Easter Chocolate Cornflake egg nests! Gluten Freeeeee.

HAPPOI EASTER!
This is one of my all time favourite and simplest recipes.
crunchy and chewey chocolate nests filled with chocolatey butter cream frosting and topped with cute pinky pastel speckled mini eggs. This is only a short post as I dont have much time in between stuffing myself to the brim with chocolate and devouring more chocolate.

 CHOCOLATE CORNFLAKE NESTS
2 cups GF cornflakes
200g milk chocolate
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp peanut butter

frosting
2 tsp butter
1tsp cocopowder
1/2 cup icing sugar

In a microwave, on a low heat setting, melt chocolate, golden syrup and Peanut butter, checking every 30 seconds to ensure chocolate doesn't burn. Once melted add crunched cornflakes and place spoonfuls into a linder muffint in or cupcake cases . Chill in fridge for at least an hour to set.

whilst nest are setting, whip up the frosting and top each nest with a table soon of icing and 3 mini eggs. place back in fridge for half an hour...
take out from fridge and go to town on ya mini  easter birdy nests. Im pretty sure its what Jesus would have wanted...

I'M A HAPPY CHOCOLATE BUNNY.

 Easter holidays week one recap coming up verrrrwy soon.

Fudgey healthier brownies (Gluten Free)

Chocolate is for sure the best medicine will mend anything, a broken heart, a broken a toe or a sweet tooth in need. At the rate these chocolate brownies are disappearing my recovery rate will be miraculous.

I have been baking these beany bad boys daily, my favourite way is in the muffin pan for individual bite sized brownies with extra crispy sides and a deep filled fudge like center. Best way Only way is to eat the hot straight outta the pan.

 

Reeeeewind. Im taking us back to my brownie post circa June 2011. Whilst this brownies were good, being a baking perfectionist i wanted to make them better... there now 100% bettererrrr. Still fat free and packed with that good fibre stuff. There now. Decadently fudgey with a proper naughtily should be criminal taste... except they are not reeeeeally a guilty sin they are totes innocent ;) 

 

 IMPROVED HEALTHY GLUTEN FREE FUDGE BROWNIES 

Ingredients

1½ cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained

3tsp cocoa powder

1 egg 

 low fat 1/4 cup yoghurt

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

8 tablespoons granulated Splenda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

choice of nutty nibbles and chocolate mix ins (I used white chooclate chips and walnuts)

• Pre Heat oven to 180 degrees C and grease a tin or cupcake pan with spray.
  
• With a blender or in a food processor blend black beans with 1/4 cup of water.
• Add egg white, yoghurt, vanilla and oil. continue to blend well until mixture is smooth and lump free.
• stir in Cocoa powder and sweetener and add fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
• pour mixture into pan and bake for 30 mins.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.

Judging by this text I received yesterday, we were defiantly made for each other...

Yup Its mine and Mr bake n beebz' Anniversary today. I was 16 when we met and boy has time flown by!

LOVE YOU HARRY!

We spent this sweltering summer's afternoon strolling around the lake and park with Bobbin, The weather was stunning and the park was packed!  After we walked up to town and treated ourselves to a slap up meal to celebrate.

 We dined at Wagamamas, one of our favourites, specializing in tasty simple Japanese food. They also go out of their way to cater for all allergies and help you select a meal.

I chose the Saien Soba - noodles in a vegetable soup topped with fried tofu, beansprouts, courgettes, asparagus, red onion, leeks, mushrooms, mangetout and garlic. garnished with spring onio. They used rice noodles instead of wheat and substitued the miso soup for a gluten friendly base. 

We have been to Wagamamas many times and I wanted to try something I don't normally get and although i love the way they are so brilliant at adapting, this was a little lacking in flavour, but I still happily slurped it up! (It made me miss the days when I woulda ordered whatever the heck I liked.)

Harry went for his favourite... chilli ramen and polished it off.

Harrys bowl had noodles in a spicy chicken and pork soup topped with your choice of chicken or beef sirloin, beansprouts, red and spring onions and chillies. garnished with coriander and lime.

Bobbin waited patiently under the table for her noodle scraps ;) I have no shame.

(oh and shes had a haircut... she came into my salon to have a her hacked off this morning.)
Whilst in town we did a little shopping and I had to buy the cupcake version of the muffin dog toy....

she had trouble deciding which to chew on for dessert...

In the end she wanted cake.

Whilst us humans had real cupcakes...

I baked some special anniversary GF chocolate cupcakes. These were lovely, decadent and fudgey...going into for my second and about to slip into chocolate coma.

Recipe to come!

Baking Goodies for gifts...

 

This afternoon I baked some non-gluten free sweet treat gifts. Sticky Date crumble slices, rustled up and wrapped up as a thank you present, for someone who helped me out massively with my interview and ultimately landing me my first proper job!

Aaaaaaaand just popped this pretty little blueberry pie into the oven...

Gluten free and fat free Strawberry and Date crumble bars.

 

So, after searching quite extensively, there really aren't many gluten free baked goodies/ dessert recipes out there on the big ol wide web. So this afternoon i took it upon my self to do some inventing/experimenting...

And so i bring to you...

STRAWBERRY DATE SHORTCAKE CRUMBLE SQUARES!

yep the name needs working on but it describes my baked treat adequately,

They have a short bread biscuit base, sticky sweet strawberry and date center and a crunchy, nutty crumble topping. I was a bit apprehensive and worried they may be a bit bland but they kinda tasted like a cross between a jammy dodger and one of those fig roll biscuits.

Completely fat free and gluten free and no processed sugar. 

You will be amazed at how good these are. They’re low in everything, except flavour.

88calories per square.

 INGREDIENTS
Makes 12 servings (2''x2'')
crust and crumble topping
1 1/2 Cups of  gluten free plain flour mix (i used doves)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
120g unsweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
 (add choice of chopped nuts for topping and or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)

filling
3/4 cup dates

1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/4 cup water


DIRECTIONS

1.  Pre heat oven to 180 degrees or 350 F.
2. First, chop dates and strawbs and throw them in to a pan with the water and simmer until mixture bubbles and dates have all mushed. 
3. In a bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder. add puree and honey and rub until mixture is cumbley. 
4. Line a tin win foil and press 3/4 of crumb mixture in to the pan.
5. Pour and smooth over date and strawberry puree.
6. Add nuts to remainder of crumble mix and sprinkle over.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. remove and allow to cool and set completely before cutting up.
8. Boil kettle, make cuppa, put feet up, tv on and enjoy your tea time treat.

 

Chocolate Coma

 Going

 Going

Gone.

 Had to pack Harry off with the remaining slices... To get this dangerous cake away from me, and out of my house.

Fajita spiced chicken, baby spinach, dollop of sour cram and chive,  toms and peppers.

 A salad to balance everything out...