tray with cases.
Place all the ingredients minus the chocolate chips into a large bowl or an electric mixer, and mix together until just combined. This is why you need really soft butter otherwise you will get small lumps in the mix!
In a small bowl mix the chocolate chips with 1 tbsp of flour and then fold through the muffin mix. (This step is really worth doing as it means that chips will be suspended in the batter rather than sinking to the bottom :))
Fill the case 2/3rds full and i like to refridgerate the mix for about 1/2 an hour before baking as it seems to make them rise evenly and just cook better, but you don’t have to do this.
Bake for 12-15 mins turing halfway. Take out of the tray and leave to cool on a wire rack for 30 mins before icing.
To make the icing mix the custard powder with the icing sugar and whisk in the cream a tbsp at a time until you have the thickness you want. add the vanilla and its ready.
Drizzle this over the muffins and away you go! Make sure you hide them, they might disappear otherwise 🙂

Halloween Biscuits

Trick or Treat!! Hopefully you’ll think these biscuits are a treat 🙂
My mum asked if i could make something to give to the kids who come trick or treating instead of just buying sweets. I had some cool halloween style cutter so thought biscuits would be perfect.
I’ve just made simple vanilla and chocolate biscuits as i know everyone will like them, but by all means spice them up with ginger or cinnamon. Add lemon or orange for a zingy bite. Anything goes!
Or use different cutters for any occasion- hearts for valentine’s, holly or santa hats for christmas. Or even just into circles, they are delicious any way you cut them!!

Halloween Biscuits

300g softened butter
300g caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste, or extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
830g plain flour
4 tbsp cocoa powder mixed into a paste with 1 tbsp water
1lb icing sugar
150g milk chocolate, melted
few drops food colouring
things to decorate with, silver balls, writing icing, hunderds and thousands etc.

Start by preheating an oven to 180’C and lining 3 baking trays.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and add the vanilla.
Add the eggs 1 at a time mixing well in between each. Add the flour and salt in three batches, mixing well to incorporate. Split this mixture in half. Set aside 1 half to keep as vanilla. With the other half add the cocoa paste and about 3 more tbsp flour, you may need a bit more, and knead together until you get the same texture as the vanilla dough.
Roll each into 1/2 inch circles and cut into your desired shape. Place onto the trays leaving about an inch between each biscuit and bake for 12-15 mins depending on the size. They should have puffed slightly and gone a tiny but golden round the edges. Cool on the trays for 5 mins before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely. Now it’s time for the fun part…getting messy with the icing 🙂
Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thickish paste (it needs to be thick enough to stay on the biscuits without running all down the sides, but thin enough to spread on) luckily icing sugar is qujite forgiving, so if you get it to thin just add more sugar and if you get it to think add more water.
Colour this however you wish, i used orange, black and left some white too.
Spread thockly over the biscuits and using your creative flair go to town.
On the chocolte biscuits i used melted milk chocolate instead of the icing just to change it up a bit 🙂 But really just have fun and get the kids involved…worry about the mess later 🙂

Messy Meringue Pie

This is a sort of mash up of a cheesecake and eton mess…yum!!
There are a few steps, but, like all my recipes, are they pretty simple. It’s definetly worth the effort and (don’t tell anyone i said this) but you can cheat and buy good quality meringues instead of making your own ;).
My messy meringue pie went down quite well with my family so hopefully you’ll give it a go and get some great feedback!!
As always enjoy and let me know how it goes 🙂

Messy Meringue Pie

For the meringue:
4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 tsp each of cornflour and rice vinegar

For the filling:
200g cream cheese
150g milk chocolate
150g dark chocolate
100ml sour cream
150ml double cream
zest 1/2 an orange
1tsp vanilla bean paste
pinch sea salt
1 packet Oreo biscuits

To make the meringue:
Preheat your oven to 140’C and line a baking tray.
Seperate foe eggs and put the yolks into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. (Unless your training to be a body builder i would advise using electic aid!) Make sure the bowl is incredibly clean, any sign of grease or yolk and the whites won’t whip up.
Whisk on high for a couple of mins until throthy, then add the sugar a tbsp at a time and whisk to stiff peaks. You should be able to tip the bowl over your head without getting a meringue hat 🙂
Lastly add the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and fold through gently. Tip this mix into the tray in a single layer. Lower the heat of the oven to 120’C and cook on the middle shelf for 1 hour. When the hour is up turn the oven off but don’t open the door. Leave like this for at least 2 hours or overnight. Set aside for later.
To make the filling:
Using the same bowl (to save washing up) with the whisk attachment again, whisk the cream cheese on it’s own first, to prevent any small lumps. Add the cooled melted chocolate, zest of the orange, sour cream, double cream, vanilla and salt and whisk till thickened and smooth. Refridgerate for 2 hours.
To assemble:
Crush the oreo biscuits in a sandwich bag with a rolling pin but leave some bits chunky. Press this into a 7inch round glass dish. (It won’t be like a cheesecake base as it won’t compact together like that, but you don’t want it to. You want a textural, crunchy.pebbely base :))
Crush the meringue and mix most of it through the cold mousse mix and tumble this on the base spreading out very carefully trying not to disturb the base.
Sprinkle the rest of the meringue over the top and put in the fridge until needed!