COOKBOOKS GALORE

 I’m still alive! No excuses really, just life, even at 80, is hectic! I’m not usually a fan of cupcakes as I find the topping rather too much. I did enjoy these when my friend brought some recently. I love peanuts, peanut butter, well anything with peanuts, and peanuts with chocolate - heavenly! They’re very easy to make as it’s just a chocolate sponge mixture, and the fun’s in the topping. Preheat oven 190C/gas 5 12 hole bun tin with 12 paper cases 125g softened butter, 125g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tbsps milk, 100g st flour and 3 level tbspn cocoa. Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs and milk, then the flour and cocoa.Beat together till smooth. Divide batter between the 12 cases and bake for 12-15 mins. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Make the topping: 200g cream cheese, 60 g soft butter, 125 g soft or crunchy peanut butter, 125g icing sugar (sieved), packet of chocolate peanuts Beat the cream cheese then add the butter and peanut butter till smooth. Gradually...

As I have already decided to make the chocolate cake in my last post for Easter,  I thought I'd make some small cakes for my grandchildren. They love muffins and they came to visit yesterday so we made them together. The first one we made was topped with buttercream and my favourite  Cadbury's mini eggs, but the second batch was a great favourite of my 2 older grandsons - Crunchy Peanut Butter muffins. I always use oil when making muffins - don't think it is really any healthier, but it sounds better than using butter. For the Easter Muffins: Preheat oven 200C/gas6           Grease a 12 hole muffin tin or use 12 paper cases. Sift together 225g plain flour, 55g cocoa powder, 1 tbspn baking powder and a pinch of salt. Stir in 115g soft brown sugar. Lightly beat 2 eggs in a jug then beat in 250g buttermilk and 6 tbspn sunflower oil. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and carefully stir in the wet ones. Mix till just combined - be c...

This isn't a sophisticated chocolate cake; this is for lovers of milk chocolate and peanut butter. My grandsons were coming for tea, so I made the basic cake and they helped me ice it - or at least one of them did, the other 2 got bored! It's a WI recipe that my mil gave me - I've been sorting out my recipe folders and came across some great recipes I must try, and this was one of them. My grandsons love peanut butter, so to have it in a cake AND in the icing, was great. It's almost an all in one mixture, as nearly everything goes in the bowl and you beat it together. Then you add the chocolate drops and some milk. Preheat oven 180C/gas4 and grease and line a 28x18cm tin . You put 115g of crunchy peanut butter, 115g of soft margarine or butter, 175g of soft brown sugar, 3 eggs and 1 tspn of vanilla extract in a bowl. Sieve together 175g of sr flour and 11/2 tspns of baking powder and add to the bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer for about 2 mins, making sure yo...

I tend to make large cakes, so today, as my grandsons are coming for tea, thought I'd make them some small cakes. This recipe is from my friend Liz. Recipe makes 12 cakes. 115g soft butter or margarine 115g caster sugar 2 tbspn crunchy peanut butter 2 eggs, beaten 85g sr flour 4 tbspn cocoa powder 100g plain chocolate chips 100g chopped pecans or walnuts [keep 24 to decorate] 200g plain chocolate 24 mini marshmallows Preheat oven 180C/350F/gas4 Put 12 cake cases into a bun tin. In a bowl, put the butter, sugar and peanut butter and beat till it's light and creamy [with an electric beater]. Beat in the eggs and fold in the flour, cocoa, chocolate chips and nuts. Put the mixture into the cake cases. Bake for 15-20 mins till golden and firm. Leave them to cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and leave it to cool a bit. Spread most of the chocolate over the top of each cake with a knife, leaving some to drizzle over the top of the cakes, ...