28.1.14

Chewy Nutella filled Valentines sprinkle cookies

My memories of Nutella go right back to the beginning of my childhood in England - I was around 9yrs old and Mum bought one of those little white lidded jars from our local shop. She didn't know what it was but it looked chocolatey and she knew her eldest had a sugar addiction like no other, so she decided to take a chance and buy a jar. And I'm sooo glad she did.

We'd typically indulge in Nutella on toast as an after school treat - but I'd typically indulge in eating copious amounts off a spoon when no one was looking. Alas, it was an indulgent and expensive treat so a jar would only frequent our cupboards on rare occasions.

22.1.14

Giant red velvet cookie cake with white chocolate buttercream

Red Velvet is taking over the world. I mean, you can even buy a red velvet boxed cake mix at Tescos now which is surely a sign that we're knee deep in the midsts of a full on red velvet invasion in the UK...

I love red velvet cake. The flavour is hard to sum up but it's a mix between vanilla and chocolate cake with a tang to it. I'm not sure if it's the food colouring or vinegar but it's not as sweet as most cakes and I find it's especially popular with men. Traditionally it's paired with cream cheese frosting but I think it works well with white chocolate too.

14.1.14

Cinnamon and hazelnut biscotti

In an unprecedented twist to my dinner out last weekend, I finished my meal with a coffee. Now, whilst this might be a standard trait for many of you I simply cannot drink coffee after 6pm. If I even *look* at a caffeine filled beverage in the evening then rest assured I'll be awake until the wee hours.

But I was shattered by the time dessert came around and decided to opt for a Baileys coffee, I think the alcohol kinda cancels out the caffeine so I figured I was on safe ground. And with my coffee came a micro piece of biscotti - which turned out to be an amazing compliment to my hot drink.

7.1.14

Hazelnut and white chocolate chip flapjacks

I woke up today with a flavour in my mind, I have no idea where it came from but there it was hanging over me like a thought you just can't shake.

The flavour combination was white chocolate and hazelnuts. Now, I've always been a big fan of hazelnuts (or anything nutty really) but I do find white chocolate a little too sweet so I worried that putting this combination of ingredients into anything like a cake might be too overwhelming.