Caramel Stroopwafels

Tuesday night tv is a bit of a treat at the moment isn't it, starting off with Bake Off, followed by Dr Foster. This week was even more of a treat for me as the husband was away so I had the remote control to myself, with no risk of popping out to make a cuppa during an ad break and coming back to football, or any other random sport, on the screen.

What a night bake off was, starting off with some delicious caramel shortbreads, followed by a few grainy stroopwafels in the middle, and ending up with some epic (and one not so epic) caramel cakes.

A few days ago I thought about attempting to make waffle wafers or cones this week in my waffle maker, so when I saw the stroopwafels on Bake Off I knew that I had to make them, it was fate. I must admit that I was a bit hesitant after watching all the bakers fail with their caramel fillings, with not one of them having the right consistency, although the making of the actual biscuit didn't look too complicated. I've eaten stroopwafels a few times as they seem to be readily available in coffee shops, as well as supermarkets and trendy Scandinavian shops. The way to enjoy them is to pop one on top of your warm coffee to soften the caramel, and allow the caramel and cinnamon flavours to come out.

As the dough has yeast in I was kind of expecting it to be like bread dough, but it was more like a cookie dough - whether that was right or not I don't know, but it worked. My waffle maker is only a cheap one bought from Lidl a few months ago, and for the stroopwafels to be as thin as they should be the waffle maker really needs to be shallower, which meant mine were a little on the chunky side.

Apart from burning my fingertips slicing the stroopwafels open, the whole process was pretty painless, relatively quick, and a lot less messy than I'd anticipated. I decided to make the caramel in the microwave to avoid burning a pan, which seemed to work really well and resulted in a lovely smooth caramel. The recipe I used called for treacle, but as I didn't have any, following a recent store cupboard clear out, I instead used maple flavour golden syrup.

Apart from looking a little rustic, I was extremely pleased with how these turned out. They had just the right amount of crispness, and the caramel was just the right amount of sticky. I know I should've cut a perfect round with a cutter, but I decided not to as the shape wasn't too far off round anyway.

If I was to see these in a coffee shop wrapped in cellophane and tied up with string, I would definitely be tempted to buy some, and I'll definitely be making these again, especially the 'wafel' part, which would be great served with ice cream.

Sticky Chocolate Orange Flapjacks

Today I'm sharing another nice simple recipe that can be made with the kids to occupy them for a short while in the holidays. 

One made, the kids will then keep pestering you for a slice of flapjack whilst waiting for them to cool - take this opportunity to get them to help with a few chores around the house!

Sweet Treats for Your Valentine

As Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I thought it would be a good opportunity to share my recipes for home made sweet treats that would be ideal for your Valentine. Of course these don't have to be saved just for Valentine's Day and can be eaten all year round, but what a great excuse to eat some heart shaped food.

 

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Hearts

Jammie Dodger Cupcakes

Very Jammy Jammie Dodger Chocolate Brownies

White Chocolate Candy Hearts

Sweet Valentine Puffs 

Chocolate Crispy Heart

Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich

More sweet Valentine recipes from fellow bloggers :

Raspberry Coconut Ice Pops - Casa Costello

Easy Valentines Chocolate Cake - Casa Costello

White Chocolate & Raspberry Cupcakes - Lovely Appetite

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - A Strong Coffee

Valentine's Day Chocolate Tart - Easy Peasy Foodie

No Bake Cheesecake Pots - Basement Bakehouse

Coconut Mango Waffles - Recipes from a Pantry

Fruity Mini Cheesecake - The Intolerant Gourmand

You can find these recipes and more on my Valentine's Day Pinterest Board :

Very Jammy Jammie Dodger Chocolate Brownies

If you've come here looking for a Slimming World recipe then please avert your eyes for a moment. This one is definitely not SW friendly I'm afraid, but I have to keep the kids happy somehow. If I throw in the odd brownie or cupcake they will never know that most of the meals they eat are suited to those following the Slimming World plan. 

I must admit that I wasn't able to cook these, slice them and then photograph without eating some, so I confess that a small piece passed my lips. I did feel that the small piece was enough though, and had I eaten more I would've felt a little sick, and extremely guilty. The kids & husband enjoyed the remainder with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which looked very tempting!

Recipe for Jammie Dodger Brownies by Helen Jessup on Scribd

If you're planning to cut these into squares you will want to leave them to cool completely, but if you're not fussed about even slices then grab a spoon and tuck in whilst they're warm. With a large scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Just look at those - all gooey and chocolatey and jammy and about 50 syns (at a guess). I'll just eat my apple whilst I drool over the pictures.

5 Halloween Party Treats {using SKIPPY peanut butter}

 

Autumn is well and truly upon us, and Halloween is fast approaching. Over the past decade or so Halloween in the UK has become a much bigger deal, but I'm not sure we'll ever catch up with America, who manage to celebrate the Halloween/Fall season so much bigger and better.

Another thing that seems to be a lot more popular in America is peanut butter. Whether it's peanut butter cups, peanut butter crackers, or pb & j sandwiches (peanut butter & jelly [jam] for those that were wondering), there's no escaping the peanut butter in America. I absolutely love peanut butter, as do all 3 children, and I'll add it to my cooking at every given chance (TIP: stir a spoonful of smooth peanut butter into a curry to thicken the sauce).

SKIPPY is an authentic American peanut butter that's widely available in the UK, in both smooth and crunchy varieties, including a whopping 1.1kg jar that I recently spotted on a trip to London. 

These Halloween treats all use SKIPPY smooth peanut butter, and they can be made quickly, as well as being prepared in advance, leaving plenty of time for trick or treating.

Spider Cookies - makes approx 18

240g smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

160g caster sugar

1 medium egg

mini peanut butter cups

edible googly eyes

black icing

• beat the peanut butter, caster sugar & egg together until combined
• roll into balls and place onto a baking sheet, spaced well apart
• press down gently with the back of a fork to flatten a little
• bake in a preheated 180C oven for approx 12-15 minutes
• cool on a wire rack
• decorate by sticking the eyes to the peanut butter cup with icing, and sticking to the centre of each cookie
• ice the legs on either side of the body

False Teeth

slices of red apple

smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

mini marshmallows

• spread one side of each pair of apple slices with peanut butter
• stick marshmallows onto half of the slices, and top with the other apple slice

Graveyards - makes 6

2 tbsp smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

4 tbsp double cream

2 tbsp cream cheese

1 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Oreo cookie, roughly crushed

3 Lotus Biscoff (or similar shaped biscuit)

black icing

• beat the peanut butter, cream, cream cheese, sugar & vanilla together until smooth
• divide the mixture between 6 shot glasses
• top with dirt (Oreo cookie crumbs) and a gravestone (half a Biscoff with 'RIP' iced on)

Bloodied Mummies - makes 8

ready rolled puff pastry sheet

smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

raspberry or strawberry jam

caster sugar

edible googly eyes

• cut 8 rectangles from approx 2/3 of the pastry sheet
• slice the remaining pastry into thin strips, approximately the same length as the width of the rectangles
• spread each rectangle with peanut butter, and top with jam
• lay the strips of pastry onto each rectangle to look like Mummies bandages
• sprinkle with caster sugar & place onto a baking sheet
• bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden
• whilst still warm, press the eyes into the sticky jam

Ghastly Ghosts - makes 6

3 small bananas
1 tbsp smooth SKIPPY peanut butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
desiccated coconut
edible googly eyes

• slice the bananas in half, making sure that they stand up
• warm the peanut butter and coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds, and stir until smooth
• spoon the peanut butter sauce over the bananas and coat with coconut
• stick the eyes onto the ghosts and place in the fridge to set

For more Halloween inspiration, take a look at my Halloween Pinterest board and follow the #SPOOKYSKIPPY hashtag on social media

this is a commissioned post for SKIPPY

Sweet and Salty Marshmallow Squares

For many of us we're halfway through the school holidays already, and boredom may be starting to set in for some of you. Getting the kids into the kitchen to make some sweet treats may be a good way to keep them occupied for a morning or afternoon. This recipe is a nice easy one to start toddlers off, as it has some weighing and measuring, and lots of mixing - both of which the little ones can help with. I used to give my youngest a large bowl of rice krispies to mix whilst I was doing the hot stuff, like melting the marshmallows.

If you're looking for simple recipes to cook with toddlers and pre-schoolers I have plenty more on this blog.

Just like toddlers, these are very sweet, a little bit salty, and very very sticky.

Sweet and Salty Marshmallow Squares

300g marshmallows

100g puffed rice cereal (Rice Krispies)

150g toffee popcorn

150g salted pretzels, roughly broken 

• melt the marshmallows slowly in a saucepan over a low heat, or in the microwave
• stir in the cereal, popcorn and pretzels (reserving a handful of popcorn and pretzels for the top)
• press into a 13"x 9" baking tin, lightly greased with oil, and leave in a cool place (not the fridge) to set
• cut into squares
• eat them quickly, before they go soft!

S'mores Cheesecake Bites

S'mores are traditionally a snack eaten around a camp fire, made up of a toasted marshmallow squashed between two Graham crackers (a square biscuit popular in America) and chocolate. We've made them over a fire pit using chocolate digestives, which are the closest biscuit to Graham crackers in the UK. Allegedly the name s'more is a contraction of the words some and more, which I can totally get, as when we have them my kids are always asking "can we have s'more please".

There's no need to make a camp fire with these little beauties though, as the marshmallows are toasted under a hot grill (or a blow torch if you have posh cheffy stuff like that). In this recipe I used my handmade marshmallows (that incidentally you can have delivered to your door!), but you could use regular shop bought marshmallows if you really have to!

S'mores Cheesecake Bites - makes approx 24 bites

150g digestive biscuits, crushed
40g butter, melted
280g full fat cream cheese
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
200g dark chocolate, melted
24 marshmallows - I used half Crunchie Marshmallows & half Creme Egg Marshmallows

• line a 10" x 6" baking tin with clingfilm
• mix the biscuit crumbs and melted butter together & press into the lined tin
• place in the fridge for approx 1 hour
• beat the cream cheese with the salt & vanilla and then beat in the melted chocolate, until smooth
• spread evenly over the biscuit base, and press the marshmallows lightly on top
• return to the fridge until the chocolate layer is firm
• preheat your grill until it's very hot
• lift the cheesecake out of the tin and slide off the clingflim onto a baking sheet
• place under the hot grill until the marshmallows have puffed up and started to turn a golden brown - make sure you watch constantly as it can burn in seconds!
• place back in the fridge to cool fully before slicing into squares

If you haven't already checked out my marshmallow website then please do so, as they really are good marshmallows (don't just take my word for it though, you can read customer reviews on my facebook page here).

Last Minute Sweet Treats for Your Valentine

It's never too late to bake some sweet treats for your Valentine. Here are a few ideas that can be whipped up quickly.

Strawberry Ice Cream Shortbread Sandwich

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Hearts

Chocolate Crispy Heart

Sweet Valentine Puffs

White Chocolate Candy Hearts