Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Colder days and longer nights can only mean one thing, it's Autumn! This is the time of year where all of my favourite things come into their own: cinnamon, orange leaves and of course, salted caramel. 

This recipe makes 12 salted caramel cupcakes that are to-die-for.

For the cupcake itself...

Ingredients

70g salted butter (partially melted)

170g plain flour

250g caster sugar

50g cocoa powder

1tbsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

210ml milk 

2 eggs

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C

Combine all the ingredients and whisk until smooth.

Pop into 12 cupcake cases, they should fill 3/4 of each case.

Put in the oven and cook for 22 minutes

For the frosting...

670g icing sugar

210g salted butter (partially melted)

70ml milk

30g tinned caramel 

Crushed sea salt

Method

Combine the icing sugar, butter and milk until smooth.

Then add in the tinned caramel until smooth and even in colour.

For the filling...

100g tinned caramel

Method

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled take a knife and cut a hollow out of each cupcake (much like how fairy cakes are cut).

Keep the cut out 'top' of the cake.

In the hollow, put about a teaspoon of caramel into each cake.

Place the 'top' back on and repeat for all the cupcakes.

Once complete it's time to ice the cupcakes, just scoop on a generous amount of icing and decorate as you wish.

Sprinkle the sea salt on top to finish.

Note: I decided to use some of the extra caramel I had left over and drizzle it on top to give it a little something 'extra'.

Cranberry Vinaigrette

Hello Hello! 

This is the Cranberry Vinaigrette that goes with the Grilled Chicken, Pear, and Arugula Wrap.

Ingredients

2 1/2 tablespoons frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped dried sweetened cranberries

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

Method

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until cranberry concentrate thaws. Gradually add oil, stirring with a whisk until blended.

Grilled Chicken, Pear, and Arugula Wrap with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Hello Hello!

I have done this recipe before and it tasted amazing but I forgot to take photos. Here is the second go at this, with pictures! Serves 4 (one per wrap).

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 pears, quartered lengthwise and cored
Cooking spray
6 cups arugula (rocket)
Cranberry Vinaigrette
4 (8-inch) whole wheat flour tortillas

Method
Prepare grill.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken and pear on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill chicken 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until done. Grill pear 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken and pear from grill; cut pear into 1/4-inch slices.

I cooked the chicken first so I put it in the oven (160'C/320'F)
in a tin foiled parcel to keep it warm while I cooked the pears.

Combine arugula and Cranberry Vinaigrette in a large bowl; toss well. Place about 1 cup arugula mixture on each tortilla; top evenly with chicken and pear slices. Roll up tortillas and enjoy!

      

You can find the original recipe here.

Chicken Drumsticks with Vegetable Chips and Garlic Dip

Hello Hello!

I wanted to try out a Tesco Recipe (they're incredibly easy and have a ginormous selection) and this is the one I picked that serves 4 people.

Ingredients

1 large baking potato

2 large courgettes

2 large  parsnips

2 large carrots

8 garlic cloves

2 tbsp vegetable oil

8 chicken drumsticks (or breasts)

75g polenta

25g Parmesan

125g Greek-style yogurt

lemon wedges, to serve

Method

For the vegetables...

Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C).
Cut the vegetables into wedges about 2.5cm (1in) thick and about 8cm (3 1/2in) long. 

Arrange in a large roasting tin in a single layer.
Nestle in the garlic, cloves, drizzle over 1 tbsp oil and season.

Put the tin on the bottom shelf of the oven and reduce the temperature to 200°C (fan 180°C).

Roast for 35 minutes, shaking the tray a few times during cooking, until the vegetables are golden.

For the chicken...

Meanwhile, rub the chicken with the remaining oil.
Combine the polenta, Parmesan and a little seasoning on a large plate, then roll the chicken in the mixture, until evenly coated.
Transfer to a baking sheet and arrange on the top shelf of the oven.
Cook for for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden, there is no more pink meat and the juices run clear.

For the garlic dip...

Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic cloves from the roasting tin, and when cool enough to handle, squeeze the pulp into a bowl, discarding the papery skins.
Mash with a fork until smooth, then add the yogurt and stir until combined.
Season to taste.

Drain the vegetable chips on kitchen paper. 

Serve with the chicken, garlicky yogurt dip and some lemon wedges for squeezing over.

You can find the original recipe here.

Roasted Pineapple With Honey and Pistachios

Hello Hello!

We had a pineapple that we weren't using so I decided to find a yummy recipe that used up the pineapple that serves 4 people.

Ingredients

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 medium ripe pineapple, peeled, cored, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges

1/4 cup crème fraîche or yoghurt

1/3 cup unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

Method

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

For the marinade...

Stir first 3 ingredients in a large bowl until sugar dissolves.
Add pineapple; toss to coat.
Leave to marinate, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes. 

To cook...

Place pineapple, one flat side down, on prepared sheet; reserve marinade.

Roast pineapple for 15 minutes.
Turn, brush with marinade, and roast until tender and caramelised, 10-15 minutes. 

Drizzle remaining marinade over; let cool slightly.

To serve...

Divide pineapple among plates.
Spoon crème fraîche alongside.
Garnish with nuts and mint.

You can find the original recipe here.

S’mores dip

S'mores are delicious (it's a fact). They're also one of my favourite ways to end a meal, with the gooey marshmallow and melty chocolate all smooshed between two digestive biscuits.

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I've used milk chocolate ones)

1 large pack of jumbo marshmallows

1 pack of Digestive biscuits 

Methods

Start by adjusting the rack to the centre position of the oven and place deep dish in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 230 degrees C. 

Once the oven is preheated, use a tea-towel to remove the hot skillet from the oven, place the butter into the skillet and hold the handle and swirl the skillet so that the melted butter coats the bottom and the sides. 

Pour the chocolate chips into the bottom of the pan in an even layer (if you can). 

Then arrange the marshmallow halves on top of the chocolate chips covering them all.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until the marshmallows are toasted to your preference. 

Remove the dish from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. 

You will find the original recipe here.

Rocky Road

Chocolate + Marshmallow + Biscuit = Delicious.

I've been making this dish for a couple of years and it gets requested every summer when we visit our grandparents. It's incredibly simple and can be made in less than 30 minutes (it takes a couple of hours for it to set though!). It doesn't require any specialist equipment just a set of scales, a saucepan, a rectangular tin and some elbow grease! 

Ingredients

450g of chocolate (200g for the mix and 250g to top)

135g salted butter

3 tbsp of golden syrup

200g digestive biscuits

125g mini marshmallows

Method

Melt the 200g of chocolate and butter together in a pan (slowly so it doesn't burn).

Add in the golden syrup and stir until combined then remove from the heat

Put the digestive biscuits in a bag (freezer bag etc) and crush until they've formed small pieces.

Add the digestive biscuit pieces and the mini marshmallows to the pan of melted chocolate/butter/syrup.

Stir until it's all coated nicely.

Grease or parchment paper a rectangular tin (12"x9" works well).

Spoon the mix into the tin until an even base has been formed.

For the chocolate topping...

Place the remaining 250g of chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and melt.

Pour over the top of the mix in the tin.

Place in the fridge for 2 hours, or until solid to touch.

Serve and enjoy!