Quick & Easy Bread Rolls

You need just 3 ingredients to make these bread rolls. Yes you read right …. three ingredients. That’s all. One bowl, a whisk and a muffin tin. In under 20 minutes, you will have the most light and totally great bread rolls. These rolls are like a little baking miracle πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

You can get 6 large rolls out of this recipe or about 8 medium sized ones. If you go for hand held, bite sized rolls, then you should get 10 from the recipe.

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Raspberry & Coconut Poke Loaf Cake – Other Flavour Options included

I follow the very talented Jo Wheatley of GBBO and have one of her baking books which I refer to regularly. She was one of the winners at the start of Bake Off and had such a passion and love for baking that I knew she would be hugely successful which she is.

Her Poke Loaf is a joy to make and of course to eat! There are lots of variations and I’ll list them below in the recipe. Jo originally covered her loaves with buttercream but for lots of reasons, I changed it up a little and am very happy with the result. I think these turn out to be the perfect “piece of cake” with that morning or afternoon break and works perfectly for a Coffee Morning.

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St. Patrick’s Day Chocolate Cookies (Gluten Free Adaptation Included in Recipe)

Get your Irish on by making these great chocolate cookies which are packed full of green candies such as M&M’s and Mini Eggs. I did wonder could I get white and orange M&M’s to really fly the flag but it was becoming expensive and time consuming to try and locate them but if you’re in a position to get them … wouldn’t it be so great! I’ve included Gluten Free options in the recipe content below if needed so no one gets left out.

I didn’t go with mint flavoured M&M’s as it might not appeal to everyone and they can be bit strong, but what I did do is to mix the type of M&M’s to add a surprise element to my cookies so in some bites it’s chocolate, some are crispy, some with peanut and some salted caramel – went down a major treat! People’s faces when they bit into a salted caramel … fantastic!

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St Patrick’s Day Shamrock Chocolate Cake

So this is a great chocolate cake recipe. It’s rich and has a great texture. It can be used for any occasion and I decided to bake it, cut out a shamrock shape x 2 and decorate with shades of green buttercream. It’s a fun thing to try and worked well because of the shamrock shape and colour variations.

I made the cake in two 8″ / 20 cm round tins. Then found a shamrock image on the web, sized it, printed it and cut it out of the cooled cakes. If you can draw freehand, go for it! I would recommend gel dye colour rather than a liquid one. Start with a small bit for the first shade, then increase the quantity to get a deeper colours as you go.

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Apple Tart Cookies – Gluten Free

These Apple Tart Cookies are soft and chewy and there’s no shaping to be done before baking. They are full of delicious pieces of apple and you can add white chocolate chips for extra sweetness if you like.

I always think of just “pure comfort” when it comes to apple tarts and they are always such a big hit with everyone. To have them in cookie form is another lovely element without having to make pastry.Β  I love the fact these cookies don’t have lots of sugar in the ingredients and adding a glaze at the end just adds a nice touch of sweetness.

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Raspberry & Coconut Cupcakes

A very simple, all in one bowl recipe which you can choose to decorate your way. Finish with a flourish and make the raspberry flavoured buttercream I’ve used here or make a simple icing to spread across cooled cupcakes. Whichever way you decide, they will be a big hit!

It’s great to be able to use frozen raspberries in this recipe. It means they are a great stand by recipe to use when visitors are expected.

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Cheesy Sundried Tomato, Walnut & Thyme Muffins

You can make about 24 mini muffins or 12 average sized delicious servings from this recipe. They are totally yummy and it’s really nice to offer a savoury bake at the start of a Coffee Morning, Afternoon Tea or just as part of a buffet.

For a healthier version, I replaced the flour with Spelt Flour which is far less processed and easier for you to digest and it worked well.

The type of cheese you use is up to you but you do need a good strong tasting cheese to get that hit. I used fresh grated Parmesan and it worked so well with the sundried tomato and thyme. I’ve previously used Mature Cheddar also but I would suggest you increase the quantity.

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Gluten Free Flapjacks

I love Flapjacks but the commercially baked ones are so high in processed sugar that they are a rare treat and sometimes just so sweet, they are not really a healthy choice.

This recipe is adapted from a Dove’s Farm original and as I prefer soft and chewy flapjacks, they are perfect for me. If you prefer yours crisp and crunchy, then leave them longer to bake. Simple!

The recipe is vegetarian and free from gluten, egg, soya, wheat and nuts so everyone should be able to enjoy them πŸ™‚

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Fruity Apple & Almond Tea Loaf

This recipe is a twist on what we would know as a traditional Β Tea Loaf. It’s got ground almonds, grated apple and I swapped whole wheat flour in place of white flour for a healthier result. As I was using dried fruit which is naturally sweet, I could also reduce the sugar quantity.

The slices of apple dipped in tea and decorated on top give it a lovely rustic look and something to bite into. When I made it, I felt it was going to be very dense and dry but it worked out really nicely and perfect with a cup of tea any morning or afternoon.

By using whole wheat flour, the recipe is changed to a healthier version with more fibre and less processed flour, plus reducing the sugar quantity is always a bonus. Sprinkling a little brown sugar on top gives it a lovely caramelised finish.

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Traditional Scottish Shortbread

This recipe is based on Mary Berry’s Traditional Scottish Shortbread Recipe. It’s perfect for making with kids as they will love the kneading that has to be done to bring the dough together. It’s wonderful in the simplicity of ingredients that produce such delicious, buttery, melt in the mouth results.

I made mine for Christmas gifts so that’s why there are snowflakes and bauble shaped shortbread biscuits but I also cut them into rectangles for a more traditional look.

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Brownie Christmas Trees

These are just so sweet and make a real impact. They are all over the web so I can’t claim any right to them and certainly not my idea but everyone has their own little interpretation and this is mine.

You don’t need any electric mixer for this recipe. A good whisk, spatula and large spoon for the final bit and you’re good to go.

I make them in a 20cm square tin which should give you 5 trees measuring about 9cm x 6cm but it depends on your cutter. You do need a decent sized one otherwise once you try to cut them out, they will fall apart. Now if you’re handy with a knife then cut out triangles but as I’m totally useless, I rely on a tree cutter!

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