Chocolate delight muffins

Serves 12

Ingredients
2 eggs
200g caster sugar
130g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
160ml milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
160g unsalted butter, melted
120g chocolate (can be roughly chopped chocolate, or I used a mixture of white, milk and dark chocolate chips)
50g dark chocolate to top

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170c
2. Mix the eggs and sugar in a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment and beat until pale and well-mixed.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, and stir to mix. In a third bowl, combine the milk and vanilla extract.
4. Gradually beat these 2 mixtures into the egg mixture alternately, small amounts at a time, and beat until well combined.
5. Stir in the melted butter until well combined, then stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.
6. Spoon in to muffin cases until 2/3 full, and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes (the sponge should bounce back when touched). Leave to cool in the tray before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
7. Once cooled completely, melt the dark chocolate over a pan of water and spoon over the top.

Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

I love the hardened chocolate on the top of these as it adds a little crunch before the soft sponge. I also topped these with some honeycomb crumbles for an extra treat!

Banana and Chocolate Muffins

Serves 12

Ingredients:
120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
80g unsalted butter
120ml milk
2 eggs
120g banana (about 2-3 small bananas)
About 50g dark chocolate

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 170c.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and butter in a mixer, beating on slow speed until everything is combined into a sandy textured mixture.
3. Slowly pour the milk in to the flour mixture, beating well until totally mixed together. Add the eggs and continue to beat well.
4. Stir in the mashed banana by hand, until well dispersed.
5. Spoon in to muffin cases, until about 2/3 full, and bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool slightly in the tray before placing on a cooling rack.
6. Once the muffins have cooled, melt the dark chocolate over a pan of boiling water, and spoon over the top of the muffins. 

Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

These are something slightly different from normal banana muffins - the cinnamon and ginger really gives them an extra kick, nicely complemented by the dark chocolate on top.

Balti Chicken

Serves 4

 Ingredients
10g butter
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 large onions, roughly chopped (I mixed a red and white)
3 garlic cloves, sliced
25g root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp medium curry paste
1 tbsp tomato puree
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
175ml boiling water
1/2 tsp salt flakes
1 tsp caster sugar
4 fresh ripe tomatoes (I used canned)
200g baby spinach leaves

Instructions
1. Melt the butter with half the oil in a large pan. Add onions, garlic and ginger, then cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes over low heat until very soft. This may need stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the lid and turn up the heat. Cook the onion for 2-3 minutes more, stirring constantly.
3. Add the curry paste to the pan and turn down the heat. Cook for 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the tomato puree.
4. Blitz the onion mixture ina blender until smooth. Set aside.
5. Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks. PLace the pan back over medium heat and add the remaining oil and chicken. Fry for 3 minutes until lightly covered all over.
6. Add the onion mixture, water, salt, sugar and tomatoes. Bring to the simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Add the spinach in a few handfuls at a time, allowing to soften in between each. Cook for a further minute until the chicken is cooked through.

Adapted from The Hairy Biker's Great Curries

Chocolate chickpea brownies

Makes 30 brownie bites

Ingredients
1.25 cups dark chocolate chips
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 eggs
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder

Instructions
1. Melt the chocolate chips in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Preheat the oven to 160c.
2. Add all the ingredients (except the chocolate) to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and blend until combined.
3. Line an 8"x8" tin with parchment paper. Pour the brownie batter in to the tin and smooth with a knife. 
4. Bake for 28-30 minutes. Allow brownies to cool for a few minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the parchment paper. 

Adapted from www.theroastedroot.net

Nutritional Info: 87 calories, 3.9 fat, 2.2g saturated fat, 18mg sodium, 47.5g potassium, 14.2g carbohydrate, 1.4g dietary fiber, 9.6g sugars (please note may not be exact)

Toffee Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 12 cupcakes

 Ingredients
For the cake: 
190g plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
120g soft brown sugar
pinch of salt
120ml milk
2 eggs
6 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:
125g condensed milk  (to make dulce de leche)

For the frosting:
100g full fat cream cheese
100g unsalted butter
250g icing sugar, sifted
60g condensed milk (to make dulce de leche)

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 170c. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking powder. Add the sugar and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, eggs, vanilla and butter. Whisk together until light and fluffy. Add to the flour and mix well until smooth.
3. Spoon in to muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes.
4. Make the dulce de leche/caramel - pour the condensed milk in to a bowl over boiling water. Cover with tin foil and boil for 1-2 hours, regularly checking and stirring. Will thicken and darken in colour. (This is my preferred method for making the dulce de leche - it can be bought ready made, or made by alternative methods).
5. Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a cupcake corer to take out the centre of each and fill with a spoonful of dulce de leche filling.

6. Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese until light and creamy. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until fluffy, then add the cream cheese and beat. Add the dulce de leche, beat until combined then place in the fridge to thicken a little.
7. Spoon or pipe the frosting on to the cupcakes and decorate as preferred.

Cake recipe kindly adapted from allrecipes.com
Frosting recipe adapted from The Little Loaf (from Peggy Porschen)
 

Roasted Redcurrant Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary New Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients
5 cloves of garlic
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp cranberry or red-currant jelly
grated zest of 1 lemon and 2 tbsp lemon juice
4 skinless chicken breasts
450g new potatoes
4 sprigs rosemary


Instructions 
1. Crush 2 of the cloves of garlic and finely chop the parsley, then add to a large bowl, mixing with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, the cranberry jelly and lemon zest and juice.
2. Score the chicken breasts diagonally 3-4 times (to a depth of about 1cm). Place in a bowl with the marinade, turning each breast in the mixture to ensure it is thoroughly coated. Season well with salt and pepper, then cover the bowl and leave for a minimum of 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 220c. Halve the potatoes and place in a large roasting tin with the remaining olive oil, whole garlic cloves and the sprigs of rosemary. Season well and roast for 20-25 minutes.
4. Remove the potatoes, reduce the temperature to 200c. Place the chicken breasts in the roasting tin on top of the potatoes. Pour over the remaining marinade and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove, cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Taken from The Intolerant Gourmet, Pippa Kendrick

Lemon Cupcakes (Hummingbird Bakery)

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
120g plain flour
150g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
40g unsalted butter
120ml milk
1 egg
Splash of lemon juice (not in the original recipe)
For the frosting:
250g icing sugar
80g butter
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
yellow food colouring (as much as for the desired colour)
25ml milk
Splash of lemon juice (not in the original recipe)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 170c. Put flour, sugar, baking powder, zest, and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat on slow speed until a sandy consistency is reached. Gradually pour in the milk and beat until just mixed. Add lemon juice if using.
2. Add the egg and continue beating until just mixed (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl). Continue mixing for a couple of minutes until smooth (do not over-mix).
3. Spoon the mixture in to paper cases, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before turning out of the tin on to a wire cooling rack.
For the frosting:
1. Beat together the icing sugar,  butter, lemon zest and food colouring in a free-standing mixer on medium-slow until well mixed. 
2. Turn the mixer down to slow and add the milk and lemon juice if using. When it is all mixed in, turn the mixer up to high speed. Continue beating until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. 
3. When the cupcakes are cold, pipe or spoon the frosting on top and decorate. 

Notes: I wanted to make these particularly lemony so added lemon juice to both the cakes and the frosting. 
 
Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook