Food: Chocolate chip shortbread recipe

I know I’m totally going against the grain here with such a high-fat recipe. I’m possibly the only person out there right now not counting calories, exercising or worrying how to get a beach body.

Even if you are one of the people worrying about the pending summer (if it ever arrives – I hear there was snow in some parts of the country yesterday!) then you could always make these as a one-off weekend treat (although I suggest halving the recipe to avoid a mega pig out!) or you could bake some for your nan as a gift?

Cup & saucer from here

Before I tried this recipe I had never made shortbread before. It turned out perfect first time and has done ever since which makes it one of my favourite recipes. Not mention that they’re insanely delicious. This isn’t a recipe for the faint hearted though – it uses nearly a whole block of butter!

I can’t remember where I got this recipe from or who it belongs to as I have a notebook that I use to write down recipes from magazines so I’m not left with tons of back issues of Delicious that I can never be bothered to look at. However, I have a small inkling that it’s possibly out of one of those tiny magazines you sometimes get at the checkout at Tesco or Asda.

Chocolate chip shortbread recipe

- 225g plain flour

- ½ teaspoon baking powder

- ¼ teaspoon salt

- 225g unsalted butter (I’ve used salted butter before & left the salt out and they’ve tasted fine)

- 100g caster sugar

- 125g chocolate chips (Dark is my preference to combat the richness of the buttery cookie but I’ve also used chunks of Dairy Milk before which was rather yummy)

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 2.

2. Sieve together the flour, baking powder & salt, set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.

4. Roll into walnut-sized balls and place on ungreased baking trays 3cm apart. Flatten slightly.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown (I don’t have a fan-assisted oven so I tend to check mine halfway through and do a bit of shelf-swapping). Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks.

by emmabaines Posted on May 16, 2013

Posted in Food, Recipes | Tagged food, Recipes | 2 Comments

A first birthday party

This weekend my tiny little niece Elsie turned one. Crazy.

So Saturday morning was spent icing fairy cakes, chopping salad and blowing up the ball pit for the party.

It was Tinkerbell themed so Elsie had a little fairy outfit on and there was a big Tinkerbell cake.

Then the families arrived, which meant lots of tiny children running around and playing with all of Elsie’s awesome presents. I think her favourite was a pink pick-up truck (like those Little Tikes red and yellow ones we used to have that you push along with your feet). Although she’s a bit little at the moment to actually push it along with her feet, she spent about an hour just climbing in and out of it!

She looked like she was having lots of fun and was certainly exhausted by the end of the day!

I can’t believe it was only a year ago that she looked like this! Look at her tiny little head!

by emmabaines Posted on May 13, 2013

Posted in Family | Tagged family | 2 Comments

Summer dresses from Fever London

I was recently contacted by Fever London and I’ve spent the afternoon having a browse around the website.

Fever’s designs are based on vintage treasures that they find in boutiques, thrift shops and flea markets around the world. Their clothes are all about statement prints and elegant silhouettes.

While their prices are slightly higher than some high street stores, I think it’s worth it to own something a bit more special that will make you stand out from the crowd. If you’ve got a wedding to go to this summer, it’s the perfect place to look for an outfit.

Their summer prints are inspired by British seaside resorts, bold 1960′s patterns and the beautiful flower gardens they’ve seen on their travels.

Here’s my pick of their collections: