Christmas Chocolate Chip Shortbread

It's that time of the year again! Christmas wouldn't be the same without munching on a piece of buttery shortbread, but for extra indulgence I added a handful of dark chocolate chips. There's little point in counting calories at this time of the year, let's save it for January 2018.

Thermomix Casserole Dish Baked Bread

The crust on this bread took me by surprise! One of the ladies on the Thermomix forum gave me a few hints and tips on how to bake bread in a casserole dish and for my first attempt I was more than a tad pleased. I think on this occasion the crust was the star rather than the crumb but homemade bread doesn't have to be perfect. Even though I say so myself, that crust is amazing.

Thermomix Tomato and Mozzarella Pizza

This is a very straightforward pizza, a standard pizza dough topped with organic tinned chopped tomatoes and grated mozzarella.

The original recipe says to knead for 2 minutes but that's not long enough, knead for 4 minutes and you'll end up with a fabulous dough.

Mini Chocolate Cakes with Strawberries

Strawberries are still being sold on Bridgnorth market and these were really sweet, fragrant and juicy.
As we know, baking doesn't always deliver what we expect and these cakes were made from a chocolate cake which didn't quite go to plan.

The cocoa powder didn't mix into the raw cake batter, my cake was a little heavy but rather than throw the chocolate sponge away I cut out tiny rounds and topped them with swirls of vanilla and chocolate icing.

Cream Tea Cupcakes Recipe

These cupcakes are a lighter alternative to the usual scones, possibly not lighter in calories though I'm afraid, but at least there is an element of portion control!

It's very rare that I buy clotted cream but I made an exception for these cupcakes and I'm really pleased that I did.

The cupcakes are really easy to make and can be made in a food processor, food mixer or Thermomix.

Thermomix Berries and Cherries Smoothie Recipe

I made this smoothie a couple of weeks ago when the sun was shining non stop here in the West Midlands, unfortunately this last week it's been rain, sunshine, rain, sunshine.

Redcurrants from my garden, a mixture of cherries and blueberries from the freezer and the last orange from the fruit bowl all make a delicious and refreshing smoothie.