Oaty cookies (Hobnobs)

Whenever I go over my Grandparents house for a cup of tea I always go straight for the biscuit tin simply because I know they contain my favourite biscuit in the world, the trusty McVities Hobnob! They are so delicious that I knew I had to try and come up with a recipe that was just as good, and after days and days of soggy, rock hard and inedible biscuits I finally did it! These biscuits taste just the same, and are so simple to make, they can also be stored for up to a week in your trusty tin.

Mud Pie

This recipe was one of the first that I ever baked on my own and has become a family favourite since. It's moist and gooey but the biscuit base gives it that crunch. The idea for this pie came after I became obsessed with American baking styles a few years back, their flavour combinations are much more exciting than the UK and this rich dessert is a good example. 

Chocolate chunk cookie

Everyone loves a cookie, especially when they are full of chocolate. These chocolate chunk cookies are huge and full of chocolate goodness. Gooey centers and huge chunks of chocolate make these the perfect treat.

Snickerdoodles

This week has been so crazy with having to sort out what I'm doing after university, completing all my university deadlines and working on 'The Messy Kitchen'. My only release from this pressure at the moment is baking and blogging.

With less than 6 months left of education I really need to start sorting myself out and decide what I want to do in the future.

My realistic dream is to open up my own American diner in Swansea. But my unrealistic dream would be for The Good Food Chanel to pick me up and make me a baking blogging sensation, but the chances of that happening are one in a million.

 Baking and blogging is something that makes me happy and I love sharing my recipes and tips with everyone. 

This week to blow of some steam I decided to bake up some snickerdoodles, I came up with these a couple of months ago after finding the recipe in a cook book of mine. However I didn't like the texture of them so decided to come up with my own.

 After many failed attempts I finally came up with a recipe for the perfect snickerdoodle. Obviously being from the UK I don't actually know what a snickerdoodle is meant to taste of as we don't have them here, but after researching I think it's a pretty close match. 

Unfortunately I was meant to do a video for this recipe but my camcorder decided to break half way through so I don't have any pictures like usual. But I thought I would share it anyway.

LUXURY GIANT CHOCOLATE OAT COOKIES

 So it's back to business, after a busy month of Christmas, New year and my birthday I haven't stopped and I couldn't wait to get back to baking. So my New years resolution was to be healthy, this is going to be hard as I bake almost three times a week and where do all these yummy bakes go, but in my belly. I thought I would start of this year with a bang so decided to create some luxury giant chocolate oat cookies, oats are good for you right? Chocolate contains milk....

 INGREDIENTS

55g stork/unsalted butter

2 egg YOLKS

1tsp vanilla essence

100g brown sugar

1tbsp milk

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

120g plain flour

110g rolled oats

150g chocolate spread

50g chocolate chunks

COOKIE POPS

 COOKIE POPS! Kids love them and I do to. A simple chocolate chip cookie covered in 100s and 1000s on a stick, what more could you want. These are perfect for parties and are so different. At the moment I've got into the habit of taking my bakes into university to see what my friends think, this is good for me as it means I don't eat them all! I'm seriously struggling to balance out everything in my life at the moment, university is crazy, and I'm still not feeling, it's scary thinking that in less than a year I would have finished my education and be looking for a job! Anyone hiring? haha.

MAKES 12

TAKES 10 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

130g unsalted butter

100g soft brown sugar

125g casting sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

230g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp salt

100g chocolate cut up into chunks

100s and 1000s

12 lolly pop sticks

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

 Peanut butter cookies! Peanut butter is one of my favorite things and for month and months I have been trying to perfect this recipe, wanting the crunchy peanut but the soft texture, and finally I have done it. These giant peanut butter cookies are such a treat and the good thing is you only need one because they are so big. Trust me these have to be one of the best things I have ever come up with, I'm in love.

Give the recipe a go and let me know what you think. Trust me you will not be disappointed.

Makes 10

Takes 10 minutes

 INGREDIENT

 190g plain flour

110g casting sugar

90g brown sugar

210g peanut butter

3/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

115g salted butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

peanuts.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

White chocolate chip cookies are always a favorite, they are perfectly petite and moist. I love them! So the sushi cake was a massive hit!! But it all got eaten and my brother didn't have any baked goodies to take back to university with him, so as a treat I decided to make him a batch of white chocolate chip cookies. Check it out. 

Makes 22

Takes 10 minutes to cook

INGREDIENTS

115g salted butter

115g light brown sugar

1 egg

pinch of salt

250g self-raising flour

140g white chocolate chopped.

OREO CUPCAKES

 Everyone loves Oreos and according to the paper this week they are addictive, which is totally true. Do you know how hard it is to keep a box of Oreos in your cupboard and not eat them! I have always wanted to make Oreo cupcakes but they have never made it to bake day so this week I came up with a ingenious plan, I bought them an hour before I started baking which meant that they didn't get eaten before hand. 

So here is my recipe for some amazing Oreo cupcakes, enjoy :)

Makes 12

Takes 25-30 minutes to bake

S'MORE CUPCAKES

 If there is one thing I have always wanted to try it is graham crackers but unfortunately they don't sell them in the UK, however this doesn't stop me from making some amazing S'more cupcakes. It's like marshmallow goodness and they are perfect for any occasion. They are everyone's favorites because they are just so different. So here you have my S'more recipe!

Makes 12

Takes 25 minutes