cooking with kids | A Mummy Too

Giant Jammie Dodgers (recipe)

3 April, 2013 By Emily Leary 1 Comment

High five! We rock at baking – JD, 5

We spent the last day of the long bank holiday weekend cramming in as much creative activities as possible. We played with playdough, we drew, we crafted with pipecleaners, and then it was time to bake.

We had spotted a recipe for jammie dodgers on The Crumby Mummy’s blog so decided to give it a go. We ended up tweaking the original recipe a little, and Charlotte has kindly let us reproduce it here as part of the ‘A Mummy Too cooks with…‘ series.

So here it is. Charlotte’s dodgers are cookie soft and ‘biscuit size’, whereas our recipe makes 12 huge dodgers with crisp edges, cakey middles and lots of lovely, set jam.

Ingredients

250g butter
100g caster sugar
397g tin of condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla essence
600g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Approx 220g of strawberry jam
1 big cookie cutter (approx 4 inches wide) and one small one – any shapes will do

Instructions

Beat together the butter and sugar
Beat in the condensed milk, then the vanilla essence
Sieve in the flour and baking powder and kneed into a ball
Roll out the dough to approx 7mm thick
Cut out 24 large shapes, then cut the smaller shape out of the centre of half of them
Place the the hole-less shapes on a baking tray lined with greaseproof (we used two small strays)
Spread each biscuit with a rounded teaspoon of jam, stopping a mm or two short of the edges
Place one of the hole-cut biscuits on top of each, then drop another 1/2-2/3 of a tsp of jam in the hole to just fill it
Bake at 180C (160C fan assisted) for 20 minutes until browning at the edges, but not dark all over
Allow to firm up for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
Store in an airtight tin and should keep for a few days

Big love to Charlotte – and if you’d like to take part in ‘A Mummy Too cooks with’, please read the details of how it works and then get in touch.

Filed Under: Food and drink Tagged With: biscuit, cooking with kids, fun, jam, jammie dodgers, recipe

Fudge and white choc chip cookies (recipe) + #recipeoftheweek 30 March – 5 April

30 March, 2013 By Emily Leary 6 Comments

I think I want to eat one…all the time. It makes me go ‘mmm’ every time – JD, 5

It’s Easter as I write this, which means we’ve been in the kitchen cooking up all manner of sweet treats. These big, chewy biscuits are flavoured with vanilla and packed full of big chunks of fudge and white chocolate. They are good. Really good. Here’s what to do – it’s a lovely easy recipe for kids to get stuck in with.

Ingredients

130g margarine (we used Clover)
60g golden syrup
160g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
1 medium egg
235g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g white chocolate / large white chocolate chunks
50g fudge / fudge pieces

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat together the margarine, golden syrup and sugar with a fork until fluffy
Beat in the seeds from the vanilla pod, then the egg until well combined
Add the flour and the baking powder and mix well with a fork
If you’re using whole chocolate, chop it into large chunks – we cut each square into four
Chop your fudge into similar chunks (we used fudge chunks sent previously for review by Sugar and Crumbs)
Stir in the white chocolate and fudge pieces
Form into 1.5-2 inch balls and place 2-3 inches apart on a baking paper lined baking sheet – you should get 10 balls in total – then squash them down by about half into fat discs
Bake at 180C (160C fan assisted) for 10-12 minutes until they just start to go golden at the very edges – the idea is to get them out before they’re browned so that they stay chewy when cool
Allow to cool slightly - they’ll be puffy when they first come out and then sink down flat and firm as they begin to cool – and then put on a wire rack to cool completely

Do try these if you can. They are so, so yummy and really fun to make.

Add your #recipeoftheweek

Do you have a recipe to share? Here’s the place you can do it! Pick one from the past week, or any time at all, just as long as you haven’t linked it up before.

I’m really enjoying going round and reading, commenting, Stumbling, Pinning and generally drooling over everyone’s entries, so just link up below and let’s share the love.

Link up your post using the Linky tool below
Add the “Recipe of the Week” badge to your post so that readers can find other great recipes.
Take a little time to read and comment on each other’s recipes.
Come back next Saturday and we’ll do it all over again.

Enjoy!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.amummytoo.co.uk/2013/03/fudge-and-white-choc-chip-cookies-recipe" target="_blank"><img alt="Link up your recipe of the week" src="http://www.amummytoo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/recipe-of-the-week.png" /></a></div>

Filed Under: Food and drink Tagged With: #recipeoftheweek, baking, biscuits, cookies, cooking with kids, fudge, vanilla, white chocolate

4 fabulous Easter food craft ideas

8 March, 2013 By Emily Leary

*gasp* let’s melt some chocolate! – JD, 5

We love crafting with food – it’s fun to do, pretty, and you get to eat the results. What could be better?!

Today I’m sharing four ideas for you to get crafty with food this Easter.

Cadbury’s Creme Egg chocolate chicks

We love making these chicks at Easter and tend to get started as soon as Creme Eggs appear on the shelves. They’re great fun to make with the kids and were featured in Prima Magazine this month!

Get the step-by-step to making these cute Creme Egg chocolate chicks.

Kinder egg chick in a wheaty chocolate nest

This craft could make a great centrepiece for your Easter get together and the best bit is that that whole thing is edible, so there’s plenty to go round!

Get the step-by-step guide to making this Kinder chick and a wheaty chocolate nest.

Easter bunny sugar paste cake decoration

No tutorial for this one, sadly, but it was sent in by the lovely Little Rascal Reviews and I think you’ll agree it’s a fabulous idea for an Easter cake.

We’ll definitely be giving it go – how cute is that bunny??

Make your own Easter egg

Lakeland kindly send us some egg moulds, a melting pot, spoon mould and chocolate this weekend, and we had a wonderful time brushing chocolate onto the moulds, layering it up and ultimately producing two perfect Easter eggs!

I’d thoroughly recommend trying it for yourself. There’s a trick to getting the chocolate to layer up perfectly: let the chocolate cool and thicken a bit before you start brushing it on. As long as it’s cooled a little and you do it in thin layers (we did 5), allowing it to fully set between each layer, and then leave it in the fridge for 20 mins, it should pop out perfectly!

Disclosure: we were sent the Lakeland items for review. No payment was received. All posts are 100% honest.

Filed Under: Food and drink Tagged With: chocolate, cooking with kids, craft, Easter, food

Big chewy, dark chocolate chip cookies

21 February, 2013 By Emily Leary 5 Comments

They taste like they’re filled with yumminess – JD, 5

We are proud of these cookies. They are much like the ones you get from cookie stalls in malls, except better – there’s no chalky, saccharine aftertaste. The golden syrup makes them chewy and sweeter than sweet and that sets off the slightly bitter dark chocolate perfectly. Oh yes, these are gooood cookies.

This recipe makes 12 big soft and chewy dark chocolate chip cookies. JD did all the weighing and mixing – he’s a star.

Ingredients

130g butter, softened
50ml/60g golden syrup
160g caster sugar
1 medium free range egg
235g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g dark chocolate chips

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, golden syrup and sugar until fluffy
Beat in the egg until well combined
Add the flour and the baking powder and mix well with a fork
Stir in the dark chocolate chips – you now have a sticky, light dough that’s just firm enough to roll pieces in your hands
Form big 2 inch balls and place a good 2-3 inches apart on a baking paper lined baking sheet – flatten with the palm of your hand so they double in width
Bake at 180C (160C fan assisted) for only 10 minutes until they just start to go golden at the edges – the idea is to get them out before they’re browned so that they stay chewy when cool.
Allow to cool slightly for a few minutes (they firm up a little) and then put on a wire rack to cool

Let me know if you make them.

Filed Under: Food and drink Tagged With: chocolate, cookies, cooking with kids, recipe

Fudge chip muffins with honeycomb frosting (recipe)

17 February, 2013 By Emily Leary 5 Comments

Crunchy frosting – JD, 5

These delicious cupcakes / muffins / whatever you want call them are for fans of honeycomb. The plain sponge is jazzed up with fudge pieces and the buttercream has the crunchy addition of a generous handful of honeycomb pieces.

Here’s the recipe…

Ingredients

For the sponge:

175g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
200g self raising flour
3 medium free range eggs
125ml whole milk
140g fudge pieces (ours were sent to us by Sugar and Crumbs for review)

For the frosting:

600g icing sugar
200g unsalted butter, softened
4 tbsp hot water
60g honey comb pieces (ours were also sent to us by Sugar and Crumbs for review)

You’ll also need:

12-hole muffin tray
12 muffin cases
Piping bag
Large, wide star nozzle

Instructions

Make the sponges

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan assisted)
Start with the sponge – beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy
Beat in the eggs, then stir in the flour, followed by the milk
Line a 12-hole muffin tray with muffin cases, then divide the batter evenly between them
Put a few fudge pieces on top of each batter (they sink, so his stops them all ending up at the bottom) – use them all up
Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Make the frosting

Put all of the frosting ingredients except the honey comb into a large bowl and beat until light and smooth – it’s much, much quicker with an electric whisk
Beat in the honeycomb, then transfer into the piping bag with nozzle in place and twist

Putting it all together

Pipe the frosting on top of the 12 muffins in generous, rising swirls – sharing it all evenly

That’s it! Think you’ll give it a try?

Disclosure: we were sent some icing and other decorations free of charge for review from Sugar and Crumbs. No payment was received. All posts are 100% honest.

Filed Under: Food and drink Tagged With: cake, cooking with kids, dessert, fudge, honeycomb, muffin, recipe

Super decadent chocolate orange muffins + Recipe of the Week (15-21 Feb)

15 February, 2013 By Emily Leary 16 Comments

Better than any jaffa cake I’ve ever tasted – JD, 5

If you’re here to link up with #recipeoftheweek, fear not, it’s a little down the page. But first, I want to share with you these incredibly decadent and delicious chocolate orange muffins. Aren’t they pretty? Here’s what to do…

Ingredients

For the sponge:

175g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
200g self raising flour
3 medium free range eggs
125ml whole milk
40g cocoa powder
100g chocolate orange buttons

For the frosting:

600g icing sugar
200g unsalted butter, softened
4 tbsp hot water
6 tbsp chocolate orange cocoa powder (ours were also sent to us by Sugar and Crumbs for review)
2 Terry’s Chocolate Orange bars

You’ll also need:

12-hole muffin tray
12 muffin cases
Piping bag
Large, wide star nozzle

Instructions

Make the sponges

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan assisted)
Start with the sponge – beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy
Beat in the eggs, then stir in the flour and cocoa powder, followed by the milk
Break up the chocolate orange buttons roughly and stir into the batter
Line a 12-hole muffin tray with muffin cases, then divide the batter evenly between them
Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Make the frosting

Put all of the frosting ingredients except the Terry’s Chocolate Orange into a large bowl and beat until light and smooth – it’s much, much quicker with an electric whisk
Transfer into the piping bag with nozzle in place and twist

Putting it all together

Pipe the frosting on top of the 12 muffins in generous, rising swirls – sharing it all evenly
Push one piece of the Terry’s Chocolate Orange bar onto the top of the frosting on each muffin to finish

That’s it! Tempted?

Add your #recipeoftheweek

It’s that time of the week again when I invite my bloggy friends to share their best recipes – you can pick one from the past week, or any time at all, just as long as you haven’t linked it up before.

I’m really enjoying going round and reading, commenting, Stumbling, Pinning and generally drooling over everyone’s entries, so just link up below and let’s share the love.

Link up your post using the Linky tool below
Add the “Recipe of the Week” badge to your post so that readers can find other great recipes.
Take a little time to read and comment on each other’s recipes.
Come back next Friday and we’ll do it all over again.

Enjoy!

&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amummytoo.co.uk/2013/02/super-decadent-chocolate-orange-muffins-recipe-of-the-week/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Link up your recipe of the week&quot; src=&quot;http://www.amummytoo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/recipe-of-the-week.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

Disclosure: we were sent some icing and other decorations free of charge for review from Sugar and Crumbs. No payment was received. All posts are 100% honest.

Filed Under: Food and drink Tagged With: cake, chocolate, cooking with kids, dessert, muffin, orange, recipe

Chocolate muffins with chocolate buttercream and fudge pieces (recipe)

13 February, 2013 By Emily Leary 3 Comments

The pieces are all soft and fudgey inside – JD, 5

Here’s a yummy and easy recipe for chocolate muffins, topped with a rich cocoa buttercream frosting and finished with a sprinkling of fudge pieces. It’s great fun to make with the kids.

Here’s what to do.

Ingredients

For the sponge:

175g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
200g self raising flour
3 medium free range eggs
125ml whole milk
40g cocoa powder

For the frosting:

600g icing sugar
200g unsalted butter, softened
4 tbsp hot water
6 tbsp cocoa powder
60g fudge pieces (ours were also sent to us by Sugar and Crumbs for review)

You’ll also need:

12-hole muffin tray
12 muffin cases
Piping bag
Large, wide star nozzle

Instructions

Make the sponges

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan assisted)
Start with the sponge – beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy
Beat in the eggs, then stir in the flour and cocoa powder, followed by the milk
Line a 12-hole muffin tray with muffin cases, then divide the batter evenly between them
Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Make the frosting

Put all of the frosting ingredients except the fudge pieces into a large bowl and beat until light and smooth – it’s much, much quicker with an electric whisk
Transfer into the piping bag with nozzle in place and twist

Putting it all together

Pipe the frosting on top of the 12 muffins in generous, rising swirls – sharing it all evenly
Push a few fudge pieces into the frosting on each muffin to finish

That’s it! Tempted?

Disclosure: we were sent some icing and other decorations free of charge for review from Sugar and Crumbs. No payment was received. All posts are 100% honest.

Filed Under: Food and drink Tagged With: cake, chocolate, cooking with kids, dessert, fudge, muffin, recipe

Chocolate chip banana split muffins (recipe)

11 February, 2013 By Emily Leary 3 Comments

Whoa! – JD, 5

These muffins are just perfect for fans of bananas. The sponge is flavoured with fresh banana and dark chocolate chips, while the frosting is ‘banana split’ flavour (thanks to some lovely, tangy icing sent for review from Sugar and Crumbs) and topped with banana chips.

They’re loads of fun to make (JD loves piping icing) and the result is a tasty muffin that looks great.

Here’s what to do…

Ingredients

For the sponge:

175g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
200g self raising flour
3 medium free range eggs
125ml whole milk
2 small, ripe bananas
100g dark chocolate chips

For the frosting:

400g Sugar and Crumbs Banana Split Icing (two small 200g packs)
200g icing sugar
200g unsalted butter, softened
4 tbsp hot water
40g dried banana chips

You’ll also need:

12-hole muffin tray
12 muffin cases
Piping bag
Large, wide star nozzle

Instructions

Make the sponges

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan assisted)
Start with the sponge – beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy
Beat in the eggs, then stir in the flour, followed by the milk
Mash the bananas and stir into the batter, followed by the chocolate chips
Line a 12-hole muffin tray with muffin cases, then divide the batter evenly between them
Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Make the frosting

Put all of the frosting ingredients except the banana chips into a large bowl and beat until light and smooth – it’s much, much quicker with an electric whisk
Transfer into the piping bag with nozzle in place and twist

Putting it all together

Pipe the frosting on top of the 12 muffins in generous, rising swirls – sharing it all evenly
Push 2 banana chips into the top of each muffin and leave to set

That’s it! They look rather posh, don’t they?

Disclosure: we were sent some icing and decorations free of charge for review from Sugar and Crumbs. No payment was received. All posts are 100% honest.

Filed Under: Food and drink Tagged With: banana, cake, chocolate, cooking with kids, dessert, muffin, recipe

How to make pretty Valentine’s heart jelly (jello) desserts

24 January, 2013 By Emily Leary 12 Comments

Awww – JD, 5

Here’s a Valentine’s dessert that’s great fun to make with the kids and so easy to do with just two ingredients – jelly (aka ‘jello’ in the States) and white chocolate.

Just follow these simple steps…