Blueberry Crumble Muffins

What do you do when you find 500g of blueberries in your fridge? MAKE MUFFINS (and meal prep some fruit salad).

I always think muffins can be a bit cloying, so I try to lighten mine with some buttermilk, and I think topping them with a little spiced brown sugar crumble adds textural interest.

These are crazy easy to make (and eat!) and I am willing Spring weather to come out and stay out by trying out some fruity bakes.

Autumnal Baking - Apple and Marzipan Crumble Tart

OMG this one is a good one. I love autumn baking.

I decided to make some tweaks to an old favourite, because despite the boyfriend CLAIMING he enjoyed my Apple and Marzipan Pie when I first made it, now he doesn’t. Right.

So, I took what he didn’t like (big chunks of apple) and decided to make stewed apple to put on top of the marzipan layer. And he LOVES crumble, so I topped it with a spiced cinnamon almond crumble. Note – this is also a MUCH easier topping than a pie crust!

I have to confess, this is the first time I’ve ever made stewed apple. For some reason I thought it was a really labour intensive , time-consuming process. FALSE.

It’s so easy! It’s the opposite of labour intensive. Do it now. You won’t regret it.

Caramelitas

So, I went home recently and was trying out a few new coffee places. And all of them were serving these flapjack looking caramel chocolate creations. They were called labelled “caramelitas” and I’d never heard of them before. I obviously bought one to try, and then immediately decided that I had to make my own. We’re basically talking a sugary crumble bar with chocolate and caramel filling.

Buuuut the amazing thing about this is that you can make a load of different types based on what you like and what’s in the cupboard. Here, I’ve made the basic chocolatey caramel ones (with coconut!) as well as some nutty ones with hazelnuts and Nutella sprinkled in. I’ve also made them recently with coconut added to the caramel and chocolate, and also spiced ones with Lotus biscuit spread and cinnamon powder.

This recipe makes two full trays of biscuit-y, caramel-y, chocolate-y gooey goodness. Feel free to halve it if you don’t feel like gorging on dozens of these things. You crazy person.

Bakewell Crumble Muffins

On a cold wintery Sunday, these are just the ticket.

I am particularly proud of these bad boys. I was feeling in the mood for something a little almond-y, a little sweet, a little fruity.. And well hello here is something to tick all the boxes.

Crumble is the best invention. It’s amazing with custard, but that’s not an “on the go” snack. This is my version of a portable crumble with a bakewell twist and I’m rather pleased with myself for having concocted it.

Yummy surprise jammy centre!

Strawberry Crumble and Custard

It's my BIRTHDAY! And, instead of a traditional cake, I present to you my latest food favourite.

You might say that I have a slightly obsessive personality. When I find a TV show I love I will watch old episodes over and over. When I hear a song I like I have been known to sing along on repeat for like an hour.

So too, with cooking. I find a recipe that I just love, and you better believe we’ll be eating it twice a week until my boyfriend begs for variety. And that is what I have done here, so there’s a good few photos from different forays into this crumble.

Individual version

Heart shaped version

Oval version

This crumble is AMAZING. I always feel guilty when I buy strawberries because it always seems like there’s a few bruised or hard ones left over that I don’t want to eat and end up throwing out. In this recipe, they are transformed into juicy, flavoursome bursts of summer. And the crumble on top is so nice that I pretty much use double what was suggested by the original recipe because, while fruit is nice, I am all about the crumble.

Never will you need to ditch those sad little strawbs again! And again, I have Nigella to thank. She’s got my back.

This is a double whammy post, brought to you by my two fave ladies, because the custard part is courtesy of Mary Berry.

She’s pretty much infallible, so of course she was the one I turned to when I wanted a classic, foolproof custard recipe. Custard from scratch isn’t so hard, it’s all about the heat. Keep it gentle, don’t let it boil! 

Honestly, I’m not a principled person in general. But I have my standards. And my standards basically consist of: don’t use premade custard. There’s no excuse for the packet stuff when it’s so simple to whip up a fresh, creamy batch of silky loveliness.