The Recipe: Chocolate Crispie Squares

This recipe came to the rescue last week when I wanted to bake an edible "thank you" for my last day of work. (Although, I would be lying if I said that I saved them all for my colleagues. I had to do the taste test, right?!)

*Credit for the recipe goes to Lucy Young and her book Secrets of Aga Cakes. It's the only book I go to for baking- if you have a sweet tooth you need this book, no questions asked.

For 16 squares you will need:

12x9in baking tin, lined with cling film
100g butter
100g marshmallows
100g soft toffees
200g coco pops

All you need to do is:

Melt together the butter, marshmallows and toffees together on a low heat. Keep stirring so nothing gets burnt! Stir in the coco pops, making sure they're evenly coated. Spoon into your tin and use the back of the spoon to pack the mixture down, so it's compact. Pop it in the fridge for at least an hour. Then you can tip it out the tin and chop up!

If you're feeling fancy...

Melt 100g of chocolate (white, milk or dark- your choice!) and drizzle it over the top.

The Recipe: Lemon & Poppyseed Muffins

"When life gives you lemons, make Lemon and Poppy Seed cakes. Duh."

Give me anything lemon flavoured and I'm there. It could be Lemon Drizzle, Cheesecake, and I've even been known to grab a spoon and pot of Lemon Curd. It's not something I'm proud of. A citrus craving struck last Saturday which saw me picking up a load of lemons on the weekly shop, then creating an (organised) mess all over the kitchen. 

I chose this recipe after a quick google search, (but swapped the lemon extract for zest.)

To make 12 muffins you need:

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon golden syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 of a lemon's zest
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 280 grams self raising flour
• 200 grams sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium eggs
• 63 ml oil
• 4 tablespoons butter - melted
• 188 ml milk

All you need to do is:
Preheat your oven to 175  ̊C
Combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder
Add in the eggs, oil, melted butter, lemon juice, syrup, vanilla extract and lemon zest. 
Blend together and add the poppy seeds.
Spoon into your paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes.


If you're feeling fancy you could mix together some lemon juice and icing sugar to drizzle over the top, then garnish with poppy seeds and a pinch more lemon zest. Pop the kettle on and you're done! 

Let me know if you're a lemon-lover like me, and if you would give this recipe a go. Send me a tweet if you do!