Category: Candy and Sweets

Baking · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Cookies

Mini Egg Cookies

What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Soft and chewy cookies, filled with crushed Mini Eggs, dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks. Topped while still warm with even more Mini Eggs and chocolate!

Easter is getting closer and I felt like baking cookies, as I hadn’t made any for such a long time.

I love all kinds of cookies. I’m not fussy at all!

I’m all for the super soft, chewy ones, the deliciously thick Crème London/Levain Bakery cookies, and thin and crispy cookies!

I’ve taken the elite Easter chocolate, Cadbury Mini Eggs, and added them to a batch of cookie dough. Today, I’m presenting to you my Mini Egg Cookies.

Over the last few weeks, most supermarkets here have unveiled huge displays of Easter eggs and various Easter favourite chocolates – there’s an incredible amount of choice. A couple of my favourites include Cadbury Mini Eggs and Malteser Bunnies.

You’re going to fall in love with the texture of these cookies. They’re super soft, with a gooey middle that’s filled with chocolate.

Chocolate wise in this cookie, you can add a combination you like. I went for a mixture of dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, along with crushed Mini Eggs. You can add more Mini Eggs if you want. I like decorating the tops with more Mini Eggs for extra crunchy texture – this also ensures you get Mini Eggs in each bite of your cookie!

I find the easiest way to prepare the Mini Eggs for the cookie dough is to crush the Mini Eggs in the bag they come in with a rolling pin. You want a mixture of big and small pieces. Then tip the crushed eggs straight into your cookie dough! Alternatively, you can add the Mini Eggs whole into your cookie dough.

I used a Cadbury Mini Egg bar to top my cookies too. It’s delicious – I used the extra chocolate I had leftover from this bar and filled a croissant for breakfast. It’s game-changing!

These cookies are a scrumptious Easter bake! So good eaten freshly baked to really enjoy the gooey, soft texture. Equally enjoyed with a scoop of ice cream or dunked in a glass of milk.

With this recipe, you’re now ready to get your cookie fix this Easter!

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Mini Egg Cookies

Soft and chewy cookies, filled with crushed Mini Eggs, dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks. Topped while still warm with even more Mini Eggs and chocolate!
Prep Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 22 minutes
Servings 18
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 280 g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt add just a pinch if using salted butter
  • 170 g butter (salted or unsalted) melted and cooled for 5 minutes
  • 150 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 100 g granulated or caster sugar
  • 1 medium or large egg
  • 1 medium or large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 150 g Cadbury Mini Eggs crushed or roughly chopped
  • 150 g chocolate chips or chunks I used a mix of dark chocolate chips and chunks of white chocolate - you can add more mini eggs instead
  • Cadbury Mini Eggs and chocolate extra to decorate the tops of each cookie

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cornflour and the salt - only add a pinch of salt if using salted butter.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter with both types of sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the whole egg, egg yolk and the vanilla extract, and whisk again to combine.
  • Now add the wet ingredients to your bowl of dry ingredients. Gently fold together to combine. Add your Mini Eggs and other chocolate of choice, stir to mix through. Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough for at least 2-3 hours, or up to 3 days. I leave mine overnight and then allow it to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.
  • When ready to roll the cookie dough, take 60g portions and roll into balls.
  • Space the cookie dough out on 2-3 large baking trays - you might need to bake the cookies in batches. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges - the cookies will appear very soft, but that's what you want. Press extra chopped Mini Eggs and chocolate on top of each cookie while they're still hot. Leave the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking trays, then they're ready to serve.
  • The cookies will keep for up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container or a covered plate at room temperature.

Below are the Easter cookies I baked last year. These were vegan and were filled with dark chocolate chips and hazelnuts – yum!

We’re crazy for cookies here on WJBN! We’ve shared many biscuit/cookies with you, below are some favourites!

Easy Oat Biscuits

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pret’s Dark Chocolate Almond Cookies

Butter Cookies

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Scottish Shortbread

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Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Gluten-Free · No-Bake

Chocolate Truffles

What Jessica Baked Next3 Comments

Homemade French-style chocolate truffles. Made with dark chocolate, cream, butter and a touch of brown sugar. These fudgy truffles will just melt in your mouth. They make a wonderful gift or after dinner sweet treat.

At Christmas and for my birthday, during the summer, for the last couple of years, I received a box of chocolate truffles from friends and family, as a gift. The people close to me know just how much I love a good chocolate truffle.

We’ve been working our way through all the confectionery we got recently for Christmas and the other day, I finished the last of my latest box of dark chocolate truffles.

Whilst I was eating them, I thought about making chocolate truffles for the blog. In the past, I’ve made these 3 Ingredient Oreo Truffles, but today I have a classic chocolate truffle for you.

Chocolate Truffles are a decadent treat made from dark chocolate and double cream. These two ingredients, when heated and combined, make a chocolate ganache.

I use ganache to spread on top of Chocolate Fudge Cake, pipe on cupcakes, but in this case, you can roll the ganache once it’s chilled into balls to make truffles.

Making your own chocolate truffles is super easy. This recipe requires a fair bit of patience, as the ganache needs to chill in the fridge for a few hours or even better, up to overnight.

What Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Truffles

  • Dark Chocolate – I use a supermarket’s own brand chocolate bar. Honestly, you don’t need to spend lots on expensive chocolate – use whatever fits in with your budget. I tend to go for a chocolate that is at least 50% cocoa solids or thereabouts. You can make chocolate truffles with chocolate containing over 70% cocoa solids. These will be slightly more bitter in taste, so bear that in mind.
  • Double Cream – Full-fat double cream is essential for these chocolate truffles. The cream will make your truffles extra decadent, will give them that soft, melt in the mouth texture.
  • Butter – Use either salted or unsalted butter – I prefer to use salted butter. The butter adds even more richness and will help make the chocolate truffles easier to roll. Once the truffles come to room temperature ready for serving, the butter, just like the cream, gives them that soft texture.
  • Brown Sugar – Just a tablespoon of brown sugar brings a touch of extra sweetness to balance out the dark chocolate. You can omit it if you want.

Transfer your chocolate mixture to a shallow baking tin, cover and chill. Chilling time is very important.

The ganache needs chilling for at least 3 hours. I would recommend longer, even up to overnight.

These are indulgently creamy chocolate truffles. The only downside to that is that they’re very sticky when rolling.

Scoop the truffles into 2 teaspoon sized portions. You can roll them smaller and use 1 teaspoon instead and therefore make double the amount of truffles. Roll them as quickly as you can, as soon as the chocolate hits your hand, it will begin to soften/melt slightly, so the trick is to roll as quickly as you can – they don’t need to be the perfect round shape.

Once you’ve rolled your truffles, roll them in sifted cocoa powder. Alternatively, you can roll the truffles in chocolate or colourful sprinkles. Desiccated coconut, chopped nuts, crushed biscuit/cookies, or even some crushed freeze-dried fruit would contrast really well.

Once the truffles are coated, finally, place the truffles back in the fridge again for a further half an hour to set. After that, the wait is finally over and the truffles are ready to eat!

The longer they sit in the fridge, the firmer texture your truffles will have.

These make a lovely edible treat for your friends and family for a special occasion.

Our truffles only lasted just over a day. I loved them even more the next day when they’d been in the fridge overnight and the chocolate flavour definitely intensified.

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Chocolate Truffles

Homemade French Chocolate Truffles. The perfect, indulgent chocolate treat made with 4 ingredients.
Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings 18
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 200 g dark chocolate use chocolate containing at least 50% cocoa solids
  • 150 ml double cream
  • 25 g butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar optional
  • 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder for coating the truffles

Instructions

  • Chop the chocolate into small pieces - the smaller, the quicker the chocolate will melt. Transfer the chopped chocolate to a medium sized mixing bowl.
  • Place the cream, butter and brown sugar (if using) in a small pan. Heat gently until bubbles just begin to appear on the surface. You don't want this mixture rapidly boiling.
  • Pour the warm cream mixture over the chopped chocolate. Gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Transfer the ganache to a shallow baking tray, cover and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
  • When ready to roll the truffles, sift about a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder on a plate or in a small bowl. Take 2 teaspoons worth of the ganache, very quickly roll into a ball using your hands - try to limit how long the mixture is in your hands. Drop the truffles in the cocoa powder and roll around to coat. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining ganache.
  • Place the truffles in the fridge to set for a further 30 minutes before serving. The truffles will keep stored in the fridge for up to one week.

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Biscuits and Cookies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · No-Bake

3 Ingredient Oreo Fudge

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Amazing three ingredient white chocolate Oreo fudge – this scrummy fudge recipe takes less than 15 minutes to make and no scales or specialist equipment is needed! 

Fudge is a quintessential Christmas recipe to make and one type of confectionery I’m sure we all make over the holidays. I’ve previously shared an Oreo fudge recipe, but with that recipe I used this Vanilla Clotted Cream Fudge as a base and added some chopped up pieces of Oreo. This Oreo white chocolate fudge is SO much easier and quicker to make and saves you all the elbow grease that my other recipe requires!

Several fudge recipes have appeared on my blog over the years I’ve created content for it. I love adding pieces of chopped up biscuit/cookie to fudge mixes. I’ve added bourbon cream biscuits and custard creams to make Bourbon Biscuit Fudge and Custard Cream Fudge. Now it’s time to turn to one of my other favourite biscuits/cookies: Oreos!

Oreo fudge is completely fail-proof, there really isn’t much skill involved but the end result is utterly delicious. The white chocolate flavour is incredibly good, it’s super creamy and every bite of the fudge you get a taste of the chocolatey Oreos.

Oreo + white chocolate = an absolutely heavenly combo!

To make the fudge you’ll start by simmering a some water in a pan and then place the white chocolate and condensed milk in a heatproof bowl and place that atop the simmering water (make sure the base of your bowl is not directly touching the water). Heat it very gently and stir until it’s melted and smooth. By the time these two ingredients are melted you’ll have a thick mixture. Now off the heat add 3/4 of the chopped Oreos and stir until they’re mixed through the fudge.

Transfer the fudge mixture to a lined square tin and top with the remaining Oreos. At this point you can decorate the top of your fudge with any other decorations/sprinkles – I topped mine with some mini white chocolate chips I had in my kitchen.

When you come to cut up your fudge you’ll get approx. 36 squares of fudge. This fudge is super sweet so you might get more if you cut the fudge into smaller squares.

The fudge will keep stored in the fridge or at room temperature for up to a week. The Oreos will soften slightly but the fudge is still delicious nonetheless.

Oreo fudge is a wonderful no-bake treat and a fantastic gift to wrap up for your loved ones this holiday season!

(Makes 36 pieces)

500g white chocolate, broken into small pieces

1 x 400g (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 x 154g pack Oreos, roughly chopped – this can be substituted with Golden Oreos or another biscuit/cookie you like

Method:

  1. Line a 20cm square tin with parchment paper – leave a little overhanging the sides to make it easier to lift the fudge from the tin later on.
  2. Place the chocolate and condensed milk in a medium sized bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water – make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t directly touch the water. Heat gently on a low heat and stir until completely melted and smooth.
  3. Take off the heat and stir through approx. 3/4 of the chopped Oreos. Spread the fudge out into the lined tin and top with the remaining chopped Oreos. At this point you can decorate the top of the fudge with any other decorations.
  4. Cover the fudge and leave it to set in the fridge for for 2-4 hours or overnight.
  5. Cut the fudge up into squares as big or small as you want – this makes roughly 36 servings. The fudge will keep for up to a week in the fridge or at room temperature.

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Candy and Sweets · No-Bake

Twix Caramel Fudge

What Jessica Baked Next3 Comments

Chunks of yummy Twix chocolate bar mixed through smooth and creamy salted caramel fudge. 

I know we’re all going through difficult, uncertain times and I fully understand that you might be finding it hard to get access to ingredients at the moment, but I hope to continue spreading positivity and share recipes with you based on ingredients that are currently available to me. The last week I’ve truly been surprised at how many people have visited my blog for recipes and sharing pictures of recipes they’ve been baking – something I’m extremely grateful for and further encourages me to carry on publishing content on my little corner of the internet.

So today, I have a delicious treat for you try. Let’s crack on with a new recipe.

Say hello to this glorious Twix Caramel Fudge.

I know I say it every time, but this fudge recipe is special! One bite and you’re gonna reach for piece after piece – I know that because that’s exactly what I do every time I’ve made this fudge! This fudge is super decadent and sweet, so you can cut the pieces of fudge however big or small you want – some of my pieces were different sizes. This recipe makes roughly 40 small pieces of fudge, minus a few pieces you’re probably likely to devour as soon as you’ve sliced the fudge up!

I’ve created a few fabulous fudge recipes, including this Bourbon Biscuit Fudge and a blog favourite for many years, Custard Cream Fudge, but I’ve always been determined to share more.

I hadn’t made fudge since sharing my bourbon biscuit version last year, which is ironic because I promised to share more fudge creations of mine sooner. I think I just got carried away with all the other delicious recipes I’ve discovered along the way.

The first time I made this caramel fudge, the quantities were wrong as I made too much fudge for the tin I was using, so when I came to cut it up the fudge hadn’t properly set and was very soft and not particularly easy to cut into neat pieces. Though the taste was spot on, I knew the recipe needed altering before I was confident sharing it.

When I started considering new fudge flavours to share with you, I realised that I’ve never shared a caramel-flavoured fudge with you before. I’m caramel obsessed, which you might have already guessed with me sharing these Butterscotch Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream and this No-Bake Cheesecake, both showcasing yummy caramel/dulce de leche.

While I think this fudge is delicious left as it is, I put some add-ins into my batch of fudge. Caramel/millionaire’s shortbread is a popular bake, it’s basically a shortbread base, topped with a layer of caramel and then it has a thin layer of chocolate on top of the caramel.

To incorporate the millionaire’s theme into this fudge, I chopped up some chocolate bars and mixed those through the fudge. I chose Twix bars as these are one of my favourite chocolate bars. I don’t actually eat chocolate bars that often, so when I want to treat myself to one I tend to go for a bar or confectionery that has biscuit/cookie, caramel and chocolate.

The Twix bars work amazingly well in this caramel fudge. I love the smooth, creamy fudge that melts in the mouth and then the crunch and chewiness the Twix adds to every scrumptious bite of this fudge.

(Makes 40 pieces)

Ingredients:

240ml (1 cup) sweetened condensed milk

180g (1 cup) dark or light brown sugar

115g (1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter (salted or unsalted)

2 tablespoons golden syrup – light corn syrup can be used as a substitute

A generous pinch of salt – table salt or sea salt flakes are both great to use

200g (1 and 1/3 cup) white chocolate, chopped

10 x 23g Twix chocolate bars, chopped – I used half milk chocolate and half white chocolate Twix

Method:

  1. Line a 20cm / 8-inch square baking tin with parchment paper and set aside for later. In a large saucepan place the condensed milk, sugar, butter, golden syrup and salt. Heat gently on a low heat stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat up to medium and continue stirring the fudge until it’s simmering and has thickened and coats the back of a spatula/spoon – this will take about 5 minutes.
  2. Once the fudge has thickened, remove it from the heat and stir through the white chocolate and continue to mix until all the chocolate has melted.
  3. Gently fold through 3/4 of the chopped Twix bars – be quick with this and don’t over mix otherwise the chocolate bars will break down and melt too much. The chocolate will melt slightly, but swirled through the fudge this looks and tastes really good!
  4. Transport the fudge mixture into prepared tin and top with the remaining chopped Twix bars.
  5. Cover the fudge and leave it set in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results. Once the fudge has set, cut it up in pieces and serve.

Recipe Notes:

  • Fudge will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Without the chocolate bars incorporated into the fudge it will last for up to a fortnight.
  • I bought two packs of Twix that had 9 x 23g bars in each pack. If you only want to buy one pack, then you can use 9 bars (instead of 10) chopped up in the fudge.
  • Following on from the note above, you can use supermarket own brand chocolate caramel bars if preferred.

Recipe inspired by Sweetest Menu

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Candy and Sweets

Custard Cream Fudge

What Jessica Baked Next59 Comments

Vanilla clotted cream fudge filled with chunks of custard creams. You’ll be reaching for piece after piece of this scrummy fudge!

Originally posted in May 2014, recipe and photographs updated August 2019. 

As mentioned above, today on the blog I have a recipe update to share. It’s seriously delicious, requires five ingredients and will be gone in a flash!

I previously shared this recipe five years ago and as I was making this fudge again last weekend and I thought I’d update the recipe and photos from the original blog post.

Several months ago I made this Bourbon Biscuit Fudge and that reminded me of this recipe I created when I’d just started food blogging – it’s such a long time ago now! I always find it nice to go back, update and remake older recipes because often as a food blogger you’re having so much fun creating new content that you tend to overlook older, much-loved bakes that are deserving of a makeover.

My custard cream fudge has proved popular with readers making and enjoying it, also on one occasion my auntie took some of this along to a charity bake sale and it sold out almost immediately!

Not to sound bigheaded, but I think that tells you how good this fudge recipe is!

My sister, Becky, modelling this yummy custard cream fudge. The best sweetshop vanilla fudge with chunks of crunchy biscuits throughout!

I use a brilliant clotted cream fudge recipe from Rodda’s and add chopped custard creams. For anyone overseas or who might not know what custard creams are, they’re basically two plain biscuits sandwiched together with a vanilla custard-flavoured buttercream filling.

Trust me, once you’ve tasted a custard cream there’s no doubt about it you’ll be hooked on them! Along with bourbon cream biscuits, digestives, gingernuts and jammy dodgers, custard creams too are one of us Britons favourite biscuits for dunking into tea.

The crunch from the vanilla flavoured biscuits contrasts wonderfully with the rich decadent clotted cream fudge. The reason I love this fudge recipe is because it tastes almost exactly like handmade fudge from a traditional sweetshop, but better because it’ll be made in your own kitchen!

(Makes approx. 40 pieces)

Ingredients:

275g caster sugar

1 x 227g tub Cornish clotted cream

100g golden syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

200g custard creams, chopped

Method:

  1. Line a 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20cm) square tin with parchment paper and set aside.
    Place all the ingredients (except the custard creams) in a large saucepan. Heat gently and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Turn the heat up and the bring the mixture up to the boil – occasionally stir the fudge to stop it catching. Allow to boil for 3-5 minutes until it’s turned a light golden colour. Then take straight off the heat – you can check the fudge is ready by using a sugar thermometer. If it has reached 116°C / 240°F then it’s ready. But if you don’t have a thermometer you can drop a small amount of the mixture into a glass of cold water and if a soft ball forms, then the fudge is ready to take off the heat.
  3. Using a wooden spoon, continuously beat the fudge for 5-10 minutes until it is really thick and matte. Now fold in 3/4 of the chopped biscuits. Spread the fudge into the tin you prepared and lined earlier and decorate the top with the remaining chopped biscuits – press into the top to make sure they stick.
  4. Place the fudge in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight until set. Once set, cut the fudge into pieces – this recipe makes approx. 40 pieces of fudge.
  5. Fudge will keep in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes:

  • Though the recipe only requires five ingredients, the vanilla extract is optional. I love the flavour it adds, but it can be omitted.
  • This recipe makes roughly 40 pieces of fudge, it might make more or less depending on how big or small you cut your squares of fudge.
  • The fudge is best left overnight to set for it to firm up enough.
  • This fudge will keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, please note that the biscuit on top will soften and loses it crunchiness a little the longer you keep it – however the biscuit takes on a softer more cake-like consistency, which is still very enjoyable nonetheless.

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Baking · Brownies · Buttercream and Frosting · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

Ganache Frosted Fudge Brownies

What Jessica Baked Next12 Comments

Bake yourself these chocolate fudge brownies frosted with dark chocolate ganache ready for when a chocolate craving hits. These brownies have a delectable truffle-like texture and are dangerously good served with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. 

I’ve taken my go-to Chocolate Fudge Brownies to the next level of deliciousness by covering them in silky smooth chocolate ganache and topping with M&M chocolates (FYI I actually didn’t realise until now that the last two recipes I’ve shared have both contained M&M’s!). Decorate and dress up your batch of brownies as you wish, you can leave them plain or beautify them as much as you want.

As the title describes these brownies are scrumptiously fudgy in texture just like a rich chocolate truffle, so if you’re more into cakey brownies then this recipe might not be what you’re looking for, but that said this brownie recipe has converted even the most chocolate dessert loathing person I know!

I’m a lover of all types of brownies, both cakey and fudge, but these fudge brownies have the edge for me.

This recipe is little more lengthy than other brownie recipes but it’s definitely well worth the wait. I say this because once baked, the brownies will need to be left to set for at least 6 hours, I usually make mine in advance and leave them overnight, then the ganache will need to be left to set at room temperature for an additional couple of hours on top of that.

The brownies are best stored in the fridge and because I baked mine on a really hot day, I found that my ganache took a little longer to set because of the heat and the brownies were very soft (just something to take into account). They’re far easier to slice up into pieces when they’ve been chilled for a while in the fridge, plus once they’ve been in the fridge they go all dense and even yummier in my opinion!

This is the perfect treat yourself brownie – it has tonnes of chocolate flavour and the ganache layer just makes these even more special!

We love these brownies as they are even without the luxurious ganache topping, however I feel the ganache makes these into a restaurant-worthy dessert. My sister and I took the M&M’s off a couple of squares of these brownies and microwaved them for about 20-30 seconds and the brownies went all gooey and reminded us of a molten lava chocolate pudding.

These brownies are an all-round favourite and this recipe will not let you down. Grab your apron and ingredients and get ready to bake up a storm and some of the most sinful brownies you’ll ever taste!

(Makes approx. 16-24 small pieces)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Fudge Brownies:

200g butter (salted or unsalted), cut into small cubes

200g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 large free-range eggs

2 large free-range egg yolks

270g caster sugar

115g plain flour

35g cocoa powder

Chocolate Ganache:

200g dark chocolate, cut into 2cm pieces

200ml double cream

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted)

Method:

  1. To make the brownies: Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20cm) square tin with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave in 20-second intervals until completely melted and smooth. Set this mixture aside and leave it to cool for 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile whisk the eggs and egg yolks together until combined. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly, add the egg mixture and stir to combine.
  4. In large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and sugar, sift the cocoa powder over the top and mix until thoroughly combined and no lumps of flour remain.
  5. Now add the chocolate mixture and stir until combined, try not to over mix otherwise this may result in your baked brownies being tough. Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake the brownies for 40-45 minutes, they’ll be ready when they’re risen, the top has started to slightly crack and a cake tester when inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
  6. Leave the brownies to cool completely in the tin, then once cooled leave them to set for at least 6 hours or overnight for best results.
  7. To make the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. Heat the cream and golden syrup in a small saucepan until bubbles just begin to appear on the surface and just before it starts to come up to the boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until mostly melted. Now add the butter and continue to stir until smooth. Directly place a piece of clingfilm on the top of the ganache and leave it at room temperature for about two hours until spreadable.
  8. Every spread the ganache on top of the now cooled brownie and further decorate as you desire – I decorated mine with M&M chocolates, at this point I highly recommend chilling the brownies for a bit before slicing.
  9. When ready to serve, slice the brownies into 16-24 squares – because of the ganache layer you might want to cut the pieces a little smaller as these brownies are very rich. Brownies will store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe Notes:

  • My oven is fan assisted and even though the recipe states to bake the brownies at 140°C Fan, I’ve always baked mine at 160°C Fan instead to ensure they’re not too undercooked.
  • Serve the brownies as they are or with ice cream, pouring or whipped cream and fruit. I like to serve my brownies with fruit, because it cuts through the richness of the brownie.
  • Usually I would say this brownie (without the ganache) serves about 16, however with the ganache layer they’re even more decadent so I reckon you could slice the brownies into 24 smaller pieces.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

M&M Cookies

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Colourful, fun and delicious cookies. It’s hard to resist these perfectly crisp and chewy vanilla flavoured cookies filled with crunchy chocolate M&M’s. 

I was kindly sent some products from SelfPackaging to present my bakes in. I wasn’t contracted to write a blog post and all views and opinions are my own.

There’s no sweeter way to welcome Monday and the start of a new week than serving you a plate of homemade M&M cookies! This latest cookie creation of mine is based on my Chocolate Chip Cookies, but this time I’ve swapped the chocolate chips for lots of chocolate M&M’s, which contrast perfectly with this deliciously soft and chewy cookie.

This is what your cookie dough should look like and hopefully you won’t be tempted to eat it all before baking!

There hasn’t ever been a time that I haven’t loved M&M’s (I especially like the bags with crispy, chocolate and peanut M&M’s), they’re definitely my favourite candy/sweet of all time. When I visited New York City a few years ago, I came home with a 1kg bag of chocolate M&M’s – I actually packed my suitcase full of American confectionery to enjoy when I arrived back in the UK. The downside was, because I bought so much during my trip, that my friend and I actually had to rush and buy an extra suitcase just so we were able to bring the goodies home before our plane left!

Anyway, my love of M&M’s led me to create this cookie recipe and this just might be my favourite cookie I’ve baked for my blog. I prefer my cookies to be softly baked, if you like your cookies the same way as I do then make sure to bake them until they’ve just started turning golden around the edges, but if you want your cookies crispier then just leave the cookies a few minutes longer in the oven.

With the arrival of summer, I highly recommend you serve two of these cookies sandwiched together with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – we made cookie sandwiches using these and they were amazingly yummy and I know for certain I’ll be making these all summer long.

I love making lots of tasty treats, but most the time baking for my blog leaves me with a lot of leftovers, more than the four people living in the house can eat. Because of this I often give a lot of my bakes away, sometimes to family, friends or neighbours.

I always struggle to find a container or a way I can transport my bakes to the recipient/s in an appetising way. Thankfully, SelfPackaging, a company based in Barcelona, got in contact and sent me some of their creative and eco-friendly packaging boxes and gift boxes to store and share my bakes in.

I’ve been sent many lovely products to showcase my bakes, I received boxes for cookies and macarons, a cupcake stand and large cake boxes.

I filled my beautiful pink and lilac cookie and macaron boxes with these M&M cookies. The boxes can be tied with pink bakers twine and decorated with pretty pink and white heart pendant tags and tags personalised for example with your own blog/business logo. It was a really nice surprise to receive my personalised tags with my blog logo, which was drawn by my good friend, Alice.

(Makes 15-20)

Ingredients:

150g butter (salted or unsalted), softened

80g light brown sugar

80g caster sugar

1 large free-range egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

225g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt (add a 1/4 teaspoon if using unsalted butter)

250g (2 x 125g packets) chocolate M&M’s, plus extra for decoration

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C Fan / 375°F / Gas Mark 5. Cream the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar together until pale and creamy.
  2. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and beat until completely incorporated.
  3. Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda together over the top of the mixture and gently fold in until a few specks of flour remains.
  4. Now add the chocolate chips and fold them through until evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
  5. Cover and chill the dough for at least 15 minutes – for this batch of cookies I chilled my dough for one hour.
  6. Divide the cookie dough into 15-20 equally sized pieces – each piece should roughly weigh 50g and then roll the cookie dough into balls between your palms. Evenly spread on two to three large baking trays lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (leave a gap between each cookie to allow for spreading).
  7. Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes until they’ve turned a light golden colour – watch the cookies closely as all ovens are different and you don’t want these to over bake. When the cookies come out the oven they will appear under baked, however, as they cool they will firm up as they cool.
  8. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking trays for a few minutes. As the cookies cool you can press a few extra M&M’s on the tops if desired, then gently transport the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. The cookies will store in an airtight container for up to one week, but I find they’re best eaten on the day of baking or the day after.

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Biscuits and Cookies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · No-Bake

Bourbon Biscuit Fudge

What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

Bourbon cream biscuits are a traditional British biscuit and make a yummy addition mixed into chocolate fudge. 

I have so many favourite biscuits and my sweet tooth is definitely a downfall of mine. Once I’ve opened a pack of biscuits, I find it extremely hard to stop eating them – I’m sure you have the same problem too?

I made and shared this Vanilla Clotted Cream Fudge last November and haven’t made any more fudge since then. As that was a vanilla fudge, I thought I would go for something completely different and carry on the chocolate theme with my last two consecutive recipes all involving chocolate.

So here it is, my third chocolate recipe in a row. Say hello to this gloriously chocolatey Bourbon Biscuit Fudge.

I think this might be the easiest and quickest recipe I’ve posted on my blog to date. This magical chocolate fudge recipe simply requires a tin of condensed milk, (dark and milk) chocolate bars and a pack of bourbon biscuits – it’s hard to believe how little ingredients produce something so scrumptious.

Bourbons were a childhood favourite biscuit of mine along with custard creams and Jammy Dodgers, so I was very excited to taste this new fudge creation.

As yummy as this chocolate fudge is left plain, I couldn’t resist adding some chopped bourbon cream biscuits into the fudge and pressed a few on top of the fudge before allowing it to set. While I chose to add bourbon biscuits to my fudge, you can absolutely add any other biscuits, chocolate or sweets you like.

The fudge is deliciously creamy and smooth and you’ll find yourself in exactly the same situation I was when I made this, I couldn’t stop at just one square of this fudge. I wish I had more willpower when it comes to sweet treats! However, because this fudge is so incredibly sweet, one or two squares will be more than enough to satisfy your sugar cravings.

I could definitely see myself having a shop dedicated to selling all my fudge creations. I have lots of (probably too many) fudge recipe ideas based on this recipe up my sleeve, so keep an eye throughout the upcoming year for more!

(Makes 36 pieces)

Ingredients:

397g can sweetened condensed milk

400g chocolate – I used a mix of 200g of dark chocolate and 200g milk chocolate, broken into pieces

200g pack bourbon cream biscuits, chopped

Method:

  1. Line a 20cm / 8-inch square baking tin with parchment paper, making sure you leave enough paper up the sides to ensure you can release the fudge easily once it’s set.
  2. Place the condensed milk and chocolate in a medium sized saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly until the chocolate has completely melted. Take off the heat and fold in 3/4 of the chopped biscuits.
  3. Spread the fudge into the baking tin. Decorate the top with the remaining chopped biscuits – press into the top to make sure they stick.
  4. Cover the fudge and leave it to set in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours or overnight for the best results.
  5. Slice the fudge into approx. 36 squares – it might make more depending on how big or small you decide to cut your fudge. Fudge will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes:

  • Use the best quality chocolate you can afford.
  • Make sure to heat the fudge mixture really gently, heating it too quickly will overheat the chocolate and it might seize.
  • This recipe makes roughly 36 pieces of fudge, it might make more or less depending on how big or small you cut your squares of fudge.
  • The fudge is best left overnight to set for it to firm up enough.
  • This fudge will keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, please note that the biscuit on top will soften and loses it crunchiness a little the longer you keep it – however the biscuit takes on a softer more cake-like consistency, which is still very enjoyable nonetheless.

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Baking · Cakes · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

Chocolate Traybake

What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

Easy and simple chocolate traybake is a great cake for parties and all kinds of celebrations. Moist chocolate sponge cake is topped with a dark chocolate ganache icing and can be decorated with your favourite chocolate and sprinkles. 

Last month I shared my Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes and I’m back this time with a super easy and delicious chocolate traybake.

I just love chocolate cake and will always find one way or another to fulfil my chocolate fix!

This is an amazing cake recipe you want to have in your back pocket ready for celebrations. It’s the kind of cake that’ll go down a storm at birthday parties and a get-together with family and friends.

I guarantee you that this traybake will disappear instantly upon slicing!

I have lots of chocolate cakes and cupcakes on my blog already, but there’s certainly room for more. I baked and shared this Chocolate Fudge Cake all the way back in 2015 and that cake is completely different to this traybake as it’s super dense and fudge-like. Whereas this traybake has a light and airy texture.

It’s up to you on how you decorate your traybake and because it’s nearly Easter I chose to decorate mine with mini eggs, colourful sugar-coated chocolates and mini milk and white chocolate chips. It’s colourful and fun and this cake really does taste as impressive as it looks!

I’m excited to bake this traybake again as there is so many ways to decorate it and it can be adapted for any occasion!

(Serves 15-20)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake: 

75g cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

200ml boiling water

4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

370g light brown sugar

180ml vegetable oil

200g self-raising flour, sifted

Chocolate Ganache: 

150g dark chocolate, broken into pieces – approx. 50% cocoa solids

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 tablespoons double cream

Method:

  1. To make the cake: In a small bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water. Mix until combined and then set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 23cm x 30cm baking tin that’s at least 4cm deep with baking parchment.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and oil until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate mixture to this and whisk again until incorporated. Finally, add flour and whisk until mixed fully.
  4. Pour the cake batter into the cake tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes (my cake took 30 minutes exactly) or until a cake tester when inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Once the cake is baked, leave it to cool in the cake tin completely.
  5. To make the ganache: Place the dark chocolate, golden syrup and double cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Continue to stir until you have a glossy ganache.
  6. Spread the ganache on top of the cake – it will be a thin layer and as the cake is very rich this amount is just right. Decorate the cake with chocolate and or sprinkles. Leave the cake to set at room temperature for a couple of hours before slicing into squares. The traybake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe from Annie Bell’s Baking Bible

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Baking · Candy and Sweets

Vanilla Clotted Cream Fudge

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Cornish clotted cream fudge that tastes like fudge from a sweet shop. This fudge has a divine caramelised flavour and an irresistibly creamy texture. 

I wanted to share this fudge recipe in time for the start of the festive season. I make fudge mostly over Christmastime and this clotted cream fudge is a recipe I’m repeatedly asked to make every Christmas.

It’s a delicious and thoughtful gift for family and friends – who wouldn’t love to receive an edible gift as a Christmas present?

This fudge recipe I’m sharing with you today is inspired by my love of Cornish fudge. Cornwall is an idyllic area in the South West of the UK, if you’ve ever visited Cornwall then you’ll know just how amazing the scenery is and how equally special the food is too. If you have sweet tooth then you’ll enjoy all that Cornwall has to offer in terms of cream teas, ice cream and endless fudge flavours to choose from!

It’s been far too long since I last shared a fudge recipe and I knew I had to do something about that. I made this chocolate fudge a while back and since then I’ve had suggestions to share a vanilla version.

You won’t need to use a sugar thermometer to make this fudge, just stir all the ingredients together in a saucepan, bring it up to the boil, then continue to boil the mixture for another 3-5 minutes. Stir it every now and then to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan and pick up too much colour. Once the fudge has turned a light golden colour, this is now your cue to remove the pan from the heat. After the pan is off the heat, you’ll now need to beat the fudge mixture until it becomes matte and is thick (this can take anything from 5-10 minutes to achieve the correct consistency).

I’m not going to lie as this last step does need a fair bit of elbow grease, but it will be worth all the hard work, trust me on that!

I made this fudge again last week ready for Christmas gifts, I like to get organised with my Christmas preparation as I’m usually working up to and during the festive season. This fudge will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and it can also be frozen for up to 3 months, I have now got a batch of fudge in the freezer, well maybe half a batch!

(Makes approx. 40 pieces)

Ingredients:

275g caster sugar

100g golden syrup

1 x 227g tub of clotted cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

  1. Line a 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20cm) square tin with parchment paper and set aside.
    Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat gently and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Turn the heat up and the bring the mixture up to the boil – occasionally stir the fudge to stop it catching. Allow to boil for 3-5 minutes until it’s turned a light golden colour. Then take straight off the heat – you can check the fudge is ready by using a sugar thermometer. If it has reached 116°C / 240°F then it’s ready. But if you don’t have a thermometer you can drop a small amount of the mixture into a glass of cold water and if a soft ball forms, then the fudge is ready to take off the heat.
  3. Using a wooden spoon, continuously beat the fudge for 5-10 minutes until it is really thick and matte. Spread the fudge into the tin you prepared and lined earlier and then leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  4. Place the fudge in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight until set. Once set, cut the fudge into pieces – this recipe makes approx. 40 pieces of fudge.
  5. The fudge will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks or you can freeze it for up to 3 months if you want to prepare this fudge ahead of time.

Recipe Notes:

  • Be careful as the fudge mixture can bubble quite ferociously and easily cause a painful burn if it comes in contact with skin.
  • I package my fudge pieces in clear gift bags which you can get from many online retailers and then tie a festive ribbon around the top or you could also use a small gift box lined with tissue paper to present your fudge.

Recipe from Rodda’s

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