Oh Nigella

One thing I love about TV in December is all the celebrity chefs Christmas specials. Some days I can hardly drag myself off the sofa, as long as I have a steaming mug of tea, a cat on my lap and the Sky remote, I'm a happy wookie. One of my very favorites is Nigella's Christmas, I mean, who doesn't love Nigella?! I watched them last year, I'm watching this year and will probably watch the very same series next year too :) I just can't get enough.


One thing I loved about Nigella's Christmas was these Christmas Chocolate Cookies. I adore the homemade style of these biscuits, how the icing dribbles any which way it pleases taking the festive sprinkles with it. Just perfect with your morning cup of tea or just something to keep you going while braving those dreaded Christmas crowds.

Nigella's Christmas Chocolate Cookies

250g unsalted butter softened
150g caster sugar
40g cocoa powder
300g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb
1 tsp baking powder

For the topping:
2 big tbsp cocoa powder
175g icing sugar
60ml boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Christmas sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 170C and line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy. Beat in cocoa powder, once mixed in add the flour with the bicarb and baking powder and mix until combined.

Once dough is formed pinch off walnut sized lumps and roll into balls. Place them upon the prepared baking tray spacing them well apart.

Bake them for 15 minutes, the biscuits should look dry and slightly cracked on top. Place cookies onto a wire rack with some newspaper underneath to catch any drips from the topping.

To make the topping place all the ingredients in a pan and place over a low heat, whisking till everything is combined and smooth.

When the biscuits are cool drizzle each one with a spoonful of the topping giving them a delicious uneven, dribble look. After you've topped 6 of the cookies scatter with Christmas sprinkles, if you try to top them all before sprinkling you'll find the cocoa 'glue' will have dried and the sprinkles won't stick.

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Primrose Cupcakes

Sorry guys, no SMS yet again! I can't abide coffee or coffee flavoured things (with the exception of coffee revels which are divine) so this weeks selection of chocolate espresso cheesecake just didn't rock my world. I'm sure the coffee lovers found this one to die for so as usual check out their blogs for unbiased testimonies.

Instead I fancied something a bit sunnier and much lighter than a cheesecake so I decided to test out the lemon cupcake recipe from the Primrose Bakery Cookbook. I've used this book quite a few times and I just can't decided whether I prefer it to the much loved Hummingbird book so I pit it against one of my favorite HBB recipes, a simple lemon cupcake.


I have to admit, I much prefer the Hummingbird cupcake, they just weren't lemony enough for my tastes but the frosting from Primrose was far superior. Mainly because I didn't have to make a double batch to ice my cakes. Put them together and I think I have a winner! Lovely!

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Snow Flecked Brownies

It's the first of December, my advent calender has been opened and eaten and a morning browse through my Google reader reminded me that it was also the day for the delightful Sweet and Simple Bakes to be posted. This was another Sweet and Simple bake I just couldn't bear to miss, snow flecked brownies from the one and only Nigella Lawson. I've made these decedent treats many times before but I'm always looking for an excuse to bake up a fresh batch!


I love how they look with a delicate dusting of icing sugar settled upon the crispy crust, doesn't it just look like Christmas?

Check out the Sweet and Simple Bakes homepage from the 2nd December for everyone elses brownies.

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Thrice as nice

I'm sad today, very sad indeed. I was really looking forward to this weeks SMS, raised waffles with brown sugar bananas. Now, doesn't that sound divine? Doesn't it just sound like the most perfect Sunday breakfast? Well, that's what I thought but unfortunately the waffle iron I ordered arrived whilst I was shopping in York and was carted back off to the sorting office, unable to be liberated till Monday morning. Sweet Melissa Tuesday maybe?


Since I found myself unable to participate this Sunday I decided to try a recipe I've had bookmarked for a rainy day, and boy was it a rainy day today! Triple lemon slice, that's right triple lemon. These bars are like a little ray of sunshine in this cold and blustery November. So light, so tangy, a tiny taste of Summer.

Triple Lemon Slice

For the base:
250g digestive biscuits
180g butter, melted
Zest of 1 lemon

For the first layer:
1 can condensed milk
2tsp gelatin
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup lemon juice

Topping:
1 pack lemon jelly
1pt boiling water

Lightly grease a 20cm by 30cm tin and put to one side.

For the base crush the digestive biscuits into tiny crumbs and add the melted butter and zest. Combine then press evenly into the prepared tin. Pop in the fridge to chill until cold.

For the filling dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water and leave to one side to cool. Combine the condensed milk and lemon juice before adding the cooled gelatin infused water. Mix together and pour carefully onto the chilled base. Place back into the fridge to chill until cold.

Follow the instructions on your pack of jelly to make 1 pint. Leave to cool slightly until the mixture goes slightly gloopy, like egg whites. Pour carefully upon the other layers and place back into the fridge till the jelly has set completely and cut into squares,

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SMS & British Food Fortnight

I know most of you will be expecting either my weekly SMS post or even my round up for British Food Fortnight. Well I'm afraid you won't find them here, not today!

I do have an excuse, a good one! My sweet, darling kitty, Marmalade was rushed to pussycat hospital on Thursday morning with a blocked urethra. Although I got him back on Friday afternoon I've spent the entire weekend nursing him back to health, worrying every time he went into the litter and force feeding him medication. Good news though, he's well on the way to normality and he's weeing like a champ so I can finally relax (easier said than done).

I've been so worried my face currently resembles a pizza! Yes, not only did I break out in worry spots but I also developed a stress cold sore. How wonderful!

Anyway, business as normal commencing very soon!

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