Kinder Cookies

November 9, 2024November 9, 2024 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Kinder Cookies! Vanilla cookie dough filled with chunks of milk chocolate, Kinder bars, and topped after baking with Kinder Bueno. This is a Kinder-lovers go-to cookie!

Soft and chewy vanilla flavoured cookie dough, filled with molten chunks of Kinder chocolate bars. Once baked and beautifully golden, these delectable cookies are topped with even more Kinder chocolate bars, and half a Kinder Bueno bar.

Say a big hello to my amazing Kinder Cookies.

I used the same base recipe as these Smarties Cookies (Easy, No-Chill Dough), a recipe I shared back during the summer. I’ve always loved Kinder chocolate and all things chocolate-hazelnut!

So this cookie creation was bound to happen, and have a place on my blog sometime!

The cookie dough is pretty straight forward and easy to prepare. You don’t even need to chill it, you can make the dough and bake it straight away. I do sometimes chill my cookie dough, so if you want to make this recipe in advance, you can leave it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Each cookie is filled with chunks of gooey Kinder chocolate bars. I believe these cookies are best eaten fresh from the oven, the cookie dough itself is still a little soft, and the chocolate is extra gooey and melted while warm.

If you’re a Kinder chocolate fan like me, I really hope you give this recipe a try! This might just be my new favourite cookie recipe!

Kinder Cookies

Kinder Cookies! Vanilla cookie dough filled with chunks of milk chocolate, Kinder bars, and topped after baking with Kinder Bueno. This is a Kinder-lovers go-to cookie!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 12

Total Time 32

Servings 15

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

115 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
90 g dark or light brown sugar
50 g caster or granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
210 g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100 g bar dark or milk chocolate roughly chopped - you can substitute with chocolate chips
200 g Kinder chocolate bars broken into chunks, plus extra for decoration
Kinder Bueno bars for decoration (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 4. Line two large baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
To make the cookie dough, cream the softened butter with both types of sugar until creamy. Now add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix to combine.
Now add the flour, the bicarbonate of soda and a generous pinch of salt (only add salt if using unsalted butter). Mix to combine. Finally, fold through the chocolate chunks and Kinder bars until fully mixed.
Take 1 and 1/2 tablespoon measures of the cookie dough, and roll into balls. Place the cookie dough balls on the baking trays, spacing them apart to allow for spreading.
Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes, or until just lightly golden around the edges. Press a few extra pieces of Kinder chocolate bar and some Kinder Bueno bars on top of the cookies while they're still warm. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They're best enjoyed fresh from the oven.

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Baking · Chocolate · Muffins

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

August 28, 2024 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Fluffy and moist muffins filled with tangy raspberry and creamy white chocolate. The perfect, easy recipe for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon sweet treat.

A sister recipe to my Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins, these Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins are effortlessly easy to prepare, take very little time to mix up, and have that unbeatable bakery-style taste!

Making use of the beautiful raspberries that are still in season for the remaining weeks of summer – I’m still lucky to be picking my own homegrown raspberries! Like my Raspberry Swirl Lemon Cheesecake Bars, you can still bake these muffins throughout the year. They’re not exclusive to just the summer, as frozen raspberries can also be used instead of fresh – but bear in mind that they might take longer to bake fully because the frozen fruit is wetter.

Just like the blueberry version, the raspberry version was well received by my taste testers too. They thoroughly enjoyed them (myself included), we managed to devour an entire batch in just about two days!

The creamy white chocolate and tangy bursts of fresh raspberry make for a sensational taste. This is a popular muffin flavour combination for a very good reason. You can add a touch of lemon zest to your batter for something different, or switch the white chocolate for dark/milk chocolate if you prefer to do that.

The muffins fill your kitchen with a delicious and enticing aroma.

Once baked, any further decoration is optional. I like to drizzle with some melted white chocolate, and top with a sprinkle of freeze-dried raspberries. That, for me, makes these muffins picture perfect, and adds even more flavour to the muffins!

These muffins have a lovely crisp, golden outside, but once you cut through and see the centre, the inside is incredibly moist and ultra soft. My not-so secret ingredient I always use in my muffin batter is yogurt. Plain, full-fat natural yogurt is the way to go! It really makes a difference.

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

Fluffy and moist muffins filled with tangy raspberry and creamy white chocolate. The perfect, easy recipe for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon sweet treat.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

100 g butter (salted or unsalted) or baking spread (I use Stork) at room temperature
140 g caster or granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
140 g natural yoghurt substitute with buttermilk or sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
250 g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
150 g raspberries (fresh or frozen) if using frozen, don't thaw
100 g white chocolate chips

Decoration:

50 g white chocolate melted
freeze-dried raspberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter/baking spread with the sugar for 2 minutes until fluffy and lighter in colour.
Now add the eggs and beat to combine - don't worry if it looks curdled at this point, as once you add the dry ingredients, they will come together. Mix in the vanilla extract along with the yoghurt and milk.
Now take one tablespoon of the weighed out flour and stir that through your chocolate chips (this stops the chocolate sinking to the bottom of the muffins. You don't need to do this with the raspberries though). In a medium sized bowl, stir together the remaining flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt (omit this if you're using salted butter).
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Now add the raspberries and white chocolate chips and gently fold to combine - be careful not to over mix at this point.
Divide the muffin batter between the paper liners. Bake for 5 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 and continue baking the muffins for 15-18 more minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
Once the muffins are baked, allow them to cool for a few minutes and then transport them to a wire rack. Decorate further with a drizzle of melted white chocolate, and a sprinkle of freeze-dried raspberries.
Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins will keep for up to 3 days.

Many more tasty muffin recipes below!

Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins

Magdalenas (Spanish Lemon Muffins)

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Chocolate · Cookies · Ice Cream · No-Bake

No-Churn Cookie Dough Ice Cream

August 17, 2024August 17, 2024 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Easy no-churn vanilla ice cream filled with chunks of edible cookie dough and milk chocolate chips.

I’m back with another absolutely amazing no-churn ice cream recipe. A few months ago, I served you my Pistachio Ice Cream (3 Ingredient, No-Churn Recipe) – this recipe has been popular since posting. What’s not to love about an easy recipe that only needs 3 ingredients and one of them is pistachio paste?!

So because that ice cream recipe is still being thoroughly enjoyed, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to share maybe just one more ice cream recipe before the summer is over!

This new ice cream recipe I’ve made is cookie dough.

Cookie dough ice cream is a favourite flavour of mine, I always love a tub of cookie dough ice cream to eat straight from the tub. The tub, however, never seems big enough for the price tag. But, we can make double the amount for the same price from the supermarket. Can it get any better?

There’s a famous brand that makes great cookie dough ice cream, but this homemade recipe certainly rivals it and for me, tastes even better…

To start the recipe, we’re heat treating the flour. This makes sure the flour is free from any bacteria (a risk if it’s eaten raw). Heat treating flour is easy to do, either spread it out on a baking tray and bake for 5-7 minutes, or microwave the flour until it reaches a temperature of 75°C. This the same temperature we check our food is cooked to before serving in professional kitchens, so we’re applying that same approach with the flour for our cookie dough.

Once the flour is heated, leave it to cool completely. Once it’s cool, you can start preparing the cookie dough. Adding chocolate chips or chunks of chocolate. I went for a combination of milk and white chocolate chips in mine. Flatten your cookie dough on a piece of parchment paper and freeze while you make the ice cream base.

While the cookie dough is in the freezer firming up, now we make the vanilla ice cream base. Whip the cream and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form, then add in the can of sweetened condensed milk, and mix until combined. Now take the cookie dough from the freezer, and slice into 1/2-inch sized cubes. Reserve about 12-14 pieces of the cookie dough, roll these into balls and set aside to top the ice cream later on.

Fold the chunks of cookie dough through the ice cream, followed by the chocolate chips (also leave some of these to decorate later on). Pour the ice cream in your serving dish, top with the remaining cookie dough balls and chocolate chips. Cover and freeze!

Serve your Cookie Dough Ice Cream in bowls, waffle cones, or straight from the dish!

No-Churn Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Easy no-churn vanilla ice cream filled with chunks of edible cookie dough and milk chocolate chips.

Prep Time 45

Freezing Time 8

Servings 8

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

65 g plain flour
55 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
70 g light brown sugar
pinch of salt omit if using salted butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon double cream use from the double cream in the recipe
45 g chocolate chips mini or regular both work

Vanilla Ice Cream

500 ml double cream chilled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
397g can sweetened condensed milk
45 g chocolate chips reserve some for decoration

Instructions

To make the cookie dough: Place the flour in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Test the temperature of the flour with a thermometer, it needs to register at least 75°C. If not, microwave for a further 10 seconds at a time until it’s at the correct temperature. Alternatively, you can bake the flour at 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 for 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool. I bake mine for the full 7 minutes.
Once the flour is cool, grab a mixing bowl and cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Add a generous pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter), the vanilla, and the tablespoon of cream, mix to combine. Now, fold through the flour along with the chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough onto a parchment paper lined baking tray and press it down into one even layer. Press into a 7 to 8-inch square. Place in the freezer while you prepare the ice cream base.
To make the ice cream base: Whip the cream with the vanilla until stiff peaks form. Now fold through the can of sweetened condensed milk. Grab the cookie dough, cut into 1/2-inch sized chunks - reserve about 12-14 pieces for topping (you can roll these into balls for decoration). Fold through the chunks of cookie dough, along with the chocolate chips.
Transfer the ice cream mixture to a serving dish of your choice - we used a 26cm rectangular dish. Top with the remaining cookie dough balls and some extra chocolate chips, if desired. Cover the top of the ice cream directly with clingfilm and freeze for at least 8 hours.
When ready to serve, allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes, then scoop and serve.
The ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to one month.

Recipe from Live Well Bake Often

We all scream for ice cream! Treat yourself to more delicious WJBN ice cream recipes!

No-Churn Oreo Ice Cream

Pistachio Ice Cream (3 Ingredient, No-Churn Recipe)

White Chocolate Ice Cream (Easy Three Ingredient Recipe)

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Baking · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Cookies

Smarties Cookies (Easy, No-Chill Dough)

July 17, 2024August 4, 2024 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Fun Smarties Cookies recipe. Soft and chewy cookies filled with double chocolate chips and lots of colourful Smarties!

These fun Smarties Cookies are both easy and quick to make. With the school summer holidays approaching, this is a great bake to do with kids to take out on a picnic, or for an activity to keep the kids occupied.

I made these cookies as a celebration bake for my upcoming birthday later in the month. A plate of homemade cookies is my idea of the perfect birthday gift. I’ll take cookies in any shape or form.

The cookie dough doesn’t require any chilling time in the fridge, something a lot of my previous cookie recipes do require. I love that you can have cookies on your table ready to devour in under one hour!

If you don’t want to bake all the cookies straight away, then there is an option to freeze the rolled cookie dough. The cookie dough can be kept in the freezer for a few months, when ready to bake, just bake for a couple more minutes than the recipe states (if baked from frozen).

Once you’ve prepared the cookie dough, roll it into balls – these cookies are midi-sized, so if your appetite is larger, then help yourself to two!

After baking the cookies, we added a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, and sandwiched that between another cookie. Top tip: when sandwiching the cookies together with ice cream, be really gentle, otherwise the cookie will break apart.

The cookie ice cream sandwich makes the ultimate summer dessert!

We recommend eating the baked cookies within 2–3 days, but they’re irresistibly good when eaten fresh from the oven with a little sprinkle of sea salt.

The Smarties can be switched for chocolate M&M’s, which will work equally well.

All that’s left to say, is enjoy!

Smarties Cookies

No-chill cookie dough filled with double chocolate chips and lots of colourful Smarties!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 12

Total Time 32

Servings 15

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

115 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
90 g dark or light brown sugar
50 g granulated or caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
210 g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
75 g dark or milk chocolate chips
75 g white chocolate chips
200 g Smarties plus extra for decoration

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 4. Line two large baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
To make the cookie dough, cream the softened butter with both types of sugar until creamy. Now add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix to combine.
Now add the flour, the bicarbonate of soda and a generous pinch of salt (only add salt if using unsalted butter). Mix to combine. Finally, fold through the chocolate chips and Smarties until fully mixed.
Take 1 and 1/2 tablespoon measures of the cookie dough, and roll into balls. Place the cookie dough balls on the baking trays, spacing them apart to allow for spreading.
Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes, or until just lightly golden around the edges. Press a few extra chocolate chips and Smarties on top of the cookies while they're still warm. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They're best enjoyed fresh from the oven.

Recipe from Sweetest Menu

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Baking · Chocolate · Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

May 10, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Homemade chocolate chip cookie bars are quick and easy to make. They’re thick, with a gooey centre and crisp outside. So good served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce! If you love cookies, you have to try these cookie bars made without a mixer.

It’s already pretty noticeable that I love cookies. Love is probably an understatement. Cookies are most certainly the way to my heart!

As much as I love devouring cookies, and enjoy making cookie dough, sometimes baking cookies can be time consuming. For one, with quite a few recipes, the cookie dough requires chilling, and secondly, it takes time rolling the cookie dough into portions.

So to speed up the process, I decided on baking cookie bars.

Cookie bars might just be my new favourite way to serve cookies, and soon yours!

Cookie dough is prepared, then pressed into a square cake tin, baked and then sliced into bars. Ready to dip in anything from Nutella, to pistachio cream, or even dunked into a glass of milk. It’s super fun, and you can customise the recipe however you desire!

All good cookie doughs start with butter, and a combination of caster/granulated sugar and brown sugar, but more of the brown sugar for a softer cookie texture. Then a couple of eggs are added, along with flour, bicarbonate of soda, and then lots of delicious chocolate chips are folded through the cookie dough.

I went for a combination of dark and milk chocolate chips. As with a few of my recipes, you can easily swap these around for a different chocolate – maybe white chocolate chips, or your go-to chocolate bar chopped up.

Once the bars are fully baked, leave them to cool for about half an hour, before serving, or even up to overnight and they still stay super fudgy in the centre. I highly recommend serving these bars with a little sprinkle of sea salt flakes, along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and some caramel sauce!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

225 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
150 g dark or light brown sugar
75 g caster or granulated sugar
2 medium or large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 g plain flour
Generous pinch of salt only add if using unsalted butter
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
300 g chocolate chips I went for a mixture of dark and milk chocolate chips - save 50g from this for the topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 6. Line a 20cm square cake tin with parchment paper. Set the tin aside for later.
Cream the softened butter and both sugars until creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs, mixing well to combine. Now add the vanilla.
Fold through the flour, pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter) and the bicarbonate of soda, and mix until just incorporated.
Add 250g of the chocolate chips, reserving 50g for the top. Mix the chocolate chips through the cookie dough until combined. Transfer the cookie dough to the lined tin, smooth over the top with a spatula. Top with the remaining chocolate chips.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool in the tin completely, before slicing up into 16 pieces. These cookie bars can be enjoyed both warm, and at room temperature. They'll keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

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Baking · Brownies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

Chocolate Brownie Heart

April 19, 2024July 25, 2024 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Heart-shaped dark chocolate brownie. Treat yourself and your loved ones to this decadent and fudgy brownie heart. With chocolate ganache topping and all the sprinkles of your choice!

It’s Friday, that means the weekend is nearly here! Let’s jump straight into the weekend with a scrumptious brownie recipe that will get you drooling!

A little while back my sister came up with the idea for this brownie. She wanted to bake brownies, but suggested we bake the brownie batter in a heart-shaped cake tin we had.

She also had some Valentine’s-themed M&M’s that she’d brought back from a trip to Florida earlier in the year. We wanted to bake with M&M Cupid’s Blend, but we didn’t get round to doing so when it was the lead up to Valentine’s Day.

This recipe is perfect for Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or any occasion that’s worth celebrating!

We used our go-to Chocolate Fudge Brownies; this recipe never fails to impress. It’s absolute brownie perfection for those of you who adore extremely fudgy brownies. I’m not a fan of cakey brownies; I want them squidgy and super fudgy. This recipe shares the same texture as a chocolate fondant when warmed up in the microwave, but when served at room temperature it’s also resembles a chocolate torte/fudge bar.

We went for a classic brownie flavour, but this recipe can be adapted in so many ways. Swirl some Biscoff, Nutella, peanut butter, or even pistachio paste through the top of the batter. Add chocolate chips or chunks, or even some nuts, such as walnuts.

Swap the ganache topping for chocolate buttercream. I might try some white chocolate buttercream next time, or you can even simply drizzle over some melted chocolate for an easy and quicker decoration.

Bake this recipe, and you’ll be one bite away from chocolate brownie heaven.

Chocolate Brownie Heart

Heart-shaped dark chocolate brownie. Treat yourself and your loved ones to this decadent and fudgy brownie heart. With chocolate ganache topping and all the sprinkles of your choice! Bake this recipe and you'll be one bite away from chocolate brownie heaven...

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Brownie Batter:

200 g butter (salted or unsalted)
200 g dark chocolate
270 g caster or granulated sugar
3 medium or large eggs
2 medium or large egg yolks
115 g plain flour
35 g cocoa powder

Chocolate Ganache:

100 g dark chocolate
100 ml double cream

Decoration:

Chocolate or sprinkles of your choice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 20cm heart-shaped tin with parchment paper on the base, and up the sides. Set the tin aside for later.
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.
Meanwhile beat the eggs and egg yolks together until combined. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly, add the egg mixture and stir to combine.
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. Now add the chocolate mixture and stir until combined, try not to over mix otherwise this may result in your baked brownie 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 - the brownie should still have a slight wobble in the centre.
Leave the brownie to cool completely in the tin, then once cooled leave them to set for at least 6 hours or overnight for best results.
Decorate further if desired by making a chocolate ganache topping. Chop the chocolate up into small pieces, and add to a small mixing bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan on medium heat. Once the cream just starts to bubble, take off the heat and pour over the chocolate. Leave for a minute, then stir until you have a smooth, glossy mixture. Directly cover the top of the ganache with a piece of cling film, leave to set at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
To decorate, I filled a piping bag fitted with a nozzle with the cooled, thickened ganache. Piping around the edge with the ganache. I then decorated further with chocolate/sprinkles. The brownie will keep stored at room temperature for up to one week, if you can resist it!

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

Millionaires Shortbread

March 27, 2024March 28, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next5 Comments

Classic Millionaires Shortbread. This favourite sweet treat consists of three decadently delicious layers: buttery shortbread, creamy caramel, and chocolate.

One recipe from over ten years of blogging that I’m yet to share is a recipe for Millionaires Shortbread. This is a classic treat, widely available in most bakeries, coffee shops, and tea rooms.

Millionaires shortbread consists of a layer of buttery shortbread, followed by a caramel layer, and then the caramel layer is topped with melted chocolate. There are so many amazing variations you’ll find all over the internet, but you can’t go wrong with the traditional flavour combination.

This bake will remind you of a Twix bar! So if you’re a fan of this chocolate bar, then you’ll love this homemade version even more!

Recipe Rundown:

Shortbread Layer: This mixture will look very crumbly or short before pressing it into the tin. Don’t worry, as this is how you want it to be. The crumblier your shortbread dough, the better. Also, always be super careful not to overmix shortbread dough; the general rule is to handle as little as possible. Press the mixture into the tin until it’s in an even layer, prick with a fork all over, and bake for 25–30 minutes until pale golden.
Caramel Layer: Making caramel requires patience and gentle heating; be extremely careful as caramel gets very hot and will burn if it touches skin. This caramel takes about 7–10 minutes to make. Start by mixing all the caramel ingredients listed together, gently heating until dissolved, then gradually increasing the heat until the caramel gets hotter and starts bubbling. When the caramel is a light golden colour and has thickened, it’s ready to pour over the cooled shortbread layer. Leave this to set in the fridge for about an hour before resuming.
Chocolate Layer: Your choice of chocolate is up to you. I went for Cadbury Dairy Milk, but equally, a combination of dark and milk chocolate is great—just dark chocolate, white chocolate, or even blonde or caramelised white chocolate.

We love our shortbread recipes on the blog, sharing an array of truly wonderful recipes. Scottish Shortbread, Valentine’s Shortbread Hearts, and even Chocolate Shortbread.

We gave our millionaire’s shortbread an Easter decoration, using a mixture of crushed/whole Cadbury Mini Eggs. Why not top an already decadent recipe with even more decadence? My taste testers (me included) loved the crunchy topping the mini eggs added. With Easter only a few days away, you can make this yummy bake and top with leftover (if any!) Easter chocolate!

Don’t worry at all if your chocolate cracks when you slice it up. In all honesty, my chocolate cracked, but this recipe was too tasty not to share. If you want to ensure the chocolate doesn’t crack, just warm up your knife in some hot water.

However, our bakes don’t need to look perfect; it’s 100% all about the taste here with every single recipe.

Millionaires Shortbread

Classic Millionaires Shortbread. This favourite sweet treat consists of three decadently delicious layers: buttery shortbread, creamy caramel, and chocolate.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Chilling Time: 3

Total Time 4

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Shortbread:

225 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
110 g caster or granulated sugar
320 g plain flour

Caramel:

397 g can sweetened condensed milk
90 g butter (salted or unsalted)
100 g dark/light/demerara sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup this is 15g

Chocolate Layer:

250 g dark/milk/white chocolate I used Cadbury Dairy Milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line an 20cm/8-inch square cake tin with parchment paper - leaving some overhang ensuring it's easy to remove the finished bake from the tin.
Place the shortbread ingredients: softened butter, sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly, slightly sticky dough forms.
Press the shortbread dough into the lined baking tin, making sure it's an even layer. Prick the shortbread all over with a fork, now bake for 25-30 minutes until pale golden in colour. Leave to cool completely.
Place the caramel ingredients in a medium saucepan/deep frying pan. Place the pan over a medium heat, gently heat until all the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Continue to stir until the mixture has started to bubble - turn the temperature down if it bubbles too much. Keep stirring until the caramel has turned a deeper golden colour and is thicker is texture. This should take about 7-10 minutes to achieve.
Carefully pour the hot caramel over the shortbread base. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Melt your chosen chocolate, once melted pour over the set caramel layer. Decorate the top further with any other decorations you desire - we went for crushed/whole Cadbury Mini Eggs. Place the Millionaires Shortbread back in the fridge for at least 2 hours, before slicing into 9 larger pieces, or 16 smaller pieces.
The shortbread will keep for up to one week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

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

Malteser Slice

February 28, 2024February 27, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next8 Comments

Easy no-bake Malteser Slice! A decadent treat consisting of a soft, fudge-like biscuit layer with whole Malteser chocolates folded through, then decorated with milk and white chocolate, and even more Maltesers/Malteser Bunnies! One small square of this is not enough.

Inspired by my Crunchie Slice, I’ve put a spin on the original and swapped the Cadbury Crunchie bars for Maltesers.

These bars consist of crushed biscuits mixed with condensed milk and melted butter, and then they have whole Maltesers folded through. Once you slice it up, you have chunks of crunchy Malteser balls in each bite!

This slice hosts a whole load of different textures, a deliciously soft and slightly fudge-like biscuit layer, crunchy Maltesers, and a smooth and creamy chocolate topping.

I popped some more whole Maltesers on top of my chocolate layer before the chocolate had set, along with a pack of White Malteser Bunnies, because it’s nearly Easter and I’m loving all the Easter chocolate right now!

Like the Crunchie version of this recipe I shared last year, to make this Malteser Slice, you’ll start by blitzing some digestive biscuits until they’re a fine crumb texture. After that, you’ll mix in melted butter and a tin of condensed milk. Once fully combined, you’ll fold through an entire sharing bag of Malteser’s.

I love Malteser’s, and since sharing this Malteser Brownies recipe, I’ve been wanting to share another Malteser-inspired bake, with hopefully many more to come in my future recipes!

The slice is quick and easy to whip up, uses minimal ingredients, and is a whole lotta fun to make! I cut the slice up into bigger squares purely for my photography, but I recommend cutting the slice up into small squares as it’s very rich.

I couldn’t stop myself reaching for piece, after piece of this amazing Malteser Slice…

Now, all that needs deciding is what flavour slice will I make next?

Malteser Slice

Prep Time 20

Chilling Time 1

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

350 g digestive or malted milk biscuits finely crushed
100 g butter (salted or unsalted) melted
397 g tin sweetened condensed milk
175 g sharing pack Maltesers left whole
200 g dark or milk chocolate
1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted) this is 15g
50 g white chocolate this is optional
Maltesers and Malteser Bunnies for decoration

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the biscuit crumbs, with the melted butter and condensed milk. Stir until throughly combined. Now fold through the 175g pack of whole Maltesers.
Transfer this mixture to a lined 20cm square cake tin (or other suitably sized tin) and press down until compact and smooth on top.
Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain-marie, or in the microwave until smooth. Pour and spread the melted chocolate over the top of the biscuit layer. Now melt the white chocolate if you want to two types of chocolate for your topping. Pour spoonfuls of the melted white chocolate on top of melted chocolate already on top of the biscuit layer.
Using as toothpick, swirl the two chocolates together, creating a swirl effect. Top with extra whole Maltesers, and Malteser Bunnies/Reindeer's if desired.
When ready to serve, slice up into 16 squares or smaller pieces if desired. The slice will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Crunchie Slice

If you love Maltesers, try these great recipes next!

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

Malteser Brownies

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

Valentine’s Shortbread Hearts

January 17, 2024January 16, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Special shortbread biscuits to celebrate Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day next month! Show your love with these adorable shortbreads.

Starting 2024 on WJBN on a sweet note with a stunning shortbread biscuit recipe.

2023 was a brilliant year, memorable for so many good reasons, both personally and professionally. December saw the most blog views all year, so we ended the year on a real high! Lots of you were viewing recipes and making these over the festive period from all corners of the world.

I’m ready to start the year, and I have many ideas ready to bring to the blog. In the past, I haven’t shared a lot of ‘Valentine’s’ themed recipes, but I wanted to do something about that and start a new tradition this year!

So here we have some delicious shortbread biscuits, dipped in chocolate, and the prettiest pink heart sprinkles.

I already have a Shortbread Biscuits recipe on the blog, but recently I discovered a different shortbread and adore it.

The new recipe has semolina added to the shortbread dough. Semolina gives shortbread an extra crunchy texture and reminds me of shortbread you can get in tins, but of course better because they’re homemade.

Shortbread is a bake that just cannot be beaten. It’s simple, but when made well, it’s hard to beat.

What Ingredients You’ll Need:

Butter – salted or unsalted is absolutely fine. Butter is essential in shortbread dough, no margarine or alternative, it just won’t taste like shortbread should, and they will spread/not keep their shape!
Sugar – only a little caster/granulated sugar is needed, shortbread is all about the buttery flavour, but isn’t overly sweet.
Plain Flour – just enough to bind the dough together.
Semolina – adds a lovely crunch to the shortbread biscuits. It’s optional, but I really recommend it!
Chocolate – any type of chocolate you like. You can half dip the shortbread hearts, or drizzle them with the chocolate.
Sprinkles – pretty ‘n’ pink sprinkles are great for Valentine’s! Even some freeze dried strawberries/raspberries would be great.

I refilled a tin of already eaten shortbread from Christmas with this new batch

Show your love and appreciation for someone special with a surprise batch of homemade chocolate-dipped shortbread.

Get your friends around, have a Galentine’s night, and bake and decorate these biscuits. Decorate with a combination of chocolate. I did half my shortbread half-dipped in milk chocolate and the remaining dipped in white chocolate. I then piped some remaining contrasting chocolate on top of the chocolate already on each shortbread.

Fun to make and wonderful for the upcoming Valentine’s Day! I can’t think of a more delicious way to say I love you than with these!

Valentine's Shortbread Hearts

Special shortbread biscuits to celebrate Galentine's/Valentine's Day! Show your love with these adorable shortbreads. I can't think of a more delicious way to say I love you than with these!

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 10

Servings 20

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

200 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
100 g caster or granulated sugar
300 g plain flour
50 g semolina
100 g dark or milk chocolate
100 g white chocolate
Sprinkles I used cute pink heart sprinkles

Instructions

Start by preparing the shortbread dough - cream the softened butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Now add the flour and the semolina, mix until a crumbly dough forms. Be careful not to overwork the dough at this point, only mix until it comes together.
Wrap the dough up in clingfilm and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This step stops the biscuits spreading when baking.
Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
Lightly flour a work surface with extra flour, roll the shortbread dough out until it's roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Take a 6cm heart cutter, and cut out roughly 20 from the dough, re-rolling and continuing to cut out more biscuits.
Transfer the unbaked shortbread biscuits onto the baking trays, sprinkle with a little extra sugar, and bake for 15-20 minutes until pale golden in colour - you don't want these too golden. They should be slightly firm to the touch when ready. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking trays, then move to a wire rack and leave the biscuits to cool completely on there.
Once the biscuits are cool, melt the two types of chocolate. Dip one biscuit at a time on one side into the chocolate. Allow to set, before drizzling the remaining chocolate on each biscuit. Finish with some sprinkles of your choice.
Once the chocolate has set, the biscuits are ready to enjoy. They'll keep in an airtight container/tin for up to 1 week.

Valentine’s Day Recipe Inspiration!

Chocolate Truffles

Homemade Crêpes

Jammy Dodgers

Chocolate Shortbread

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis

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Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Christmas · No-Bake

Christmas Crunch Snack Mix

December 20, 2023December 20, 2023 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

A scrumptious snack mix that’s perfect for festive parties and snacking on while watching Christmas TV or films. It’s a great recipe to make with kids, but adults will have just as much fun making this!

The countdown to Christmas is on! We’re only 5 sleeps away from the big day. It feels as though December has gone by in a flash!

We’re waving goodbye to 2023 soon. It’s been another fantastic year of blogging; I’ve shared some more tasty bakes, and I cannot wait to see what recipes feature on the blog next year. I want to take the opportunity to thank you for all your continued support in reading my blog and baking the recipes (new and old). WJBN means so much to me, and I get so much satisfaction from creating content.

This will be my last recipe of the year. I was inspired to make this snack mix after seeing this idea on the shelves in the supermarket. This homemade mix is fun to make, and in the end, you get a larger quantity overall to serve, and it can be tailored to your own budget and flavour preferences.

Not everything has to be made from scratch over Christmas. I’m all for cutting corners, less prep time, and easy and impressive recipes!

Serve this crunch mix at parties, or transfer to gift bags, tie with a ribbon, and give as an edible gift. This will take less than an hour to make from start to finish, and lasts in an airtight container for up to one week.

I’ve taken a bag of my favourite popcorn – you can make your own, but for ease I bought a bag.

I use sweet ‘n’ salty’ popcorn for my mix. I love the combination of sweetness and saltiness in each mouthful. Then I added a combination of our favourite chocolates and sweets. My recipe is just a guide; I used Oreos, chocolate-coated pretzels, festive-coloured M&M’s, and Galaxy Minstrels.

I made this mix, and it was served at a Christmas party. It got some good reviews, so I thought I would share it with you this Christmas!

This Christmas Crunch Snack Mix will become a Christmas tradition from now on in our house!

Christmas Crunch Snack Mix

A scrumptious snack mix that's perfect for festive parties and snacking on while watching Christmas TV or films. It's a great recipe to make with kids, but adults will have just as much fun making this!

Prep Time 45

Servings 15

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

100 g popcorn (already popped not kernels) I went for sweet 'n' salty', but just regular sweet would work
100 g white chocolate melted
154 g pack Oreos broken into pieces
90 g chocolate-coated pretzels
50 g M&M's I picked the festive colours for my mix - you can use any colours
125 g Galaxy Minstrels

Instructions

Place the popcorn in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the melted white chocolate and stir to coat the popcorn in the chocolate.
Line a large baking tray/sheet with parchment paper/silicone baking mat, spread the popcorn out in an even layer. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, until the chocolate is set.
Once the chocolate is fully set, stir through the crushed Oreos, pretzels, M&M's, and the Galaxy Minstrels. Store the mix in an airtight container - it will last for up to a week.

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