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.

Halva Tahini Brownies

I might have mentioned  before (a million times) that I like Greek food. And when we went to Greece this summer, I had a great time browsing the little supermarket for random ingredients. I ate a lot of honey and sesame bars because they have a million different types there.

I also went to the supermarket specifically looking for halva - it’s like a crumbly nougat made with sesame seeds/tahini. I love the flavour of sesame and I’ve used tahini to great effect before in brownies. 

Halva was an obvious choice for a brownie topping – sweet but not overpoweringly so, with a beautiful nutty undertone and a mildly sticky texture when cooked. You can get halva in the UK but the only ones I could find were in a speciality food stop, therefore expensive. Obviously heading to Greece to get some was the next step.

Madeira Cake

The weather is turning colder, so comfort food is comcing back to the fore. And this is the absolute definition of comfort food. Madeira cake is just a total classic. It’s not a fancy cake. You don’t add sprinkles or drippy icing, or even glitter. It’s just good, comforting, and incredibly delicious food. I have to say, I absolutely love how my house smells when I make Madeira cake.

Now, I haven't made a Maderia cake in years and years. My issue with Madeira cake in the past has been that the top cooks so much quicker than the rest, meaning that avoiding a cremated topping is difficult. I also find the density of it a little overwhelming.

But I decided to employ one of my favourite cake tins for this project – instead of the traditional loaf cake, I went with my square brownie tin, which is my favourite for cakes. This meant that the cake was a lot thinner, meaning it cooked through quicker, while avoiding the top getting burned. It also gave it a slightly lighter quality. Maybe it doesn’t look like a totally traditional Maderia, but it tastes just like I remember.

Sticky Honey Chicken

I really like Chinese takeaway. But, unfortunately I can’t eat takeout every day. Would that I could!

So this weekend, try this little homemade wonder. It is basically is my at home version of honey chilli chicken.  It's easy to whip up, and it really does satisfy that hungover craving that you may or may not suffer from come Sunday...

The chicken comes out beautifully sweet and tender and this is fast becoming one of my favourite dinners!

The great thing about making it yourself is that you can play up the flavours that you prefer – I don’t like sour so I keep the vinegar element to a minimum, but I like honey and chilli so I amp up those, and I throw in some sesame for good measure. Peanuts would also be killer with this.

Turkey Meatballs with Honey Sesame Sriracha Sauce

Taking a very short break from my regularly scheduled programming of cake and brownies.

Turkey mince is healthy, but it isn’t always the easiest meat to work with. I find that if you’re not careful, it can turn out a bit bland. Adding a highly flavoured sauce is the answer here. You cannot go wrong with spicy sesame, honey and paprika and it’s a combo that I rely on often. The sauce here is delicious and full of flavour, and would also be great with shredded chicken breasts.

I was also sceptical about cooking meatballs in the oven, I didn’t know how they would survive being cooked like that – and I was pleasantly surprised! They came out perfectly cooked and perfectly formed!

I made this as a main meal with rice and roasted veggies, but these meatballs would make an amazing pita sandwich. Just imagine them, stuffed inside the bread pocket with that sauce drizzled all over, some shredded red onion and salad to make an incredible lunch.

Makes 20

Hazelnut Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Strap yourselves in, because this is a good one!

Brownies are consistently what I turn to when I need to bake something easy and delicious. And there are SO many different flavour combinations that I never get bored making them.

I recently saw a recipe for fudge-topped brownies and it just seemed like such a smart idea that I had to try it my way. I have a fond history with traybakes that use brownies as a base, because I think my mint-topped brownies are probably my favourite bake to eat.

The fudge portion hardens to a silky smooth layer which is just delicious. And obviously I added Nutella, chopped hazelnuts and edible glitter.

Ideally, I wanted the chocolate topping to be white chocolate to give a satisfying colour change, but I totally messed up melting it and it all kind of went to hell. Next time!

Pita Bread

It has been thundery and rainy most of the day and that is scheduled to last over the weekend. So what better use of your time than to learn to make pita bread! The muggy weather is perfect for getting the dough to rise, too.

This couldn’t be simpler! Even if you don’t regularly bake bread, this is still very achievable. The method for making the dough is fairly standard – add wet to dry, kneed a bit, allow to rise, knock back, shape and bake.

The cavity in the centre - a perfect curry receptacle!

I like the seeded aspect – Nigella seeds would be scrummy, but I only had poppyseeds to hand. Next time I might make them with sesame seeds and a little sesame oil. Pita breads are amazing dipped in curry, but you could also fill one with honey sesame chicken for a delicious lunch.