Hazelnut Rocky Road

Some people complain about the current heatwave that we are having, but I LOVE it. The only thing that is a little difficult is cooking things in the oven because the kitchen gets slightly sauna-like. So here's a no-bake traybake- a super sweet and nutty rocky road.

You know I can’t help myself adding Nutella and nuts to everything. And traybakes are no exception! Nutella is smooth and creamy and delicious and basically, once I realised that you could sub out some chocolate and butter for a little Nutella, my baking world became a little larger.

These are great little squares, perfect for making with little ones as there's not much heat or cooking involved. I think they make a very cute addition to a party table or are also great for taking into work. 

They're very sweet and a little crunchy and a little chewy and very, very delicious.

Coconut Tiffin

Soon after, I ate this

I'm currently post-nightshift. I'm very delicate right now after 4.5 hours sleep, and I don't know up from down. All I know is that tiffin is amazing. I'm holding on to that right now.

Tiffin is a real crowd pleaser. I just want to experiment with different tiffin flavours and never make anything else ever again. I don’t think anyone would fault that decision. Try it, and believe.

I didn't make enough to quite fit right to that last corner.,

So, with that in mind – coconut chocolate tiffin!

Traybakes are amazing, they’re quick and delicious and easy to transport. This one is all covered in chocolate and coconut and it really is incredible. I got a bar of white chocolate with coconut through it in Aldi, so I’ve used that because it fitted the theme, but you could just use plain white chocolate chips if that’s all you’ve got. The Aldi stuff is about 80p though, so if you’ve got one nearby, it’s worth a trip in – the Germans know chocolate.

Nutella-Rice Krispie-Marshmallow-Chocolate Traybake

I am terrible at coming up with cute or quirky names for things. I think it comes from the fact that I am not the most imaginative person out there. What is in it is what’s in it. And that’s what it should be called, for clarity. </robot voice>

Now, these little crunchy, chewy, chocolaty bars are just perfect, despite not having a better name. And everyone knows that I love a traybake. Traybakes are probably my favourite thing to make - they are universally delicious and easy to make. Let's face it - normally it is just stirring random ingredients together with chocolate to make it all stick together.

I think because the ingredients are so perfect, that that’s why I can’t think of a better name for it.  Each ingredient addition is better than the last, and each one works with the others to form morsels of pure food gold. A real treat of a recipe, it’s not fancy and it’s not complex, but tastes fantastic and extremely naughty (not diet-friendly, soz). I mean, how else is food held together with a marshmallow glue supposed to taste?

Fifteens

Or, food from HOME!

This is the perfect weekend treat. For me, if I close my eyes while eating these, I feel like when I open them again I'll be sitting in my local coffee place in Belfast. 

This is something they don’t really do in England, as I found out when I brought these to work. This is a Northern Irish staple sweet treat. And not a potato in sight! The are super popular to make at home with children because there's no heat involved (and it gets messy!). Every Northern Irish person will remember making these (and Mars bar buns!) as a kid. A home economics class staple.

The name comes, unsurprisingly, from the number of each ingredient needed! So it’s the easiest recipe in the world to remember and make. Sweet as anything, and like totally healthy because of the cherries. Ahem.

Chocolate Orange Mousse

Channeling the Swedish chef up in here! It's nearly the weekend, so I thought I'd conjure up a little treat.

I love recipes that use some random ingredient to make something totally unlike the original product. This chocolate mousse is everything one could want: bubbly, thick, rich, and deeply flavourful.

And where does the perfect texture come from? Marshmallows! So, no faffing around with egg whites, this is pure divine inspiration.

I have made it a lot in the past, in plain chocolate flavour, as well as chocolate mint, which all work deliciously. The chocolate mint is a perfect after-dinner treat, but the chocolate orange is a big hug in a cup.

If I am being fancy, I will use these lovely glass honeycomb mugs that my mum has been known to kindly lend me. 

The mint version - my mum has the best things!

In the absence of those, I used some mini paper cups leftover from Christmas. A pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon in the recipe could really increase the festiveness if made in winter! Espresso mugs also work well, or small glasses, as well as ramekins.

Rocky Road

Packaged up, for the delight of others.

Adapted from a Nigella Express recipe.

I never thought that I liked marshmallows. I probably went through 24 years of my life not liking marshmallows. I foolishly thought that I didn’t like the texture. I distinctly remember calling them ‘too floofy’ and for years systematically picked them out of any fifteens that came my way. I wouldn’t have thanked you for a top hat.

Until I covered those suckers in chocolate and added a whole bunch of other tasty ingredients to the mix. They’re easy and delicious and EVERYONE LOVES THEM. Which is why we do this, right? No? Just me?