Chocolate Chip Muffins

 I have many memories of learning to cook. I remember sitting up at our burnt 

orange kitchen bench top helping my mum who baked something every week.

At first my involvement was limited to licking the bowl. 

Once I successful in that role I moved on to stirring, soon I was allowed to melt 

the butter and then eventually I began to cook things all by myself.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing though…

There were biscuits so burnt they turned out more like hockey pucks than 

anything edible.

There was the time when I experimented by putting a whole packet of white 

choc-chips (plastic packaging and all) in the oven and baking them for twenty 

minutes...

I don't know what I was thinking? 

 

One time Mum asked to me to make a cake for an important morning tea she 

was attending...

 

I’m still not sure what I did wrong, the batter seemed to shrink and become 

dense not unlike a brick.

I remember that even the dog wouldn’t eat it.

However my favorite never-fail recipe growing up was these amazing chocolate chip muffins. 

They are not-too-sweet and perfect served as soon as they have come out of the oven. 

... and I still remember the recipe off by heart.

'

Chocolate Chip Muffins

 2 cups of plain flour

2 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of bi-carb soda

1 cup of chocolate chips

80 grams of butter, melted

1/4 cups of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of golden syrup

1 cup of milk (soured with a tsp of lemon juice)

1 egg

Preheat your oven to 180˚c

Sift flour, baking powder and bicarb- soda together in  a large bowl.

Add chocolate chips and stir.

In a small, separate, bowl combine melted butter, brown sugar and golden syrup.

When the butter is not too hot, stir into flour mixture with egg and milk.

Stir only until all ingredients are combined.

Spoon mixture into medium sized muffin tins and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Makes 12 muffins, Recipe can be doubled

xx

Window...

This week the boy and I moved.

It was exhausting, physically and emotionally.

I moved further from my hometown than I have ever before. 

 We moved away from city lights and busy cafes, noisy streets 
and many… many friends.

In part I am very sad.

I feel lost, and alone.

But I also have this budding joy because this is me – the boy and me - stepping out into the world.

This town is our new home…

here we will make new friends and find new cafes and fill our home with love.

And besides… 

This is the view from my kitchen window.

Welsh Tea Cake…

At the moment the boy and I are a staying at my parents house while we are packing up our unit in preparation for moving next week. 

Here at my parents house there is only ever three drinks on tap. Water is one, milk is another and the most important is... tea.

 

However more than being just a drink, tea is a ritual in my family and there are important, unspoken rules that accompany it.

Rule number 1. Tea is made in a pot with leaves.

Rule number 2. Tea is to be taken mostly with family, sometimes with friends, occasionally with acquaintances and never alone.

 

And rule number 3. (my favourite)

...Tea should always be served with something sweet.

 

Welsh Tea Cake

1 ½ cups of strong, hot tea

 
2 ½ cups of mixed dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currents)

2 ½ cups of self-raising flour

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

Pinch of salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons of marmalade

Place fruit in a bowl and pour over with hot tea, cover and leave to soak overnight.

The next morning preheat your oven to 180˚c.

 Then add all remaining ingredients to fruit mix and mix until well combined.

Press into  a standard loaf tin and bake for just over an hour or until a skewer, inserted into the middle of the loaf, comes out clean.

Serve with butter. 

Will keep in fridge for up to two weeks.

xx

Breakfast Things...

I love this time of year. 

Both the boy and I are working less and have no assignments, exams or classes to attend.

 

 We fill our days with time together doing things we love. 

Evenings have been spent taking long baths and devouring pages of old books, days have been filled with swims and walks on local beaches… 

...and mornings with sleep-ins, and friends for brunch with coffee made by the boy and treats made by me. 

This morning I made English crumpets...

And while they perhaps were missing some of the crumpet’s trade-mark bubbles, they tasted amazing...

...as one of our lovely guests exclaimed;

‘These are the most delicious… breakfast things I have ever eaten!’

English Crumpets

1 cup of Milk

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of dry yeast

2 cups of baker’s flour

1 teaspoon of salt

A knob of butter

Place milk and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently.

The sugar should dissolve and the milk should be heater until it feels warm and not to hot, then you can take it of the heat. If it is too hot to touch, then let it cool or you risk killing the yeast.

When the milk is perfect, add the yeast, stir, then cover with a tea-towel and leave in a warm place for ten minutes, after which the milk should be frothy.

Meanwhile, combine flour and salt in a large bowl.

Then add the frothy, yeasty milk to the flour and stir until the mixture is thick and combined.

Cover and leave to rise for about an hour or until dough had almost doubled in size.

Melt a little butter in a frypan over a medium to low heat. 

Spoon some dough onto your pan and cook for 5 – 7 minutes before flipping to cook other side.

I served mine with butter and homemade strawberry jam.

Serves 3 -4 people but the recipe could be doubled or halved.

xx