Cupcakes for 24

Recently, I have re-discovered my old love for baking. I mainly put this down to a recipe I found about a few months ago and I think they just taste so much better than any other recipe I have tried. The recipe I originally found is for Mary Berry's vanilla cupcakes however, I decided to add my own little twist to them. I usually use this recipe around Easter time because of all the leftover dark chocolate I have laying around, however it is perfect for anytime of the year.

• What you will need • 175g of caster sugar 175g of self raising flour 175g of butter (cut into slices) 3 large eggs 2tsp of vanilla essence 2tsp of baking powder 100g of chocolate chips  Around 24 cupcake cases 2 mixing bowls Electric whisk Silicon cupcake baking tray

Firstly you will need to preheat the oven to 180ºC, once you have done that cream the caster sugar and butter together. When you have done that, in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together by doing this you are allowing air to get into the mix, making the cakes super spongey! Along with the flour and other dry ingredients (apart from the chocolate chips) slowly mix into the creamed butter and sugar. Once everything is mixed in well and the mix is a smooth consistency, add the chocolate chips and stir in well! Especially around Easter time, I like to weigh out the whole bar and chop up the little pieces myself however, wether you buy the chocolate chips or smash em' up yourself is completely up to you! Set out the cupcake cases in the holder and pour the mixture half way into the cases, making sure their even. Put them in the oven for around 20-25 minutes and leave to cool once you have taken them out. This recipe should make about 24 small cupcakes so if you have a smaller tray, prepare yourself to be in the kitchen a while!

Recipe credit: Mary Berry's vanilla cupcakes

These little cupcakes are perfect for lunch boxes and are great to snack on although, be warned, they are pretty addictive! The original Mary Berry recipe suggests to put icing on top of them however, I think these are sweet enough to have without it! I think that this is the perfect recipe for when you want something quick, easy and tasty to make or for when you need a quick snack during the day.

D.I.Y cinnamon and honey dog treats

Hello fellow dog lovers - I'm guessing you are a dog person if you're reading this post! Yesterday afternoon I decided to bake Poppy some tasty dogs treats to eat during the week because the other day, I came across recipe for dog treats and thought they sounded wonderful! So far, Poppy has seemed to be loving these sweet, but small, treats and they have proved perfect for coaxing her in from the garden.

•  Ingredients  •

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/4 tsp of salt 

1 tsp of baking powder

1 large egg

1/2 cup of water

1 tsp of cinnamon 

2 tbsp of honey * for the rolls *

Before anything preheat the oven to 350ºF. Get a large bowl and put all the dry ingredients in. Crack the eggs in a separate small bowl and then put the water in and stir well. Next, pour the egg and water into the dry ingredients and mix. Once it has got to a dough-like stage use your hands to kneed it. Sprinkle some flour onto the side and grab a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a thin square shape. Grab a cookie cutter and cut out small circles from the dough (but save some dough for later. Bake these in the oven for around 15 minutes or until they are bread roll colour. 

Whilst they are in the oven, with the left over dough, you can make the cinnamon swirls. To do this, re-roll the dough and cut the edges to make it a perfect rectangular shape. Spread the honey all over the top, with a knife and roll! Try and keep it as neat as possible. Once it is rolled, cut the roll into equal sections and place on the baking tray. Mine took around 20 minutes to bake but that's literally because the honey spilt out and made the whole house smell of burning. The swirls should look golden brown once they are done and they shouldn't really be squidgy either! 

Aaand... that's it - baking these for your four legged friend will guarantee you a place in their good books, until you run out!  

I hope you have enjoyed reading 

From Megan x

The best milkshakes ever

I know this is mainly a beauty/fashion blog but I just couldn't resist sharing this amazing recipe for the best milkshakes ever! Just before I start, I would like to mention anything that will be used is dairy free (the milk and the ice cream) although you can just change them if you want. Enjoy reading!

Ingredients:

4 large scoops of Ice cream

150ml of milk

4 teaspoons of your favourite flavoured milkshake powder (#teambanana)

2 teaspoons of sugar *optional

Once you have gathered all your ingredients grab a mixing bowl and place all the ice cream in it. With a fork (trust me it is easier than using a spoon) mix the ice cream into a goo like paste. This always brings back them memories of having races with my sister of who could get the ice cream runniest! After this tip in all of the milk and stir into the ice cream, this doesn't take too long, till it gets to a nice consistency and isn't too lumpy.  Afterwards place everything else into the mix and stir - although not for very long or your ice cream will get a bit too warm! Of course I’ve explained that the long way as you could simply just chuck everything into a blender!  But I think my way is a lot more fun! Make sure you have your favourite cup (or even a fancy milkshake glass) at the ready and pour the mix into it. If you wanted you could probably add some whipped cream on top although I haven't tried that yet and of course don’t forget to add the straw! I think this is perfect for them days were you just want to treat your self or if you have a friend round and want to quickly make something super tasty!

Hope you enjoyed reading!
From Megan x