Valentine’s Day

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Muffins

~ emmmscakes ~ Leave a comment

Hi and welcome to my blog ‘Scrummmy Friday’s’.

This week, I had the pleasure of being entertained at a very good friend’s house and naturally I brought cake to the occasion.

My friend really likes peanut butter and chocolate combination. This inspired me to make peanut butter & chocolate muffins.

Using a classic Marry Berry recipe, The American muffin, I made a few changes to create these gorgeously tasting muffins.

This recipe makes between 9 – 12 muffins, depending on how big your muffin tin & cases are.

    Ingredients
250g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

115g peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

75g caster sugar

25g dark chocolate chips

3 medium eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

250ml milk

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 200 C and line your muffin tray with large muffin cases
  2. In a large bowl, sieve flour and baking powder then add the peanut butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
  3. Add sugar and chocolate chips
  4. In a jug measure milk then add to that the eggs and vanilla and whisk together
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry and mixed well. The mixture should have a lump consistency and be runny.
  6. Spoon into cases filling then quite full.
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until well risen and firm to touch.
  8. Leave in to muffin tray to cool slightly before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely or eat them when they still slightly warm – delicious and yummmy scrummmy!

With these muffins, I decorated with solid milk chocolate hearts. I placed the hearts on the moment they came out of the oven so they melts slightly to help the hearts stick.

Happy Valentine’s Day 
Em x

Love Heart Cookies

~ emmmscakes ~ Leave a comment

Hi and welcome to my blog ‘Scrummmy Friday’s!’ 

This week I thought I would spread a little love as Valentine’s Day not far away.  I thought I would make my classic shortbread heart cookies. These cookies are very simple to make and taste truely wonderful. These are a great treat or a perfect gift for that Valentine…?

  

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter (at room temp)

200g caster sugar

1 large egg

200g plain flour, plus extra for rolling.

1 tsp vanilla extract

A jar of your favourite jam, in my case, raspberry

Method

  1. Line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper.
  2. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together well.
  3. Add egg and beat well
  4. Add vanilla and mix in well
  5. Gradually add flour. You may need to use your hands to kneed the mixture by the end.
  6. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out the dough to about 5mm thick.
  7. Using a large heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out your shape and place it straight onto the baking tray. Then using a smaller heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out the middle of half your larger hearts. Remember you will need to make pairs as these are sandwiched together. If you accidentally miscounted, never mind they taste just as yummmy on their own.
  8. Place the trays in the fridge for 30 mins to chill. This will help the cookies to keep their shape when baking.
  9. Whilst the cookies are chilling in the fridge, pre heat the oven to 150C
  10. Remove cookies from fridge and place straight into the oven and bake for 15-20 mins or until the edges go a light golden brown. 
  11. Allow to cool for 10 mins on the trays and then lift and put them in a wire rack to completely cool. Don’t worry when you get them out of the oven that they seem soft, they will harden when they cool.
  12. In a small saucepan, warm a few teaspoons of your favourite jam. This helps it to spend easier.
  13. Take your cooled heart shaped cookie (without the heart shaped hole) and spread the jam on and then place the other cookie (the one with a heart shaped hole) on top and allow the jam to go cold setting the cookies together.

And there you have it, the best tasting shortbread heart! 

Em X

Quote “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt” – Charles M. Schulz