Marble whoppie pies

 It's been a manic few months for me, my mood has been pretty low so I've been away from the kitchen for quite a while. However I'm currently off work as it's the Easter holiday so I finally got back in the kitchen. my housemates were out so I jammed up the music, put on my apron and got cooking. It's funny but once I was in the zone everything just came back to me naturally, my mind abuzz with new recipes and flavour combinations. Two hours later I stood back and saw my creation, marble whoppie pies. A chocolate and vanilla sponge, filled with a chocolate and vanilla buttercream, two classics in one.

Lemon cupcakes

Spring is finally here and I couldn't be happier, the cold weather was really starting to bring me down. So much so that I haven't posted on my blog since September! I thought I'd come back with something delicious and fresh and what could be better than lemon. The lemon flavour always reminds me of the sun so it was definitely a must have for todays lovely weather.

Thumbprint cookies

 If I crave something it is always something sweet, these thumbprint cookies are perfect for that, they are small but sweet and hit the craving right out of the park. They can be stored for up to five days and are so easy to make the kids will love them.

The biscuit is moist and the jam is the perfect sweetness, making these cookies a simple but delicious treat.

Vanilla cupcake

Sometimes the best cupcakes are the simplest, there are so many flavours out there but once in a while all I want is a plain vanilla cupcake. This recipe is my original recipe, the one I base all my other flavours off. It's moist, tasty and perfect for that cupcake craving. 

Coconut cupcakes

 Summer is coming and if there is one thing that gets me in the mood for it its coconut! I love coconut, it's a fresh flavour and is really fun to use in baking. These cupcakes were a huge hit with everyone and after a stressful week of detoxing it was nice to treat myself.

Reduced fat chocolate chip cookies

Trying to get that perfect beach body when your kitchen is full of treats is difficult, and with a craving for cookies it can becoming impossible. So I decided to come up with a recipe for cookies that were reduced in fat, but had the same sweetness and texture as a full fat cookie.  By reducing the amount of butter used, it drastically reduces the fat! Do remember though that they are still full of sugar and even though they are reduced in fat this does not make them good for you, so no eating them all at once!

Peanut butter baked doughnuts

 Who doesn't love a good doughnut, I especially love baked doughnuts because they make me feel so much better when I'm eating them as I know they are not smothered in oil. These doughnuts are flavoured with peanut butter, topped with a peanut butter glaze and smothered in chopped peanuts and chocolate chips. Peanut lovers beware, you may become addicted!

Red Velvet cupcakes

Red velvet wasn't really seen a lot in Britain until recently, however I have always been a huge fan. The cream cheese frosting is by far my favorite part it's not overly sweet and has a lovely consistency. The sponge is always moist and the red colour makes it different and fun.

Gluten free banana oatmeal muffins

Being healthy is hard, especially when you are a cake addict. I am constantly craving sweet things and fruit just doesn't cut it. I decided that it was time to come up with a freezable snack, low in calories but tasty.

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.

Red Velvet cake

 There is something about red velvet, I don't know whether it's the moist sponge or the cream cheese frosting but I am addicted. This cake is perfect with a cuppa and a huge hit with my family. Simple to make and something different.

Baked banana & chocolate chip doughnuts

Just looking at these doughnuts makes me drool, they are bananatastic! The chocolate and the banana in the doughnut works perfectly together, the chocolate glaze and caramelised bananas being an added bonus.

Lemon meringue pie cupcakes

I love cupcakes, you can come up with some seriously weird flavour combinations and it always turns out to be one of your best ideas. This lemon meringue pie cupcake is one of these combinations. With a pie crust base, lemon sponge, lemon curd center and a fluffy meringue topping it is by far one of my weirdest creations and I love it!

Cookie stuffed Cupcakes

 

So yesterday I started back to University after two weeks off. Getting up at 7 in the morning almost killed me, but it made me realise that soon I will no longer be at University and that it is time to get my act together. I have less than four month until I'm finished and I need to decide what I'm going to do. As much as I would love to come out of University, open a shop and be sorted for the rest of my life this isn't realistic as to open a shop you need money, and I don't have any of that. So I decided to start job hunting.

DOHnuts (Doughnuts inspired by the Simpsons)

 

So at the moment I love baked doughnuts and as a treat I decided to make my brother some Simpson doughnuts. Since we were little we have watched the Simpsons, I can honestly say it wouldn't surprise me if we had seen every episode. So when I found out that he was coming home from University for the weekend  I knew I had to make them. 

Rose meringue kisses

With Valentines day just around the corner I thought it was about time that I started making some of my Valentines recipes, giving you guys enough time to gather all your ingredients and bake your special someone some yummy treats.

Unfortunately this year I will be on my own for Valentines day, but I will be spending a lovely evening alone with my two favourite men, Ben & Jerry.

  I think that Valentines day isn't just about buying extravagant gifts but showing the person you love how much they mean to you and making something is such a good idea as it takes more time and effort than running to the shops. The rose meringue kisses are perfect for this, they look romantic and taste divine! A real sweet treat.  

Chocolate baked doughnuts with white chocolate

 For the past month I have been looking EVERYWHERE for a doughnut pan! They seem to be non existent in Britain even Lakeland didn't sell them, so after looking over and over again online I finally found a cute store online called 'sugar shack' they sell loads of equipment and baking products really cheaply (which a student like me needs as it's hard enough affording rent). At first I was a little skeptical about whether the site was real or not but after some research I placed my order.

Carrot Cupcakes

 One of the first cakes I ever made on my own was a carrot cake, it was the first recipe I created and one of my favourites. It also very popular with my friends so I am always making it.

The past few weeks my friend Keira had been under a lot of stress from University, today was her hand in day for her coursework so as I treat I told her I would make her favourite cake, only problem was I had run out of self-raising flour and only had enough for one half of the cake. 

I've always wanted to try carrot cupcakes so I decided to mess around with my cake recipe and find a way of turning it into some scrummy cupcakes and these were the results, they basically tasted just like the cake and were amazing! 

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.

MARSHMALLOW FLUFF

 I am the BIGGEST fan of marshmallow fluff but in the UK it costs a fortune and within a week it's gone. So I decided to come up with my own version and this way I could change the flavor and colour depending on what I wanted. This recipe has saved me a fortune! It also makes a decent amount which means you wont have barrels of it but just the right amount.Marshmallow fluff can be used for so many things, hot chocolate, cakes, whoopie pies or if your like me just off the spoon!

 

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup casting sugar

1/4 cup water

pinch of salt

3 medium egg whites

1/2 cup golden syrup

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla essence