The Great Blogger Bake Off – Classic Cookies

Welcome to week two of The Great Blogger Bake Off! This week’s theme is ‘biscuits’ and after a little bit of pondering, I decided to bake my world famous (slight exaggeration) chocolate chip cookies.

These are classic style cookies (I love a retro bake) and make the perfect addition to any gathering- or even as a cute little present for a friend! They’re also ideal comfort food and after the terrible news about Robin, an indescribably important and beloved element of my childhood, I think I’ll be taking a cookie or two and watching Hook to commemorate the laughter he brought to the world.

This is a recipe I’ve perfected over the years, much to the delight of my family and friends. Apparently these are the tastiest cookies around, so try out the recipe yourself and let me know what you think!

Much love,

Nikki x

Recipe

• 225g flour
• 100g light brown soft sugar
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 125g butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200g chocolate chips/chunks

  

1. Cream together your sugars and butter. Add the egg and vanilla.
2. Sift the flour and salt, add to the mixture and then add your chocolate!
3. Cover bowl with cling film and place in fridge for 30-60 minutes to firm a little. You can skip this step if you wish.
4. Pre heat over to Gas Mark 4/ 180C.
5. Add small round shapes of cookie dough to greasing papered baking tray and flatten slightly. Leave plenty of space between each cookie!
6. Cook for 7-10 minutes depending on how gooey/crispy you like them. I find 8 minutes is perfect for me! They look undercooked when you remove them, but trust me – they’re done! 
7. Leave on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack – I often add mine with the greasing paper still underneath! Make sure they’re hardened or they’ll fall through. Messy. 
8. Pour yourself a nice glass of milk and enjoy!

The Great Blogger Bake Off – Chocolate Fudge Muffins

To celebrate the long awaited return of The Great British Bake Off, I’ve joined the aptly named The Great Blogger Bake Off!

We’ll be baking each week, matching the theme of the GBBO’s episode. This week’s theme? Cake!

I’m no Mary Berry, that’s for sure – but this is my recipe for some delicious Chocolate Fudge Muffins! It’s insanely easy and takes barely any time to bake!

Recipe

• 50g milk chocolate
• 85g butter
• 1 tbsp milk
• 200g self-raising flour
• 85g light muscovado sugar
• 50g golden caster sugar
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg
• 150ml soured cream
• Topping: 100g of milk chocolate, 100g of white chocolate, chocolate stars.

  

1. Melt the chocolate, butter and milk in a bowl – stir and leave to cool.
2. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and sugars together. In another bowl, beat the egg and soured cream, then pour over the dry ingredients and add the chocolate mixture.
3. Spoon the mixture into 10 muffin cases and heat on gas mark 5/ fan 170/ conventional 190 for 20 minutes.
4. Cool the muffins on a wire rack, melt the remaining chocolate for topping and decorate!

I’ll be back next week with some delicious biscuits!

Creative Prompts & Lent!

Will power at the ready, I’m going to seriously need it.

Having been bullied (yes, bullied) into giving up my beloved fizzy drinks for Lent – in revenge for making my friend do the same thing last year, I might be in for a tough month ahead. Having said that, I’m sure it will be a lot easier than last year when I foolishly tested myself by giving up chocolate. Although I completed my self set challenge, I learnt an important lesson: never separate a woman from her chocolate.

This month I’ve also set myself the challenge of completing Being Little’s Creative Prompts everyday. I tried to do Daily Doodles last month and failed after day 10, hopefully this will be rather more successful. Would you like to see the week so far?

Day 1: A Pattern. 

I made the mistake of drawing this in bed at midnight. Pretty much in the dark. Neglected to rub out pencil marks… whoops. At least it’s only day one, it gets better from here, I promise.

Day 2: What’s in your bag?

Classic blogger tag! I think I’ve actually done one of these before on my blog – I think the contents are completely different now. My doodle is created with Promarker colour and Faber-Castell artist pens.I don’t really use anything else!

Day 3: A place you’d like to visit.

Tough call, but I chose New York. I would really love to spend some time here. I guess I better start saving? After creating the ink drawing, I thought I’d play around in the Picfx app, adding an inverted filter and bokeh effect (all this wishing about things felt whimsical enough to warrant it). I thought the inverted version actually looked pretty cool, so I used that for my official doodle. 

Day 4: Your dream stack of pancakes.

Obviously, as it was Pancake Day, this doodle made me rather hungry. Unfortunately my reality consisted of lemon and sugar pancakes – not that I’m sure I’d like chocolate sauce, whipped cream and marshmallow pancakes anyway. But don’t these look pretty?

Day 5: Yourself.

I’m not even sure this looks like me… But hey, it’s a girl, with hair. Close enough!

Day 6: Something on your wishlist.

Okay, I may have cheated a little and picked some things, in plural. I’d love a vintage typewriter, in pink or blue, of course. I probably wouldn’t dare use it, I’d mostly just like to look at it (ditto vinyl player). I also drew Polaroid pictures (I’d like a working Polaroid camera please) and an Olivia Burton watch – my current obsession. Of all the things on my wishlist, this seems the most likely to be purchased, but I can’t decide which watch I like the best!

Day 7: A favourite lyric.

This was a tricky one to pick! But it had to be these lyrics from the Arctic Monkey’s Arabella. This was originally a colour picture, but once again I inverted it and added a bokeh filter on Picfx.

Are you giving anything up for Lent or attempting any monthly challenges?

Brownie Baking

My dear friend Ellie (I hope she’s enjoying all the blog attention this week) bought me the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook for Christmas and, now that I’ve definitely run out of Christmas chocolate, I’m finally baking! I’m an awful cook, as I mentioned in my Hot Pot post, but baking is the one culinary thing I’m willing to partake in – as long as it involves chocolate, of course.

Traditional Brownie

Brownies and chocolate chip cookies are my absolute favourites – so I was delighted to see a super simple brownie recipe whilst flicking through the pages. There’s also an amazingly chocolatey cookie recipe – I’m slightly worried it will result in a sugar coma but man, it looks so gorgeous – stay posted for that!).

These brownies looked and tasted fantastic – they had that slightly crisp outside, ooey gooey middle balance bang on. Next time I make these (because there will be a next time), I might dabble with adding something like chocolate chips or marshmellows – any suggestions?

I served my brownies warm, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream – it was literally dessert perfection. How would you serve these beauties? What are your favourite baked delights?

And a big thank you to Ellie for the cookbook!

Delicious Triple Chocolate Cookies.

I love cookies. I really do. Over the years I think I’ve started to perfect a never-fail recipe – I like my cookies crisp on the outside, soft and gooey in the middle and with plenty of chocolate – because I am a fully fledged chocoholic (and shopaholic, but that’s for another post). Yesterday I made some pretty tasty triple chocolate cookies and they were so delicious, I wanted to share the recipe. This is the perfect activity for a rainy Sunday afternoon like today.

Living life in the Slow Cooker lane: Part 1.

Call me old fashioned, but I love a bit of slow cooking. Eating it that is, not cooking. I don’t cook. But really, I should and I fully intend to learn. I certainly don’t want to be 35 and eating ham and cheese toasties because my limited culinary palette means I can’t make anything else! Slow cooking is a great place to start because it creates hearty proper meals with minimal effort. So join me on my foodie journey as I learn to cook – with a lot of help from Ma. Who needs a recipe book when you have a Mum, right?

The Beef Hot Pot

I adore this dish- it’s a classic British meal and perfect for this time of year. Warm, filling, utterly delicious and pretty bloomin’ healthy.

The beauty of the hot-pot is the ability to chuck anything in you like – just add your favourite meat and veg. For this particular recipe, all you need is some beef (about 200g per person), carrots, butternut squash, a stock cube, flour and some bay leaves. Easy. Now, I’m going to be saying “we” a lot for brevity, but please read this as “basically all Ma. I stirred, prodded and turned some things“. This is a learning experience more than anything – and now that I’m blogging it, I can replicate it – maybe you’ll want to give it a whirl too?

The first step is to cut the beef into chunks (or you can buy it, as diced casserole beef, and spare yourself the effort) and roll it in flour (with an added sprinkling of pepper for seasoning). When you have a plate of floury beef (bear with me guys), throw it into a frying pan for browning. (Oil. Medium heat. When the meat starts to go brown, you’re done).

Whilst your beef is browning (alliteration is always funny) you can create your stock (oh, the challenge of pouring hot water onto a stock cube and stirring) and slice a carrot or two.

Once said beef has browned (this might take two of three frying pans worth, but that’s okay – if you overcrowd the pan it won’t cook properly), throw it in the slow cooker, pour in the stock and add your carrots and two bay leaves. Turn it it on. Add the lid. Pat yourself on the back. Rest for a few hours.

About two hours before serving time we added some butternut squash to the slow cooker. Extra flavour and another of your five-a-day.

Our slow cooker was on for about 6 hours before serving and it was slow cooked to perfection; the beef was of the tender melt-in-your-mouth variety, the stock and vegetables created a very flavoursome and nutritious meal indeed! We served it with green beans, broccoli, sweet potato, roast potato (the latter two items may be my favourite things on the planet, next to bacon), but you could serve this with any number of things – baked potato, bread, mash, rice, pasta, noodles… Beef hot pot is the gift that just keeps on giving!

Best of all? It’s got your five-a-day sorted and it was all delicious.

Will you give this a try? I’m feeling brave enough to give this a go on my own now – although I might substitute the roast dinner style trimmings for something a little simpler…

Happy Cooking!

Cute Owl Crafting.

Remember that incredibly cute owl crafting kit I got for my birthday? (Thank you Ellie!). Well, today I crafted; I blanket stitched, stuffed and glued my way to owly goodness. What do you think? They’re pretty adorable! I love crafting (because it makes me feel like I’ve been productive) and although I guess it’s kind of cheating to use a kit, it’s so nice to have all the materials you need right there in front of you! 

In other news, I recently spotted some cute polka-dot shirts on eBay (pre-birthday) which came in navy, white and black. It was a hard call to make. Cutting a long story short – I will shortly be owning all three colours. Does anyone else own all the colours of one particular item? Please say it isn’t just me!

Tonight I finally saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower! Enough friends had recommended the film to make me fairly confident I’d enjoy it – and I can confirm that it was absolutely fantastic! You can’t help but fall a little in love with the three main characters (however awkward they might make you feel at times) and Emma Watson’s wardrobe is lovely, a carefree and cool 90s look. If you’re stuck on what to watch, give this one a look!

Hope you have all had lovely Tuesdays!

Summer Fix: Rainy Day Activities

Although it’s technically summer, we Brits have torrent of cloudy days, rainy spells and the odd hailstorm to contend with, even though we’d much rather be frolicking in the sun and eating ice cream. But hey, we don’t need sun to have fun! In honour of the British weather system, I’ve compiled a Top 10 list of Rainy Day Activities, to make sure every day of summer is fun, creative and productive!

1. Make your own denim shorts: see here.
   This guide is amazing: it contains everything from patterns, hemming, embellishments and dip-dye. There’s no excuse not to have a beautiful pair of shorts at the ready when the sun re-appears!
   (Source: Buzzfeed)
2. Make snacks in a mug: see here.
   All I’ve ever tried is the “chocolate cake in a mug”, but I’ll be sure to give a few of these a go! Beats having to do a shopping trip in the rain, right?
   (Source: Buzzfeed)
3. Make your own bikini!? : see here.
   I honestly didn’t think a DIY bikini was something that could be done! There’s several cute ones here, particularly the bow and scalloped trim bikinis. Who knew you could even make them out of an old t-shirt?
   (Source: Buzzfeed)
4. Make this beautiful summer blouse: see here
   All you need is an old shirt, pins, scissors and a needle’n’thread/sewing machine. As far as making a blouse goes, this doesn’t look too complicated and results are perfectly lovely.
   (Source: FreshlyGiven)
5. Create a floral headband: see here
   Regardless of whether you’re heading to a festival this summer, the floral headband is a great summer accessory!
   (Source: Company Magazine)
6. Create your own GLOW IN THE DARK bowling alley: see here
   Surprisingly easy (as long as you have room!). Simply fill ten 2L bottles of water for the pins and add a glow stick to each. Grab a make-shift ball (I’m still trying to work out what would be heavy enough to knock down those bottles) and get bowling! You could even throw a glow in the dark party.
   (Source: Sit A Spell)
7. Make a “fireflies in a jar” night latern
   Super easy and very pretty. A definite “silver lining” to the darker nights the bad weather brings, eh?(Source: Buzzfeed)
8. Make a photo-covered journal: see here.
   It’s always a fun idea to keep a journal; be it a personal diary or a collection of cuttings for home decor, cooking ideas or fashion inspiration! Personalise the cover with a great photo and writing.
   (Source: A Beautiful Mess)
9. Make Your Own Scrapbook: see here.
   I love the idea of scrap-booking, but I’m definitely far from a pro. This afternoon I saw some amazing collages on Jazzabelle’s Diary from her sketchbooks, which I’ll share here for inspiration (I hope she doesn’t mind!). They’re so beautiful!  You could involve pictures of family, friends, trips and holidays, or alternatively, keep them inspirational like the pictures below:
   (Source: Jazzabelle’s Diary)
10. Have an indoor picnic!
    Just because it’s cold and grey outside doesn’t mean an end to the picnic season. You can have a perfectly good picnic indoors! Why not send your friends an invite?
    (Source: Pinterest)(Source: Pinterest)(Source: Pinterest)

“Pick a day. Enjoy it- to the hilt. The day as it comes”. 
Audrey Hepburn.

The Secret Wardrobe

If you’ve ever looked through this blog before, you’ll know that vintage is a subject very close to my heart. There’s something incredibly appealing about styles that have survived the test of time – the classic pieces which will always be chic and stylish. Of course, there’s always a selection of replicated vintage pieces in stores likes Topshop but if you’re feeling a little more authentic and like the idea of something pre-loved, a vintage market or a charity shop is a great place to start. And bonus, it’s always a lot cheaper!

Today I paid a visit to The Secret Wardrobe in Poole. I’m not sure whether to refer to it as a charity or vintage shop. All of it’s proceeds go to the Forest Holme Hospice in Poole although they never label themselves a charity shop – and the layout and style casts your mind far from a typical High Street Oxfam. I can tell you this: it’s an Aladdin’s Cove of vintage goodies and you feel good for supporting a local charity!

It’s beautifully decorated and it seems to change every time I go in, which is something of a treat for the eyes. From the plush armchairs, the changing room walls plastered with vintage music sheets, several gorgeous feature displays and retro decorations, it’s the place to be for all vintage lovers – they even hold Tea Parties!

 It’s not just clothes they sell here – they specialise in a wide array of jewellery, accessories, furniture, artwork and cute little bric-a-brac collections (memo boards, teacups, ornate plates, sets of silver spoons, decanters…) – if you’re into retro interiors then look no further for those special and authentic finishing touches!

There’s also a variety of prices here, which I like to think of as ‘something for everyone’; I’ve seen everything from £3 scarves and £7 items of clothing (including a really cute 1970s inspired denim jumpsuit) to genuine 1920s slippers rolling in at £100 and real vintage gowns around the £50 mark – this is a place to take note of if you’re a collector.

Very Audrey Hepburn!

If you’re a local, come and support charity, support your local high street shops and support the continuation of pre-loved and vintage clothing by taking a visit to The Secret Wardrobe.

The Secret Wardrobe
First Floor                                               Facebook: SecretWardrobeBoutique
Dolphin Shopping Centre                       Twitter: @SecretWardrobe1
Poole, Dorset

Boscombe’s Vintage Market

Hi guys! It’s been a few days – apologies! I’ve been busy writing a new piece for The Glass Pineapple – all will be revealed soon! 

If you follow me on twitter (and if you don’t, you can follow me here) then you may have seen a few pictures from the Vintage Market I attended on Saturday. As you may have gathered, I really enjoy a bit of vintage in my life and markets/fairs are a fantastic source of inspiration- so I urge you all to check if there’s either of the above coming to your town. You won’t regret it.

I’ve added a selection of my favourite images from the day, most of which are floating around my Instagram. I started off by visiting the Vintage Market at the Royal Arcade in Boscombe. There were some great vintage pieces of clothing, quirky decorations and jewellery and general bric-a-brac. There was one stall which sold fantastic dolls, almost Tim Burton-esque in looks but a little more cutesy – I’m glad I snapped a picture below! I’d have bought one if they weren’t that little bit out of my price range. I also visited a vinyl record store, which had some pretty great music (I spotted a couple of Beatles records for under £5 each – bargain!) and meandered down the high street (it’s one of those places that’s a total dive with the odd hidden gem). I followed that with a quick mosey to Boscombe beach.

I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon and loved that the sun that was finally shining! It felt like a great excuse to crack out my retro Dahlia playsuit – I adore the colour and 1940s vibe. Before leaving this morning I grabbed a signature ribbon and tied a large black bow (I’m gonna let you into a secret – it was to hide my gross hair). I brought my fur coat for when it got chilly but I was pretty comfortable without it!

 

Like I said – do check if there are any vintage events coming to your home towns! They aren’t something to miss. Hope you all had fantastic weekends!