Category: General ramblings

Plus some other recipes too.

Yes! I am very excited because I made some pb fudge. I was searching the internet, but all the pb fudge recipes either used icing sugar, or were no-cook versions which never seem as good to me. So in the end I decided to half freestyle it- based on the Rachel Allen fudge recipe that always works so well, I changed it up a bit.

Before you begin I always think preparation is the key. So have ready a pan lined with baking paper (I use a brownie pan, and I do not use any extra greasing or anything), have your whisk ready, have a saucer with water if you are not using a sugar thermometer, and also chop your chocolate if using. Then you can get on with making some delicious fudge.

So, first in a pan gently heat 100g butter (this is the only recipe I actually use butter, normally I use pure spread but I am never sure about using it when you need the chemical reactions), 450g brown sugar and a tin of light condensed milk.

Let it bubble away (stir regularly) until it gets to the soft ball stage. I use a sugar thermometer, which has it marked on there, but you can do the test yourself.

Then turn off the heat and whisk away. (Taking this photo was very hard!)

When it thickens and you can see the trails left by the whisk, add a tsp vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter.

Whisk a little more,

See how thick it is now? That is the look you want, where you can see the trails left by the whisk.

Pour half into the pan (optional, if you want chocolate in it) then sprinkle with chopped chocolate.

Then pour the rest over the top (the chocolate will start to melt very quickly, but that is good!).

It will look very messy! So flatten it down. I love this part- basically bash it really hard until it goes smooth!

Then leave for a while to cool. I generally put it in the fridge for a bit, but then take it out before slicing, otherwise it will be very hard to cut.

I cannot slice evenly ever!

Final step- try not to eat it all at once!

OK, onto other recipes. I was very taken by the look of chocolate-covered Katie’s berry crumble bars, and better still, she had asked for someone to try out the recipe with coconut oil. I was only too happy to oblige. I had some strawberries that needed eating, so I went for strawberry coconut crumble bars. I followed her recipe (look here) only I used coconut oil (melted in the microwave first), and arrowroot instead of cornflour. Plus I heated up the strawberries in a pan first to thicken them up, as per the instructions on the arrowroot box.

Then I layered it up in a dish (I used coconut oil to grease the pan too).

Then after it was baked:

I have to say that it smells amazing, and I was worried about getting them out of the dish, but they came out perfectly!

Wow, look at that crumble bar. Seriously, it is amazing! I had one after my dinner and it was amazing. Katie- the coconut oil works perfectly in the crumble mix too! 🙂

After seeing on Lucy’s blog some lovely looking sweet potato burgers, I decided to give them a go. Well, a variation. The original recipe is on choosing raw, but I did not have edamame beans, or any quinoa flakes, or onions, so mine are a bit different.

So anyway, my recipe is here:

1 large sweet potato, cooked (in the microwave) and peeled.

1 drained tin of kidney beans

15g quinoa flour (makes them gluten free! How exciting!)

Tbs ground flax

Juice of one lime

Chilli powder (1 tsp)

Ground ginger (1tsp)

Put it all in a food processor (or you could mash by hand). Add water if needed. Squash it into 4 patties.

Bake in the oven for about 30 mins, turning over half way.

Enjoy 🙂

I enjoyed 2 with some rocket salad and a corn on the cob, so summery. And bonus, I have 2 more in the freezer for another day.

Gosh that is enough for today I think!

So, foodie questions: Fave fudge flavour (for some inspiration), Fave bean burger recipe, and which fruits do you love most in a crumble?