Mac and cheese cupcakes

I have recently came across mac and cheese cupcakes recipe and decided to give it a go. Those little mac and cheese casseroles ware tasty. But next time I will add more spices, I think Tabasco sauce and some tomatoes would make them taste even better.  They are perfect for picnics as they tasty when warm or cold.

Ingredients for 12 cupcakes:

• 220g macaroni
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• 250ml milk
• 150g shredded Cheddar cheese
• 150g mozzarella cheese
• 80g dry bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180C.  Unless you don't use non stick muffin tin slightly grease muffin tin holes. Set aside.

Cook the pasta al dente. Add some salt to the boiling water. When cooked, drain the pasta and place the pasta back in the pot. 

Stir in the butter and whisked egg. Then pour in the milk and add the mozzarella cheese and half of the Cheddar cheese. Mix well all ingredients.

Spoon the pasta mixture into muffin tin holes. Divide the mixture evenly.

In separate bowl mix together the salt, bread crumbs and olive oil. Sprinkle each cupcake top with this mixture. Then place on top of each cupcake remaining Cheddar cheese.  

Insert the muffin tin into preheated oven and bake for 30 minuets.

Remove form the oven and leave them for few minutes in the tin. Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy !

Coconut and rum muffins

Coconut and rum muffins with glace cherries and fresh pineapple were soft, sweet, fruity with a strong rum flavour. We liked them despite that they sank in the middle a little bit. The recipe comes from '75 best - ever mufins'

Ingredients for 8-12 muffins:

• 175g fresh pineapple
• 115g glace cherries
• 45ml rum
• 225g flour
• 2tsp baking powder
• 175g butter
• 160g light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 75ml coconut milk
• desiccated coconut optional

Cut the pineapple into small chunks and place them in a bowl. Add the glace cherries. Pour all fruits over with rum and leave them to soak for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Sift the flour, baking powder into a bowl. Set aside.

Place the butter and sugar in the electric mixer bowl and beat them until creamy. Then gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and coconut milk.

Add the rum soaked fruits with the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter among muffin cases. You may sprinkle with desiccated coconut.

Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes until golden on top. 

Leave the to cool slightly. Serve warm :)

Enjoy !

Frosted chocolate cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting sounds delicious doesn't ? Rich chocolate cake with velvety chocolate cream mmhmm..... I was especially happy with this frosting as it turn out to be soft and creamy but at the same time kept the shape. Not to forget to mention that the frosting didn't turn dry on outside on the next day. The recipe comes form 'Easy cupcakes'.

Ingredients for 9 - 12 cupcakes:

• 115g soft butter
• 115g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 115g self- rising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 55g chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it down placing the bowl in microwave. Set the melted chocolate aside.

Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and cocoa in an electric mixer bowl and beat them together until pale and creamy. Then stir in the melted chocolate.

Spoon the batter into paper cases 3/4 full. Bake them for 15 - 20 minutes until well risen and spongy to the touch. Transfer them to a wire rack and leave them to cool .

While the cupcakes are cooling down prepare the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:

• 150g chocolate
• 200ml double cream
• 140g butter
• 280g icing sugar

Break the chocolate into smaller chunks and place in a medium size bowl.

Pour the cream into a sauce pan and heat it up until  boiling. Pour the cream over chocolate and stir until chocolate melts down. Set aside for about 20 minutes to cool down and thicken stir occasionally.

Put the butter into an electric mixer bowl. Beat the butter until fluffy adding icing sugar spoon by spoon. When smooth beat in the chocolate mixture. Chill the frosting for 15 - 20 minutes. Then spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitter with nozzle and pipe on top of each cake. You can add some chocolate decorations as well. 

Enjoy !

Seeds muffins

Those muffins are made of seeds only. Their main ingredient, which actually holds everything together, is the psyllium husk powder. Those seeds are very good to your health their help with weight lose, help to maintain the proper level of cholesterol... to read more about them look here. 

The idea to make them came to me when I baked the the life - changing loaf of bread. Although it is said that this bread may be eaten either  with sweet or savoury topping the coconut fragrance make me to think about coconut seed muffins. 

Ingredients for 12 mini + 2 regular size muffins:

• 60g sunflower seeds
• 60g desiccated coconut
• 70g rolled oats
• 2 tbsp psyllium husk powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 200ml water

Preparing those muffins is extremely easy.

Prepare the mini muffin tin. If the muffin tin holes are not coated with non stick layer then the holes need to be slightly greased. Set aside.

Place the sunflower seeds, coconut, oats, psyllium seed powder, salt, sugar into a big bowl and stir them well. Melt the coconut oil and stir it into the seed mixture. Then stir in the water. Spoon the mixture into prepared earlier muffin tin pressing the seeds into each hole tightly. 

Set aside the muffin tin overnight or for at least 2 hours. This time is needed for psyllium husk the expand and form a gelatin - like mass which will hold all the seeds into shape.

Preheat the oven to 175C. Insert the muffin tin into preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes and bake until golden. Then remove from oven shake out the muffins onto flat baking tray and bake them for another 15 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Rhubarb pie tartlets

Delicious small tartlets filled with tasty rhubarb homemade jam the best served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Although they are easy to make it take time to prepare them as the dough has to be chilled. The recipe comes from this website.

Ingredients for 18 mini tarts:

• 300g flour
• 50g cornflour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 150g cold butter
• 60 - 125ml iced cold water

Make the crust. Place the flours, salt and sugar into a food processor bowl and pulse to combine. Dice the butter into small chunks. Add the butter and processes until mixture reassembles coarse meal. While the machine running pour in the ice cold water in a slow steady stream until the dough just holds together. Turn the dough onto a work surface, divide into two. Wrap each piece into cling film, flatten a little bit and place into a fridge for at least 1 hour.

In a meantime prepare the rhubarb filling. 

Ingredients for rhubarb filling:

• 400 - 500g of rhubarb
• 100g sugar
• 50g brown sugar
• 25 - 30 g cornflour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Dice the rhubarb, place it in sauce pan stir in the sugars, cornflour and salt. Place the sauce pan over medium low heat. Cook it stirring the mixture occasionally until rhubarb releases its juice, break down and creates chunky sauce. Set aside to cool down. 

   

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Place it on floured surface and roll with rolling pin until 0,5 cm thick. Cut out the circle shape 9 cm diameter. Place each circle in tartlet baking tin fill with rhubarb jam brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until crust turns gold and filing is bubbling. Remove from the oven cool it down and enjoy.

If you don't have the tartlet baking tin you can place dough circles on a baking sheet fill them with rhubarb jam and fold the dough border over rhubarb filling. Again brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar. 

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy !

Desserts made of jelly

Today I would like to present a few ideas for jelly desserts. Usually I make them in ramekins so when they are ready they look like small cupcakes.

Jelly dessert with yogurt and fruits:

• 3 packets of different flavoured jellies
• frozen raspberries
• 1 pot of fruit yogurt

Prepare 6 ramekins. Put the frozen raspberries on the bottom of each ramekin.

Prepare the red jelly according the method printed on the packet but reduce the amount of water to 300ml. 

Pour the warm jelly mixture into each ramekin only to cover the raspberries. Let the mixture in the ramekins to cool down then place them in fridge to speed up setting process.When this first layer is set prepare the second one.

Again prepare the jelly according the method n the packet but reduce the amount of water to 300ml. Stir in the yogurt and mix until smooth. Cool it down. Then pour the mixture over each raspberry jelly layer. Place in the fridge to set.

Prepare the last jelly again reducing the amount of water. Cool it down and pour on the set layer of yogurt jelly. Remaining jelly pour into deep plate so when it sets can be cut with knife and used to decorate the jelly. 

When jelly is ready you can either eat it straight form the ramekin or transfer it the the plate. To remove jelly from ramekin dip the ramekin in hot water for a few seconds then place it upside down on the plate. Enjoy !

Another idea is to prepare jelly with milk. 

Ingredients for 6 ramekins:

• 2 packets of jelly
• 500ml milk
• 1 packet or leaf of gelatin

Prepare the jelly according the instructions on the packet. Divide the jelly  in the 6 ramekins. Place them in the fridge to set.

Dissolve some sugar and gelatin with warm milk. Pour it over set jelly and place in the fridge again.

Prepare the last jelly and pour it over the set milk. 

When ready transfer to the plate. Dip the ramekin in hot water for a few seconds then place upside down on the plate and  remove the ramekin. You can sprinkle with some sugar if you wish.

Enjoy !