Lemonade Scones

Ingredients
4 cups self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
300ml double cream
300ml lemonade/soda water

Method
Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees C and line a tray with baking paper.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Pour in the cream and lemonade/soda water and mix together to form a soft dough.

Place the dough onto a well-floured surface, dust with flour and gently roll out to an inch or so thick. Cut with a round cutter and place onto the baking tray.

Bake for 10-12 minutes/until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool with a clean tea towel over them to keep their freshness.

Enjoy with lashings of cream and jam!

Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 scoop protein powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Line a tray and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Mix all ingredients until all combined - add a little milk if needed. Spoon the mixture onto the baking tray and press down into cookie-type shapes. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. I find these tasty with even more peanut butter spread on top...

Credit for the recipe given to the lovely Zanna.

Healthy Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

These brownies are healthy, packed full of protein and take minutes to prepare and make!




Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas (400g) - drained, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup cocoa/cacao powder
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk (I used alpro hazelnut)
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Whizz all the ingredients, minus the peanut butter, up in a food processor until smooth. Pour the mixture into a tray lined with parchment paper and smooth out. Heat the peanut butter in the microwave for a few seconds, so that it goes a little runny. Drizzle it over the brownie mixture. Bake for about 15 minutes.

These brownies are best straight out of the oven, but you can store them in an airtight container for a few days, and simply warm them up in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Last week I posted a review on the raw chocolate making kit Ben got me for Christmas. Well, since then, I've ordered a bunch more ingredients and I am really getting into this raw chocolate making lark! I enjoyed a rather lovely hot chocolate using raw cacao powder and soya milk, but in this post I bring you...PEANUT BUTTER CUPS!



It's no secret that I LOVE peanut butter. And it's even better when mixed with chocolate. And the bonus is that you won't feel bad eating these because they are GOOD for you! I worked out that each cup is roughly 190 calories and contain 16g of fat, which is a lot less than the famous Reese's peanut butter cups - plus, it's 'good fat' from the peanut butter.

Ingredients Makes 10
100g cacao butter
6 tablespoons cacao powder
3-4 tablespoons Sweet Freedom sweetner (or similar)
Peanut butter (I used Whole Earth which doesn't contain any added sugar)

First you need line a cupcake/muffin tin with cases.

Gently melt the cacao butter in a bowl over a pan of hot water on a low heat. Once melted, add the cacao powder and the sweetner. Mix well together with a balloon whisk.

Spoon a little of the raw chocolate mixture into the cases. You only need about a tablespoon in each one. Pop the tray into the freezer for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to set.

Spoon peanut butter into the cups. I used approximately 10g in each cup. Spread the peanut butter around a little and spoon chocolate on top.

Pop the tray into the freezer again for around 20 minutes. Now your cups are ready to be devoured!

Be sure to store in the fridge or freezer or the cups will melt!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites (Chickpea Cookies)

I made these lovely little cookies on Friday morning. When I first saw the recipe for these a few weeks back, I did think chickpeas were a strange ingredient for a cookie. I do like chickpeas, but they were always an addition to a salad, curry or caserole. But I kept an open-mind, and I am so glad I did! They are incredible! I'm loving almond butter at the moment, so used that instead of peanut butter. The almond butter paired with the chickpeas means that these cookies are high in protein - great for me as a vegetarian as I am always looking for new ways to get lots of protein - including in sweet treats!

These cookies are definitely best straight out of the oven, all warm and gooey. The recipe I used states they aren't very nice cold and advises that you either freeze them and re-heat in the oven, or you can store them in an airtight container for up to a week and microwave until they are warm and gooey again.

You can find the recipe for these here.

Peanut Butter & Banana Porridge

Peanut butter & banana - a match made in heaven. I've been having this for breakfast quite a lot, since it's turned a bit colder. Nothing better than a comforting warm bowl of porride! The fact that it only takes a few minutes to make(and is SO easy!) helps, too.

Ingredients
1 cup oats
1 ripe banana
1 cup skimmed milk
Heaped teaspoon peanut butter

Method
Measure your oats into a bowl

In a seperate bowl, mash your banana up well and add the milk. Add this to the oats and stir.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave again for 30 seconds.

Stir in the peanut butter and tuck in!

Lemon & Yoghurt Loaf

This lovely lemon loaf has an underglaze of sweet lemony syrup and a covering of lemon icing. The addition of greek yoghurt makes it lovely and moist. Perfect with a cup of tea.

Ingredients
For the loaf
210g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
200g greek yoghurt
7 ounces sugar
3 large free range eggs
The finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 ounces vegetable oil

For the glaze:
The juice of 1 lemon
5 tablespoons sugar

For the Drizzle Icing:
140g of icing sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Line a large loaf tin with baking parchment.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Whisk together the yogurt, and sugar in another bowl. Beat in the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Carefully whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold in the oil. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. While the cake is baking, heat the lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. This makes your glaze!

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing. Place on a wire rack and spoon the glaze over top. Allow to cool completely.

Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice together and pour over the top of the loaf. Allow to set. Cut into slices to serve.

Custard Creams

When it comes to biscuits to accompany a good cup of tea, we all have our favourites. My personal favourite is the custard cream - they are THE best tea-dunking biscuit! And my boyfriend agrees. So I made up a batch of homemade custard creams, to make a change from the usual shop-bought ones...it gave me the opportunity to use my amazing new cutter as well!




Ingredients
For the biscuits:
100g margarine/butter
100g plain flour
50g caster sugar
50g custard powder
1tsp vanilla extract
For the filling:
75g butter/margarine
150g icing sugar
50g custard powder

Method
Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl. Fold in the flour, custard powder and vanilla until a dough is formed.

Flour a surface and roll out the dough to about 1/2 cm thickness. Cut out the shapes, ensuring you have an even amount/duplicates of the shapes you have cut.





Place your shapes on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake in the oven at 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 for about 10 minutes/until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Mix the icing sugar, butter and custard powder and spread onto one half of a biscuit, then push the other half on top. Repeat until all biscuits are filled, and enjoy!

Healthy Snacking - Date Balls

These date balls are great for if you're on a health kick but fancy something sweet. If you're not a fan of dates and are thinking 'dates? Yuck!' (I did too), I assure you that you cannot taste them in these little balls of goodness! I had been wanting to make them for a while, after seeing them on Pinterest, Instagram etc. I used this recipe which I saw via Fiona's blog.

Ingredients
1tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp cocoa powder
100g walnuts
250g soft pitted dates
Small paper cases (or a tray lined with baking parchment, like I used)

Method
It's simple. Measure up all your ingredients, throw into a food processor and whizz it all up until it sticks together. If you find your mixture isn't sticking well, add a dash of milk. Roll into small balls and pop into cases/onto your tray. Put the balls into the fridge for at least 30 minutes before eating.



I would describe the taste/texture of these as a 'fudgey brownie'...seriously good.

Jam Doughnut Muffins

As soon as I spotted this recipe on Home To Roost I put it straight onto the top of my 'to bake' list. I made these this morning, and they're gone already! Although I did half the recipe, as I really shouldn't be eating cake (one won't hurt, right?), so I made just enough for my family, as well as some for my boyfriend's family.

Ingredients
280 g plain white flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
115 g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
200 ml milk
6 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Strawberry or raspberry jam (I went for raspberry)
Butter
Granulated sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cases.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the caster sugar.

Lightly beat the eggs in a jug, then beat in the milk, oil and vanilla extract

Make a 'well' in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid in. Fold everything together until just combined - make sure not to beat or over-mix.

Spoon half the mixture into the muffin cases then spoon a heaped teaspoon of jam into each case and spoon the rest of the mixture on top.

Bake for approx. 20 minutes until golden brown. Test the muffins are ready by pushing a skewer into the centre. If the skewer comes out clean, they are done!

Leave the muffins to stand in the tray for a few minutes.


Fresh out of the oven...

Melt a knob of butter, just enough to cover the muffins. Hold a muffin upside down and dip into the butter before rolling into the granulated sugar. Repeat with the rest of the muffins and transfer to a wire rack to cool.



Dig in!

Healthy Pancakes (only three ingredients!)

I bring you another healthy-but-feels-naughty breakfast recipe. I never have pancakes for breakfast (nor had I ever cooked them before) but when I heard you could make them using just TWO ingredients I thought, why the hell not?

The main two ingredients for the pancakes is 1 banana and 2 eggs. I added a spoonful of peanut butter in because I think banana and peanut butter are a match made in heaven.




1. Mash your banana up well.

2. Whisk in the eggs. Add the peanut butter and whisk again until all is combined.

3. In a medium-sized pan, heat some oil (I used frylite) and drop tablespoons of the 'batter' down onto the pan.

4. Cook for 1-2 minutes each side and serve.

I served mine with a dollop of greek yoghurt and drizzle of honey.



These taste so good and feel like a real treat - guilt free!

Three Ingredient Breakfast Cookies.

I'm always on the lookout for new breakfast ideas. I never skip breakfast, and honestly do think it's the most important meal of the day! I usually have porridge, shredded wheat or greek yoghurt and fruit so when I saw a recipe for breakfast biscuits on Charlene's blog I thought it would make a nice change.

The best thing about this recipe is that you only need a few ingredients, and they are so quick and easy to make too. You can add whatever you want to the mix. I went for raisins in place of the trail mix Charlene used, but next time I plan to add a spoonful of peanut butter as I'd imagine that would be amazing.

Ingredients
2 bananas
1 cup oats
1/2 cup raisins





Method
Mash the bananas up in a bowl, then add the oats and raisins. Mix until well combined.

Use your hands to mould the mixture into cookie shaped pieces.

Pop them onto a tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 10-15 minutes at 180C.

These are great straight out of the oven when they are still warm and gooey. Great with a cup of tea! I found that one cookie was just enough to satisfy my hunger.

Healthy Blueberry Milkshake.

I'm on a pre-holiday health kick at the moment (I prefer to call it that - not a fan of the word 'diet' or what it entails) and one thing I'm loving most at the moment is blueberries. Blueberries in porridge, blueberries in cereal...my favourite thing to have for breakfast at the moment is greek yoghurt, blueberries, honey and a sprinkle of granola. SO amazingly good.

I fancied making a milkshake for myself and decided to use up some of the blueberries in the fridge. Not only is the colour of this milkshake really pretty, but it tastes great too. And it's pretty good for you as well! Bonus.

Ingredients
140ml milk
1/4 cup (approx. 150g) blueberries
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract



Method
Pop the blueberries, a smidge of the milk and honey into a blender. Purée it and then add the remaining milk and vanilla. Blend completely and serve up into a tall glass with a straw.

Mexican Bean Burgers

These veggie-friendly burgers are so easy to make and are really tasty too. As soon as I saw the recipe on Charlene's blog I knew I had to give them a whirl.



I decided to half the recipe, to make less burgers, but I would definitely make a bigger batch next time!

Ingredients
400g tin of kidney beans
50g breadcrumbs
1 egg
A generous squirt of ketchup
2tsp of chilli powder



Method
Drain the kidney beans and empty them into a large bowl. Partially mash them with a potato-masher. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together until combined.

Divide the mixture and shape them into burgers. Pop them onto a non-stick tray and put them into the oven at 200°C for about 10-15 minutes. Charlene suggested 4 minutes on each side, but I found mine took a bit longer so I suppose it depends on your oven.




I served mine minus the bun as I'm trying to be good (holiday time soon!), but they would be great as Charlene served them - wedged in a bun with sour cream & guacamole.

I also made some mexican bean balls which I used in a salad for lunch.

Cake Batter Truffles

If you love to lick the bowl when baking cakes, this is a recipe for you. There's no use of eggs here, so these yummy little no bake truffles are safe to eat! Although, I must warn you, they're prettttty sickly so try not to over-indulge!



Ingredients
For the truffles
♥ 1.5 cups flour
♥ 1 cup cake mix (I used Waitrose's victoria sponge mix)
♥ 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
♥ 1/2 cup white caster sugar
♥ 1 tsp vanilla
♥ 3-4 tbsp milk
♥ Sprinkles
For the coating
♥ 14 ounces candy melts (you can buy these in Hobbycraft and on Amazon - I used the ones containing cocoa!)
♥ Sprinkles



Method
Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add cake mix, flour and vanilla and combine. Add 3-4 tablespoons of milk to make a dough consistency. Mix in the sprinkles.

Roll the dough into one inch balls and place onto a tray lined with baking parchment. Pop the balls in the fridge for around 15 minutes to allow them to firm up.

Whilst the balls are chilling, heat the candy melts in a microwave-safe container - heat slowly 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time until it's melted through.

Using a fork or metal skewer, dip the balls into the melted mixture, shaking off any excess by tapping the fork/skewer on the side of the bowl. Place truffle back onto the tray and top with sprinkles. Repeat with the remaining balls and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Nutella Cupcakes (just three ingredients!)

I bring you this recipe found on Pinterest - a super easy Nutella cupcake recipe! These were described as brownies, but I would say the texture is more cake-like. Either way - yummy.



You only need these three ingredients:

1 cup (280g) Nutella
10 tbsp flour
2 eggs

Line your cupcake tin and pre-heat the oven to 180C. Mix all three ingredients together in a bowl, spoon into the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for approx. 20-25 minutes. Insert a skewer into the centre of a cupcake, if it comes out clean they're done. Enjoy warm with ice cream, or leave to cool.



I made these again on Saturday and added some chunks of chocolate in the centre of each cupcake - made them even better!