Salted caramel chocolate tartlets

Salted caramel chocolate tartlets were delicious.  Although preparation, especially of the dough, was a bit time consuming you wouldn't be sorry. Baked tartlet shells were perfect plain, topped with caramel just divine. Original recipe comes form this web site . Following this recipe I have skipped one layer, I haven't put ganache on top as I though caramel is enough. I would truly recommend salted caramel chocolate tartlets to everybody.  

Ingredients for dough - 24 mini tartlets:

• 115g butter
• 100g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 140g flour
• 50g cocoa powder

Beat the butter and sugar until smooth in the stand mixer with paddle attachment. Add the egg, salt, vanilla and beat again until smooth. 

In separate bowl sift the flour and cocoa powder. 

Add the dry ingredients into the creamed butter. 

Shape the batter into a disc warp it int cling film and put into a freezer for about 1 hour to chill.

In a meantime grease the mini muffin tin. 

Preheat the oven to 180.

Remove the batter form the freezer. Pinch of a pieces of dough and form into about 2 cm balls. Place each ball in muffin tin cup. With your thumb press the dough down in the centre. 

Bake the tartlets for 10 - 15 minutes. The dough will rise while being baked. When removed form oven leave it to cool down for a few minutes, then press the dough again. When it is completely cooled down remove tartlets form the tin, sharp knife is helpful.

Transfer the tartlets into a plate and prepare the caramel. Instead of making caramel form the scratch I have melted soft, butter caramels.  

Ingredients for caramel filling:

• 115g soft, butter caramels
• 60 ml cream
• pinch of slat
• rock salt for decoration

Place the caramels in the sauce pan, pour in the cream, add the salt. Heat them up stirring occasionally until turn into soft creamy mixture. 

Pour the mixture into prepared earlier chocolate tartlets, sprinkle with rock salt and enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Lemon muffins with lemon curd

I have recently made lemon curd. Whole jar of this yellow, creamy, sweet and sour mixture. We could have eaten that, I believe it wouldn't last long, but I wanted to bake some muffins with the curd. While looking for some inspiration on line I came across this recipe. It was perfect. Light cake, rich, sweet and sour lemon curd and very sweet icing. Yummmyyy... And because it close to Easter I baked the muffins is Easter style liners and make the icing and curd look like and fried egg :)

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 350g flour
• 105g sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon zest (I didn't have lemon so used lemon extract instead)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 60 ml oil (used canola oil)
• 250 ml milk
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tbsp lemon extract (if not using lemon zest)

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

Put the flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt into a bowl and whisk them together.

In a jug mix the oil and milk, add the lemon extract if not using lemon zest.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff.

Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl with dry ones. Mix until just combined. Then gently fold in the egg whites. Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes until skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Transfer to the wire rack to cool down. 

Prepare the icing.

Ingredients for icing:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp double cream
• some milk

 Put the sugar into a small bowl add the cream and mix with spoon until turn into thick white paste. If it's too thick add few drops of milk and stir again.

Take the cooled muffin, cut the hole in the top. If you have use the muffin corer if not try with knife. Try to make clean, round shape. 

Fill the hole with lemon curd.

Talking about lemon curd. You can use one form a shop or make you own one. 

I prefer home made. It is not difficult to make one, you can store it in fridge for about a week. Here is a recipe I usually use.

Ingredients for 250 - 300ml of lemon curd:

• 160ml sugar
• 125 ml fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 125 ml unsalted butter

 Whisk the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolks and egg together in a metal or glass heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and gently whisk the mixture form time to time. Within 15 minutes the mixture should thickened . Remove the curd from the heat and strain into a bowl. Stir in the butter until it melts completely. Pour the mixture into a jar and chill it. The curd will set in the jar. You can use it later in many ways, spread on toast, as crepe filling ... or just eat straight from the jar :) The recipe comes form Anna Olson 'Back to baking' cookbook. 

Coming back to muffins. When they filled with lemon curd then take a spoon and spread the icing around the yellow circle to make it look like the egg. Or if you not happy with it just drizzle the icing over a top. 

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Yummy chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting

I used to bake those cupcakes before but never decorated them with frosting. Most of the time we ate them plain or with fondant. To remind you please have a look here. This time I have decided to try them with frosting. I used this particular frosting before for beetroot muffins . This frosting is very tasty, chocolaty and really fuss free to make. Honestly it takes only a few minutes to make this one. Also you don't have to remember to take our your ingredients from a fridge good few hours before. 

Anyway I took this two recipes and turned them into delicious, yummy, fluffy, chocolaty cupcakes. They are perfect for any children parties and believe me  adults will love them too. 

 Ingredients for 12 - 18 cupcakes:

• 250g margarine
• 4 tbsp milk
• 4 tbsp baking cocoa
• 1 and 1/2 cup of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cup of self rising flour
• 16g vanilla sugar

Put the margarine, milk, cocoa powder, and sugar into a big pot. Heat the ingredients up until start boiling, stirring occasionally. When ready, set aside to cool the mixture down. 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin with with paper cases.

Separate the egg whites. Put the yolks in a small bowl as you will add them to the batter later.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff, set aside. 

When the mixture in a pot is close to room temperature add the flour and yolks and mix in well. Then gently fold in whisked egg whites.

Spoon the batter into paper cases half full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Check with skewer, when clean after inserted in the middle of the cake it is time to remove cupcakes form the oven. Transfer the cupcakes to wire rack to cool them down completely before frosting.

 While cupcakes are cooling down prepare the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:

• 60g margarine
• 60g baking cocoa
• 90 ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract*
• 460g icing sugar

* most of the flavour comes form vanilla extract, please use a good quality one

Melt the margarine and pour it into an electric mixer bowl. Add the cocoa and mix them until form thick paste. Then pour in the milk and vanilla. Mix for a while then add the sugar. Mix the mixture until turn into smooth, creamy frosting. Set the frosting aside for a few minutes it will stiffen a little. 

Transfer the frosting into piping bag with your favourite nozzle  and decorate the cupcakes. Mine were for children so I have sprinkled them with mini Smarties.

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Coconut chocolate - chip muffins

Moist, delicately sweet, coconut muffins packed with chocolate chips. I baked them as we all were craving for something sweet. Preparation took only an hour and we all really enjoyed them. They disappeared very quickly. The recipe comes form 'The Australian Women's Weekly'

Ingredients for 12 - 14 muffins:

• 375g self - rising flour
• 45g dessicated coconut + 2 tbsp to sprinkle on top
• 165g caster sugar
• 90g melted butter
• 120g sour cream
• 80 ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 100g chocolate chips

 Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool down.

In a large bowl combine the flour, coconut and sugar.

In a measuring jug whisk together the sour cream, milk and eggs. Pour this wet mixture into a bowl with dry ingredients. Add the melted butter and stir everything until just combined. Then gently fold in the chocolate chips. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with some coconut on top. 

Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Baked muffins transfer to the wire rack and let them cool down for a few minutes. 

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Black bean muffins

These muffins are great if you need to trick children to eat something healthy. They taste like regular dark chocolate muffins while they made entirely of beans. They don't only taste but look like chocolate muffins. This is important too as children won't put into their mouths a suspiciously looking think. They were really nice and it's hard to believe that beans may taste so good :). Next time when I will be making them I will skip the chili, they were a bit too spicy for little ones.  Anyway  you have to try them. The original recipe comes form this website.

Ingredients for 24 mini muffins:

• 190g cooked or tinned beans (1 cup)
• 120g almond butter (1/2 cup)
• 1 banana
• 50g cocoa powder (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder 
• 1 tsp gluten - free baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 ml honey (1/4cup)
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• chili flakes optional

If you use dry beans soaked them in cold water overnight. Pour the water over the beans covering them completely.  Then cook them in the water they were soaked in until soft. Drain and set aside to cool down. While using tinned just drain them.

Preheat the oven  to 200C. Slightly grease the muffin tin. Even if yours is covered with non - stick layer it's highly recommended to grease as this type of butter sticks a lot while being baked.

Put the beans in blender, add the almond butter and banana. Blend the until smooth. The mixture is very thick so it takes time to blend all ingredients. Then add to the mixture in the blender the cocoa powder, chili, baking powder, vanilla, honey, salt and egg. Blend them until smooth.  

Spoon the batter into muffin tin. Filling each cup 3/4 full. Sprinkle with chili flakes if you wish. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes until risen. Then remove form the tin, place on a wire rack to cool down. 

  Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish.

Coconut and honey mufffins

Sweet, moist, dense and chewy. Full of coconut, actually made of coconut ... just delicious. If you like coconut you would love them. The recipe comes form this website.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 300ml milk
• 2 tsp honey
• 250g dessicated coconut
• 120g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 70g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

 Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Heat up the milk with honey until honey dissolves. Set aside to cool down.

In a big bowl mix together the coconut, sugar, flour and baking powder. 

Pour in the milk and honey, add the eggs. Stir everything until well combined. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, up to the top as they don't rise a lot. Bake in preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish