Chocolate Biscuit Cake

One of the most useful recipes in my repertoire, this never fails to impress at birthdays, Christmas or even as a wedding cake!

When it comes to making Chocolate Biscuit Cake my top two pieces of advice are ... use the best quality chocolate you can and ALWAYS use real butter! 

My preference for taste include using a mixture of Lindt 70% dark and milk chocolate for a more luxurious end result. 

This quantity in the recipe is enough for a loaf tin but double or triple for larger containers - it also works great made in a lines Christmas pudding bowl or even a bundt tin. Enjoy making and of course eating!

Classic Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread style cookies are deliciously buttery with a nutty crunch from the hazelnuts. Best eaten fresh they will keep for a few days in an airtight tin - that's if they last that long!
I always use a dark 70% chocolate with Lindt being my personal favourite, as I like how it maintains its chocolate bite when baked - milk chocolate will undoubtedly melt. 

Served with a strong coffee they are just the back to school treat you need! 

Ingredients:

250g butter
120g caster or soft brown sugar
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 small free range egg
80g good quality dark chocolate - I love to vary this from sea salt to orange or even a chilli for a kick, use whatever you have!
70g roasted chopped hazelnuts or almonds - optional

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Cream butter and sugar together using a wooden spoon or for speed an electric mixer - until pale and fluffy.
• Add the egg and mix in.
• Roughly chop the chocolate into chunks and the nuts into pieces.
• Add to the butter mixture and mix well.
• Sieve flour and baking powder together and add half to the butter mixture.
• Mix in well using a wooden spoon or spatula, you could use the mixer but I find it can toughen the cookies as you overwork the flour.
• Add in the remaining flour and the get rollin!
• Lightly flour your hands and take generous dessertspoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls. 
• I sometimes pop the mixture in the fridge for 30 min before doing this as it helps to stiffen it up and the rolling isn't as messy. 
• Place the balls onto a baking tray. Space apart as they do spread slightly and lightly press down using a fork - this isn't essential but it does give a nice finished look to the cookies. 
• Bake for 20-25 mints until pale golden and set. They should be firm with a golden base.
• Let sit on baking tray for a few mins before removing using a palette knife. 
• Allow to cool completely on a wire tray if you can manage it! Store in an airtight container.

- pictured below are hazelnut praline cookies - I sprinkled some leftover hazelnut praline over each one before baking for an added caramel crunch - fab! 

Enjoy!! 

Lemon Cupcakes

These are one of the first things I learned to make (a long long time ago!) and whilst they might be called cupcakes over buns nowadays the recipe is still the same!

Basic Madeira Recipe (makes 12 average size cupcakes and 24 mini) 

125g butter ~ softened

125g caster sugar

150g plain flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 eggs (medium size)

Flavouring: zest 1 lemon

Method:

Preheat oven to 190°c Gas 5

Line a cupcake tin with paper cases.

Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon and mixing bowl beat the butter and caster sugar together until it is creamy and pale in colour. Beating well at this stage adds lots of air and helps make the cupcakes rise in the oven.

Wash the lemon and dry well. Zest it finely using the smallest side of your grater and add this to the butter/sugar mixture.

Whisk the egg in a measuring jug using a fork until it is frothy.

Sieve the flour and baking powder together.

Add a little of the egg to the butter/sugar mixture and beat in well. Add a dessertspoonful of the flour and beat this in.

Continue in this way until all the egg and flour is mixed in and you have a nice creamy mixture. If it is a little stiff add a dsp of lemon juice to loosen it out a little.

Spoon heaped tsps of the mixture into the bun cases.

Fill them 3/4 of the way up.

Bake for 8-10 mins (mini cupcakes) or 12-15 mins for larger cupcakes.

Remove from tin and cool on a wire tray.

Decorate with glacé icing and some finely grated lemon zest.

Enjoy! 

Chocolate Caramel Brownies - Easter Baking!

One of my most requested recipes both in and outside of school is for these chocolate caramel brownies. 
Not so sweet to be sickening and with the perfect amount of gooey caramel to curb your cravings these are always a winner.

My top tip would be to go half and half on the chocolate. My preference is to use half Cadbury's chocolate and half dark chocolate. 
I tend to always have a stash of Lindt lurking in the cupboard for those days I need a 70% pick me up! This recipe is a great way to use up any leftover Easter eggs should you still have any left. 

Happy Baking!

Ingredients:
200g REAL butter
200g chocolate broken into pieces (100g dark + 100g milk)
125g soft brown sugar
125g caster sugar
4 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa
126g bag Rolo pieces (1/2 chopped, 1/2 left whole)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 deg (150 fan)
2. Line a high sided baking tin with parchment paper.
3. Place butter and broken chocolate pieces into a saucepan and melt oven a gentle heat. Careful not to let it burn as the chocolate may seize and go lumpy.
4. In a large bowl beat the eggs, vanilla and both sugars together using an electric mixer for 8-10 mins until pale, thick and fluffy.
5. Pour in the melted butter/choc mixture and whisk in.
6. Remove mixer and sieve in flour and cocoa and fold in using a metal spoon- I like to do this in two lots. Mixing gently to avoid knocking all the air out.
7. Mix the chopped rolos through the batter and pour into the tin.
8. Press the whole rolos throughout the top surface.
9. Bake in middle of oven for 25-35 mins until firm to the touch but slightly gooey in the centre -  they will continue to cook and set as they cool in the tin.
10. Cut into squares, dust with some icing sugar and serve warm - chocolate, caramel heaven!

Youtube fun with 1st years!

Cross stitch is a skill all 1st years learn in St. Marys. Not only is it a a great way to develop creativity and an interest in something a little different it also definitely helps develop the skill of patience! 

Thanks to Jade, Grace and Wakuna for filming this piece on how to begin cross stitch. ☺️👏🏼

TY Creative Crafts!

🌟Glitter Letters🌟


On the 5th of March 2018, the TY arts and crafts class made glitter letters. We each were given the letter of our first name. Ms. Dunne gave us all metallic paint and glitter. We chose whatever colours we wanted to paint with and covered our letters in lots of glitter! We let them dry over a week and then painted the other side of our glitter letters. It was loads of fun and they are a nice and easy decoration to make. They also make lovely gifts.

💁🏼‍♀️Make up bags🌈😍

Two weeks ago, we also personally decorated make-up bags as seen on @lovehomeec  Instagram giveaway. We went to the computer room and printed off stencils of anything we wanted, the favourite stencil was letters, once again. The letters were the easiest to cut out and looked great on the bag. We glued our stencils to our makeup bags and painted whatever colours and designs we wished.  We painted one side of the makeup bag and let it dry for a week. Some people added glitter to their makeup bags which was a nice addition. The following week we painted the other side of our makeup bags and took off the stencils. Tios 1 was definitely left sparkling after our glittertastic creations! 

Written by Clodagh and Emma Fitzgerald 4th year. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This chocolate chip cookie recipe is one of my most requested. Perfect after dinner treat the dark chocolate chips are a sure way to curb any sweet cravings!

Choose whatever sweet additions you like though, from smarties to hazelnuts there's definitely something for everyone.

After some recipe tweaking here's the basic cookie dough ingredients and method.

• Preheat oven to 180°C. Line baking tray with parchment paper.
• Cream butter for 2-3 mins using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon if you are feeling energetic!
• Add both sugars and continue to mix until paler in colour and soft.
• Separate one egg and beat this with one whole egg in a measuring jug. Add vanilla extract.
• Add egg into butter/sugar mixture and beat in until the mixture is light and creamy.
• Stir flour and baking powder into mixture - I don't user the electric mixture for this as it tends to over-mix and makes the cookies tough.
• Finally stir in your chosen addition around 300g of chocolate chips is ideal.
• Using clean floured hands quickly roll the mixture into balls. This makes around 20. 
• Place on a baking tray well spaced apart as they do tend to spread a little. You'll probably need to bake in 2-3 separate batches. 
• Bake for 15 - 17 mins until golden around the edges.

• Remove from tray and allow to cool on a wire rack. 

Enjoy!