Something yummy for the bank holiday, this is one of my favourite treats, and my Nan always used to make it when we were coming to visit! You can make it wothout the peanuts if you're allergic, but I like the extra crunch it gives. Digestive biscuits work best for the texture also; rich tea biscuits tend to make it a bit soft rather than crunchy.
Chocolate Crunch
- 8oz butter
- 12oz caster suger
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 beaten eggs
- 6oz roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 12oz digestive biscuits, crushed
1. Heat the butter and sugar gently in a saucepan until the butter has melted and the sugar as dissolved.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool a bit before stirring in the cocoa powder, then the eggs.
3. Add the peanuts and biscuits and mix everything together well.
4. Press the mixture into a tin lined with greaseproof paper. Cool and set in the fridge for a couple of hours/overnight, and when set cut into squares.
This keeps very well in an airtight container, and you can either cut big pieces or tiny squares as nibbles!
I have realised that I missed both of my regular features last week, whoops! However, to make up for it I thought I would show off the latest of my new creations!
After taking part in the Fantasy swap organised by Gemma of DamselflyGemma, I was contacted by my swap partner, the lovely Hannah of Squintessential (whose own Folksy shop you can visit here), wondering if I had ever done any seal jewellery. I hadn't, but I am always looking for new ideas to try, so I got out my sketchbook to work on some ideas, and this is the result!
I was so pleased with how the design came out that I decided to make two, to give one a polished and the other a satin finish - what do you think?! I rather like the matte finish myself, with the burnished shiny edge, although the polished one does look quite sleek, like it might just swim away!
They are made using Art Clay Silver, so they are fine silver, and hang from an 18 inch sterling silver rope chain. If you like the look of them, they are now available in my Folksy shop.
I may have to try some other animals soon, and if anybody has any other suggestions for me feel free to let me know and I will give them a try!
Following on from cards and printing, this weeks Folksy Friday is all about photography. As always, click on the images below to see them in more detail in the sellers' Folksy shops.
More cake-baking this week! This is a luscious lemon cake, which keeps fairly well in an airtight container, or can be frozen and taken out when you need a cake - you could always double the mixture, make one for now and freeze one for later!
Lemon Cake
- 4oz softened margarine/butter
- 6oz caster sugar
- 6oz self-raising flour
- 4 tablespoons of milk
- 2 large eggs
- grated rind of 1 lemon
For the syrup:
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Icing sugar - the recipe originally calls for 3 tablespoons each of lemon juice and sugar, but I prefer more syrup, and so I juice the lemon I took the rind off for the cake, and just add icing sugar until the syrup tastes right; not too sweet and sticky but not too sharp. Each to their own though, make the syrup how you like!
1. Grease and line a small loaf tin, and heat the oven to 180C.
2. Cream together the margarine and sugar.
3. Add the eggs, flour, lemon rind and milk, and mix well to a soft dropping consistency.
4. Pour the mixture into the tin and flatten the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes until done.
5. For the syrup, mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice unil the sugar has dissolved.
6. Pour the syrup over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.
7. Leave the cake in the tin until it is completely cool.
I am very excited about this, lots of exclamation marks to come!! This is actually something I have been working on for a while, but I have only just - finally! - gotten around to actually listing them on the big wide web! This is the news that my Nanuk Bear Charms are now available to purchase from both my Folksy and Facebook shops, yippee!
Each charm is individually hand-pierced by me from sterling silver sheet, so they are all unique and individual, then given a matte satin finish and attached to a sterling silver split ring to make a charming addition to any charm necklace or bracelet, or even as pendants on their own.
Take a look in my Folksy shop for more information. I will hopefully be adding them to my website soon too when I start updating it properly - whoops, something else I have been meaning to do for a while!
These biscuits are another favourite of mine to take to parties, and the peppermint makes them a little different (the recipe was originally just chocolate with a little vanilla essence, if you prefer though), and goes well with the chocolate. Very moreish!
Peppermint Chocolate Drops
- 100g softened butter
- 25g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint essence
- 90g flour
- 15g cocoa powder
1. Cream together the butter and sugar with the peppermint essence until pale and fluffy.
2. Stir in the flour sifted with the cocoa powder.
3. Take teaspoonfulls of the mixture and roll roughly into balls, and place them on a greased baking tray, spaced apart (they will spread out a bit).
4. Bake for about 17 minutes at 190C. Leave the biscuits to cool for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
This recipe works very well doubled if you want a few more of them!
As there are so many beautiful things to look at (and buy!) accross a whole range of crafts on Folksy, I have decided to do a series of Folksy Fridays which feature items from one particular disciplie at a time. As I make jewellery myself (and have a bit of a weak spot for it....) I have decided to make that my starting point. If I can't narrow down a particular craft to just six items I may well end up repeating myself, but for now I will start with one Folksy Friday per craft! As always, click on the images below to take you to the sellers' shops to find out more about each item.
This is something I haven't made for a while, but I remember it being delicious! However, it is my Dad's birthday later in the week, and I have decided to bake him a carrot cake. As I was looking up the recipe, I though I would share it with all of you as this weeks Monday Munchies!
Carrot Cake
- 250g wholemeal flour - although I'm sure if you want to use white flour, or half and half, it would be just as nice, though maybe not so virtuous - but it is cake after all!!
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoons of mixed spice
- 200g brown sugar
- 225ml sunflower oil
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 350g carrots, peeled and grated
- 75g raisins
- Preheat the oven to 180C, and grease and line a 23cm round cake tin.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, and make a dip in the centre.
- Add the oil and the eggs to the dry ingredients and beat well until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Add the carrots and the raisins and mix in well.
- Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes until cooked. Remove and allow to cool in the tin.
I will also be making orange butter icing to decorate the top of mine, but that part is entirely up to you - as I said, it is cake, may as well go the whole hog!!
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