Sweet Stuff | Things we make

Browsing All Posts filed under »Sweet Stuff«

Raspberry Coconut Macaroons

April 7, 2012

The idea of smooshing fresh raspberries into a simple coconut macaroon is inspired. These are delicious: fruity, soft and chewy all at the same time.

The sun shone yesterday for the annual Spring Fair at George’s School. The children threw sponges, bobbed for apples, bought magic wands and ate cake pops. For the adults tea was served, jewellery was made and spring flowers were on offer. But we all know what the main event is at a school fair. The […]

Mocha Fudge Ice Cream

March 3, 2012

Following some testing, tasting and general gluttony I am pleased to introduce you to this Mocha Fudge Ice Cream. If you read My First Ice Cream post you will know that I was not completely happy with my results from the “Best ever chocolate ice cream” recipe by Cenk Cafe Fernando. Several people who made it ended up with […]

My First Ice Cream

February 28, 2012

This Weekend I made my first ever ice cream. I spotted this pin on Pinterest entitled ‘The best chocolate ice cream you’ll ever have‘ and it led me to the fabulous Cup of Jo blog. There are no eggs in this recipe and you don’t need an ice cream maker. It’s very easy and very, very […]

Rhubarb and Custard Cakes

January 14, 2012

The concept of these cakes popped up inside my brain one night whilst I was trying, unsuccessfully, to get to sleep. My best ideas often appear that way. I wanted to use the new season British Timperley Rhubarb that had just appeared in the shops (as suggested by Claire) and it made sense to add […]

Pierniczki

December 17, 2011

Today I made some Piernickzi from a recipe that I had seen on Ren Behan‘s Fabulicious blog. They are spiced Polish gingerbread biscuits that also work well as decorations and they are flavoured with ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice and all things nice. It’s a lovely dough to work with and the recipe made 5 trays […]

Cornflake Cookies

December 3, 2011

When I want to bake something I sometimes ask Ed and George what they fancy. Often Ed will say “Can you make cornflake biscuits like we used to have at school? They had cornflakes mixed into them and a cherry on top. I liked them.” I vaguely browse around the internet and can’t find a recipe […]

Tiny Toffee Apples

November 10, 2011

I was going to save this until next Halloween, but what’s a little hot toffee apple between friends? 1 Bag of Small Cox Apples – about 10 1 Handful of stolen McDonalds Coffee Stirrers 400 g Caster Sugar 100 ml Water 1 Teaspoon Vinegar 4 Tbsp Golden Syrup A Jam Thermometer Wash the apples in […]

Bun Round Up

October 29, 2011

Over the last month members of ‘Fresh From The Oven‘ have been baking my Cinnamon Bun recipe. The FFTO site now shows all the entrants here but I wanted to show you my pick of the bunch. I am delighted that so many people put their own slant on the recipe. After all that’s how recipes are developed […]

Sweet Coconut Milk Risotto

October 20, 2011

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. It makes me want to hibernate. Failing that I want to light the fire, curl up under a blanket and eat something like this. This is the creamiest of puddings. It’s made with coconut milk, nothing desiccated in here, that would jar with the texture. […]

Apple Pie

September 28, 2011

My Grandma’s apple pie was always my favourite. The crust was almost like shortbread. Soft, but not soggy. The pastry was sprinkled with sugar, yet not too sweet. In the last 20 odd years I have tried to find something to compare, but the pastry has always been too heavy, the apples too hard or […]

Pretty Pear Jelly

September 20, 2011

Last week I found myself with a surfeit of pears. The one and only William pear from my own little tree, plus a whole basket of mixed pears from my friendly neighbours. I used the soft William pears in another Pear and Almond Cake but still had lots of conference pears left. I knew that […]

Random Bake of Kindness

September 7, 2011

Vanessa Kimbell’s post suggesting we take part in random acts (bakes) of kindness was compelling. She suggested we think about who deserved a spontaneous thank you, a kind word or some recognition…and that we bake an extra batch of something just for them. I love a bit of random kindness. My mum always taught me […]

Plum Frangipane Tart

September 1, 2011

Today I made a tart. OK, so I can’t deny it looks like a tomato quiche. George picked the plums from Louise Housley’s tree. The pastry was a packet of ready made all-butter puff. The frangipane was made out of ground almonds leftover from the failed macarons. I rolled out the puff pastry, lined a […]

Macarons: Fail

August 23, 2011

Cooking fashions come and go, but french macarons seem to be in for the long haul. I avoided them for a long while, but the regular MacTweets from Twitter friends like Sarah at Maison Cupcake led me to have a go early last year. I prepared by reading lots of blogposts, recipes and online tutorials and filled […]

Friendship Cake

August 21, 2011

Way back in my teenage years a neighbour passed me a strange bubbling bowl of goo. I was to stir it daily and 'don't forget to feed it.'

These Foolish Things

July 11, 2011

Why I have never made a fool before I don't know. Light, tangy, sweet, fruity, creamy, easy, beautiful.

Lime Syrup Drizzle Cakes

June 18, 2011

I am still learning the importance of a sense of order. I don’t mean having everything in its place, although that really helps. It’s about making sure that I do things in the right sequence. Every time I cook something I work out a better way…or rather I realise I have done something ‘arse about […]

Not-so-mini Pavlovas

May 19, 2011

I have always, always loved pavlova. I think it stems from my delight at the frozen ones bought from the Cash & Carry back in the 70’s. A raspberry pavlova was the height of chic in those days, even though my Mum used to forget to get it out of the freezer so we ended up […]