Cookie Cake with Chocolate Frosting

I made this cake as a prize for the class at school who returned all their library books first! Bribery works!! It was so delicious and the kids all loved it.

Cookie Cake with Chocolate Frosting
(from Good Food Magazine October 2015 and Sally's Baking Addiction)
(Serves 8-10)

175g unsalted butter, softened
200g light soft brown sugar
1 egg, plus 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
250g self-raising flour
2 tsp cornflour
2 tsp baking powder
100g milk chocolate chips
50g white chocolate chips

For the frosting:
210g icing sugar
32g cocoa powder
115g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 tbsp double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 200C and grease a 22cm springform cake tin.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, then mix in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.

Combine the flour, cornflour and baking powder, then fold into the butter mixture until fully incorporated – it will be quite thick.

Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 mins or until light golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 mins.

Whilst the cake is cooling make the chocolate frosting. Beat the butter with a hand held mixer on a medium speed until creamy - about 2 mins. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into the bowl alternating with the cream and vanilla. Beat on a low speed after each addition. Once it is all added, beat on high speed until creamy and combined for at least 2 mins. Add a pinch of salt if the frosting is too sweet. Decorate the cooled cookie cake with frosting. Cut into slices and serve.

White Chocolate Blondies

One of my friends has just had a baby so I went to see her last week and took some of these blondies with me. They are delicious and super easy to make!

White Chocolate Blondies (from The Recipe Critic)
(Makes 12)

280g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
170g butter, softened
110g caster sugar
150g light brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
265g white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with baking parchment and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugars and vanilla extract until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each egg.

Add the flour , baking powder, bicarb and salt and mix with a metal spoon until just combined. Using a spatula, stir in chocolate chips until combined. Press dough into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 20-23 mins or until edges are lightly golden brown. Leave to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

I made this chocolate beetroot cake for a staff meeting a couple of weeks ago. I had a lot of beetroot that needed using and this was perfect. This is a picture before I added the icing. It was very rich and you'd definitely only need a small piece!

Chocolate Beetroot Cake (from Delicious Magazine)
(Serves 10-12)

250g plain chocolate, broken up
3 large eggs
200g light muscovado sugar
100ml sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
50g ground almonds
250g raw beetroot

For the icing
150g plain chocolate
100g icing sugar
100g soured cream

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 22cm round, loose-bottomed cake tin with a little butter and line the base with baking paper.

Place the plain chocolate in a bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water. Allow the chocolate to melt slowly until smooth, then set aside to cool.

Place the eggs, sugar and sunflower oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk together, using an electric hand whisk, for about 3 mins until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla extract, then sift over self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and gently fold in, together with the ground almonds.

Peel and grate the beetroot, then squeeze out the excess liquid. Fold the beetroot into the mixture with the cooled chocolate, until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 50 mins-1 hr. Cover with foil if the cake browns too quickly. Test the cake by inserting a skewer into the centre to see if it comes out clean. Cool for a little while, then remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the icing, place the plain chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Allow to melt gently until smooth. Set aside to cool, then beat in the icing sugar and soured cream until you have a thick, creamy and spreadable icing. Spread it over the top and sides of the cooled cake and serve.

Banana Mug Cake

I had a very brown looking banana in my kitchen and the only thing to do with brown bananas is make cake. So I made another mug cake. This one is more pudding like than the previous two recipes but none the less it hits the spot.

Banana Mug Cake (from Pass The Sushi)
(Serves 1)

Non-stick cooking spray
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp milk
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 tbsp chocolate chips

 Spray a microwave safe mug with cooking spray.

Add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and soda to the mug and whisk to combine. Add the egg and combine until just incorporated with dry ingredients.

Mix in the vanilla, oil, milk, banana and chocolate chips. Pop into the microwave for up to 3 mins, stop and check after 90 secs to see how done it is.

Leave it for a few mins and then top with ice cream and devour.

Oatmeal Brownie Bars

I made these delicious bars to take to the last Staff Meeting of term as my team was on snacks. They went down really well and are a lovely variation on a brownie.

Oatmeal Brownie Bars (from The Sweet's Life)

For the oat layers
155g cups plain flour
90g rolled oats
200g packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
75g cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For the brownie layer
40g butter
85g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
125g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
250g caster sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 23 x 33 cm baking pan with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter and rub with fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Set aside one third of the mixture and press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake crust for 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly while you make the brownies.

Heat a pan of boiling water. Add the butter and chocolate to a bowl and put the bowl on top if the pan, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Leave the mixture to melt, stirring occasionally until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, water, and vanilla until well combined. Mix in the chocolate/butter mixture and continue beating to combine.

Using a metal spoon, add the flour mixture, mixing until combined. Spread the brownie batter over oat crust, using a spatula to spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over brownie layer. Bake for 18-20 mins, until the edges are set. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Graham Cracker Cake with Chocolate Frosting

This is the cake I made to take into work for my birthday this year. It was absolutely fantastic but very rich, you definitely only need a small piece. I found myself eating it at 8.30am just to check that it was edible for the rest of the staff!

Graham Cracker Cake with Chocolate Frosting (from Better Homes and Gardens and BBC Food)
(Serves 12)

3 eggs, separated
24 squares graham cracker, finely crushed
30g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
113g butter
225g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
180ml milk

For the frosting:
100g dark chocolate
200g butter, softened
400g icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
milk, to loosen

Take the eggs out of the fridge and leave at room temperature for 30 mins.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170C and grease and line two 8 inch round baking pans.

In a medium bowl stir together the graham crackers, flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 30 secs. Add the sugar and vanilla and0 beat until well combined. Add egg yolks; beat until combined. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined.

Thoroughly wash the beaters. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Spread batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 mins or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 mins and then remove from the pans. Cool the cakes completely on the racks.

While the cake cooks; Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Allow to cool until the chocolate no longer feels hot to the touch.

Beat the butter in a bowl until soft, then gradually beat in the icing sugar. Add the vanilla extract and beat again. Fold in the melted chocolate until completely incorporated (add a few drops of milk if the mixture is a little stiff).

Place a cake layer, bottom side up, on a serving plate. Spread the frosting on top of cake. Top with the second cake layer, bottom side down. Spread sides and top with the chocolate frosting. Cover and chill until serving time.

Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

I fancied a tasty treat to round off my meal last weekend and what better than a 1 person serving mug cake. This is the first time I've tried making them and I made 2 over the weekend. The first one I cooked for 2 mins because it didn't look cooked on top after 1 min, but it went dry very quickly and was definitely overcooked. The second time I did it for 1 min 15 secs and that was definitely better. I tried mint chocolate chips and cinnamon chips, bother delicious.

Chocolate Chip Mug Cake (from Kirbie's Cravings)
(Serves 1)

4 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp low fat milk
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp chocolate chips

Combine all the ingredients except chocolate chips into a microwave safe mug. Mix with a small, whisk until a smooth batter forms and no lumps remain.

Stir in half of the chocolate chips. Sprinkle remaining half over surface. Cook in on high in the microwave for about 1 min. Let cool a few minutes before eating.

Foodies Read: The Chocolate Apothecary by Josephine Moon - Chocolate Balsamic Glaze

I read this book whilst on holiday. It is set in both Tasmania and France and follows the story of Christmas Livingstone as she breaks her rules and falls in love.

One of the meals that Christmas makes to take to her sister's house is BLT sandwiches with a chocolate balsamic glaze, as I had all the ingredients in the cupboard I knew I had to try this out. I found a recipe in The Telegraph newspaper that usually goes with ribs and I made enough so that I can try it with ribs in the near future. It was sticky and sweet and lovely with the bacon.

Chocolate Balsamic Glaze (from The Telegraph)
(Serves 6)

40ml balsamic vinegar
70g honey
35g brown sugar
20ml light soy sauce
1 sprig rosemary
2 cloves garlic, crushed
50g dark chocolate

Blend or whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, sugar and soy sauce until the sugar has dissolved. Put the liquid into a bowl with the rosemary and garlic. Cover and leave at room temperature for one hour or in the fridge overnight.

Pour the mixture into a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook on a low heat for about 10 mins until it has a honey-like consistency. Add the chocolate and stir to melt. Pass through a fine sieve and leave to cool.

When it is cool test the thickness – it should have the consistency of single cream; if it is too thick, add a little warm water.

Secret Recipe Club: Chocolate Chess Pie

So I have started a new thing, Secret Recipe Club, well I haven't started it, but I have started participating in it! Basically, each month, I get assigned another members blog to make a recipe from and write a blog post all about it and someone will do the same to me, it's all secret though, so I don't find out who made what from my blog until today. It is a fab way to find out about new blogs and see what everyone is doing out there! 

This month I got Nicole from I am a Honey Bee, I loved her blog and the fact that she, like me, hates being called Nicky! She also has a great variety of recipe on her blog and lots of cakes and puddings. I had to make a pie, I hummed and hawed over which one to make and finally plumped for a Chocolate Chess Pie, something I have heard of lots of times but never tried before, so I had no idea how it was going to turn out! I took it to a dinner party at my sisters last weekend and it went down a treat. Everyone loved it and I totally recommend the addition of the coffee as I think it cut through the sweetness beautifully.

I made one change, I made a graham cracker crust rather than a pastry crust. I have so many graham crackers sat on the side in my kitchen that I really had to use them in something! Obviously if you're in the UK and want to make this, make the pastry crust as you can't get graham crackers ANYWHERE here!

Chocolate Chess Pie (adapted from I Am A Honey Bee)
(Serves 8)

For the crust
1 sleeve graham crackers
113g butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar

For the filling
250g granulated sugar
30g cocoa powder
1/4 tsp espresso powder or 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
4 tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat your oven to 180C.

To make the crust, put the graham crackers in a plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs. Add the sugar and melted butter and mix until well combined. Push into a 23 cm pie pan to form a thin crust on the bottom and sides. Bake for 8 mins, remove from oven, and chill until firm and crunchy, about an hour.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, and espresso powder. Pour the butter into the cocoa mixture and beat until all combined. Then add the vanilla extract and eggs.  Mix for 2-3 mins. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake for 35-40 mins until the pie is set on top but still soft in the middle. Allow to cool for at least an hour before slicing. The pie will continue to set as it cools.

An InLinkz Link-up

Dark Chocolate Rocky Road

I made these cakes for a staff meeting, they are very rich so you only need a little piece, but they are yummy.

Dark Chocolate Rocky Road (adapted from BBC Food)
(Makes 24)

125g soft butter
300g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
3 tbsp golden syrup
200g digestive biscuits
100g mini marshmallows
80g crystallised ginger, chopped

Heat the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a saucepan over a gentle heat.

Place the biscuits into a plastic freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin until some have turned to crumbs but there are still pieces of biscuit remaining.

Fold the biscuit pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture in the saucepan, then add the marshmallows and ginger.

Tip the mixture into a 24cm x 24cm baking tin and smooth the top with a wet spatula.

Refrigerate for about two hours or overnight. Cut into bars.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

I needed a lot of sugar to make this palatable, if you like bitter things you probably won't need so much sugar. But yeah, not exactly a healthy alternative!

Avocado Chocolate Mousse (from The Sweet's Life)
(Serves 4)

2 large avocados, peeled and pitted
60g cocoa powder
50-100g brown sugar
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract
125ml vanilla almond milk
pinch sea salt

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to serving dishes or bowls, cover with cling film, and put into the fridge until chilled.

Serve topped with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

Foodie Reads 2016: Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal - Peanut Butter Bars

I'm not so good at reviewing books. I read a lot but I don't like to analyse and tear things apart. I read mostly for escapism, especially on the tube. I can pretend I'm in the sunshine in Italy or in small town America.

I am a complete Americanophile, anything about the States and food, I will read. However, this book wasn't what I expected. It tells the story of the life of Eva Thorvald, but it's not a linear story, it is told from lots of different people's viewpoints and sometimes she only briefly appears in a chapter, but she has an impact on all their lives. It wasn't what I was expecting but I did enjoy the book, the descriptions of food sound amazing and I want to go to her supper club!

I decided to make one of the recipes from the book, there are a few scattered through the book and this one really stood out and now I know why. These bars are completely in contrast to most of the foodie scenes and language in the book. They are home cooking using supermarket ingredients and this appealed to me. They are also spectacular and when describing them to my friends I kept calling them crack in peanut butter and chocolate form, they are seriously addictive.

Graham crackers don't exist in the UK, you could try digestive biscuits crushed, but I have no idea what the effect would be! If anyone tries it, let me know!

Peanut Butter Bars (from Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal)

2 1/2 cups/210g crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 cup/250g melted butter
1 cup/250g peanut butter
2 1/2 cups/312g icing sugar
1 cup/175g milk chocolate chips with 1 tsp butter

Mix together the graham crackers, melted butter, peanut butter and sugar. Pat into a greased or lined 23cm x 28cm pan.

Melt the chocolate chips and butter and spread them on top of the bars. Set in the fridge until firm. Cut into bars.

Pear and Chocolate Cobbler

This was my post Chirstmas treat. I'd had a can of pears hanging around in the cupboard for a while and this is the perfect recipe for them. Of course Hugh says use fresh but tinned are just as good. Yum!

Pear and Chocolate Cobbler (adapted from River Cottage Light and Easy)
(Serves 6)

2 tins pears, drained
100ml apple or pear juice
1 tbsp runny honey
50g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)

For the topping
100g ground almonds
50g brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
50g light soft brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish.

Slice the pears and then spread them into a roughly equal layer in the ovenproof dish. Pour the apple or pear juice all over the pears, and then drizzle over the honey. Break the chocolate into small pieces and distribute evenly over the fruit.

Sift the ground almonds, rice flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl. Add the eggs and rapeseed oil and beat together until it forms a thick batter.

Drop the batter in 6 large dollops around the edge of the dish, partially covering the pears. Bake for 35-40 mins or until the cobbler topping is firm and golden brown.

Leave the cobbler to settle for 10 mins or so, then serve.

Double Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

So, I made a couple of cakes for our staff meeting two weeks ago and one of them was a mint chocolate chip cookie cake. It went down really well and was absolutely delicious. I am definitely going to make more cookie cakes!

Double Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

(from Sweet Annas)

225g butter, softened
200g brown sugar
112g white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
280g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
350g mint and dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 25 or 30 cm frying pan with greaseproof paper.

Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla until smooth.

Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda until just well mixed and then stir in the chocolate mint chips.

Press the dough evenly into the frying pan and bake in the oven for 25-35 mins, until the cookie is just set and a crisp around the edges.

 Cool and then cut into wedges and serve.

Cinnamon Graham Cracker Cookies

I hurt my back a while back and because I had to keep moving I decided to bake and made these chocolate chip cookies. I used cinnamon chocolate chips that I brought back from the States, but you could of course use normal chocolate chips and add a bit of cinnamon to the dough.

Cinnamon Graham Cracker Cookies (from Buns in my Oven)
(Makes 15 Cookies)

113g butter, room temperature
200g brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
14 graham cracker sheets, crushed into crumbs
94g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
175g cinnamon chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180C.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg until well combined.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a tbsp, drop balls of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9 mins. Cookies will look slightly underdone, but should set up as they cool.

Chocolate Truffle Making Workshop at The Chocolate Museum

Last Saturday I went to The Chocolate Museum in Brixton to a Chocolate Truffle Making Workshop. it was really good and the truffles we made looked and tasted delicious!

We started off by making ganache, well they heated up the chocolate, added the cream and then we stirred! We also got to flavour our individual pots of ganache and my Mum and I chose ginger.

We also cut out fudge shapes, the fudge had been remade as it has to set.

Finally we shaped white chocolate ganache into balls ready for coating.

The last thing we learnt how to do was temper chocolate so that is at the right temperature for that lovely glossy finish. We did a dark bowl and basically after the chocolate has melted you add cold pieces of chocolate to bring the temperature down, for dark that's to 33C. Once the chocolate has been brought down to that temperature you have to be really careful about remelting it once it solidifies and it mustn't go back above 33C for dark. It's 32C for milk and 31C for white chocolate.

We then coated our various fillings in the different chocolates and added sprinkles, or rose petals or chocolate shavings. These are the fudge:

Followed by the white ganache:

Then the chocolate and ginger ganache:

We then packed them into pretty bags to take home.

They would make really fab Christmas presents but they need to be kept in the fridge and only last about a week as the ganache has fresh cream in it.

Dirty S'mores Cookies

A couple of weeks ago we had a Macmillan Coffee Morning at work where everyone brought in goodies and then you donated money in order to eat the lovely bakes! There was a mixture of home baked and store bought stuff and my contribution were these delicious Dirty S'mores Cookies. As a staff we raised about £250 for Macmillan.

Dirty S'mores Cookies (from Cookies and Cups)
(Makes 36 cookies)

225g butter, cold cubed
250g light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
¾ tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
312g plain flour
200g milk chocolate chips
85g mini marshmallows
6-7 graham cracker sheets, made into crumbs

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, vanilla, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and continue mixing until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Using a metal spoon fold in the flour, mixing until just combined and then stir in the chocolate chips and marshmallows until evenly incorporated.

Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the graham cracker crumbs in a medium bowl. Scoop out 2 tbsp of the cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Place the ball into the graham cracker crumbs and coat evenly

Place the dough onto the baking sheet 2 inches apart and bake for 9-10 mins until the edges are lightly golden

Allow the cookies to cool a little on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

I was looking through my Mum's cookbooks vaguely thinking about things I could do with loganberries and this recipe popped out at me. I had given her some loganberries which she had frozen on a tray and then packed into bags. Perfect for baking. I really enjoyed these brownies and loved the addition of the fresh fruit.

Chocolate Loganberry Brownies (adapted from Leiths Baking Bible)
(Makes 9ish)

2 eggs
200g caster sugar
115g butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla essence
55g self raising flour
45g cocoa powder
115g fresh loganberries

For the icing
85g plain chocolate, broken into small pieces
15g butter

Heat the oven to 180C. Grease and line an 8in square tin.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the cooled butter and vanilla essence.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into the bowl and fold into the egg mixture with a metal spoon. Fold in half the loganberries.

Spread the brownie mixture into the tin then scatter the remaining brownies over the top.

Bake for 30-35 mins until risen and set. A skewer should come out slightly sticky. Allow to cool.

Make the icing: place the chocolate and butter unto a small bowl set over a pan of boiling water. Melt and stir together. Spread over the cooled brownies.

Chill until required and cut into pieces.

Graham Cracker Brownies

I have a box of graham crackers that I brought back from the States and I was looking for something I could make with them that I could take to work and hand out for my birthday. These were perfect and they were gorgeous, so lovely and squidgy. I suspect that it wouldn't work with digestive biscuits, in the same way that they don't work for a pie crust.

Graham Cracker Brownies (from Multiply Goodness)

 22 graham cracker squares (11 rectangles)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180C. 

Place the graham crackers in a large ziploc bag, pressing out any extra air, then sealing the bag. Use a rolling pin to crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs.

Transfer the graham cracker crumbs into a medium-size mixing bowl, then add the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. Stir thoroughly until everything is well combined.

Pour the mixture into a well-greased 20cm x 20cm baking pan, then bake in the preheated oven for 25 mins.

Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool for 30 mins, then cut and remove from the pan.

Mint Chocolate Chip Courgette Brownie

I am trying to use up my stash of chocolate chips and I went for mint chocolate chip brownies. I'm also trying to use up things that I froze from last summer, such as grated courgette and they went together to make a lovely "healthy" brownie!

Mint Chocolate Chip Courgette Brownie (from Two Peas and Their Pod)
(Makes 16 Brownies)

340g granulated sugar
125ml sunflower oil
250g all purpose flour
4 tbsp cocoa
3 courgettes, grated
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
150g mint chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease an 20cm x 28cm brownie pan, set aside.

Mix together the sugar, oil, and flour, combine until mixture resembles wet sand. 

Add the cocoa, courgette, vanilla extract, salt and baking powder. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour the brownie batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 mins or until a skewer comes out clean and the brownies are set.

Cool on a wire rack. Cut brownies into squares and serve.