Cream Egg Brownies

Hello lovelies! 

I'm back with another food-related blog post. Normally I would separate these out to give you a mix of different things from my blog, however I just had to share these gems of gooey, chocolatey, deliciousness with you! 

I made the brownies without using solid chocolate, instead I used cocoa powder, because I didn't want them to be too sweet when I added the cream egg! 

I know it's a long time before Easter, but as easter eggs are already in the shop, why not go ahead and bake these delicious treats for your loved ones! I also understand that this 'cream egg brownie' concept was around last year, but why not recreate it this year?? Trust me when I say you won't regret it! 

This recipe is completely adaptable to your preferences! You can remove the nuts, and/or add chocolate chips or chunks, bake it without the cream eggs or cocoa nibs, swap the white sugar for brown - just be creative! 

Anyways now I'm going to stop nattering and actually give you the recipe I have been banging on about! 

Enjoy! 

Soph xxx

Cream Egg Brownies!

Makes anywhere from 9 to 16 brownies - depending on how big portions you want to cut it into! 

Ingredients 
145g butter (10tbls)
250g sugar (1.25 cups)
65g cocoa powder (3/4 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
70g plain flour (1/2 cup)
75g chopped nuts (2/3 cup) - I used walnuts, cashews and almonds
Cream eggs! (I made 9 brownies so used 4.5 eggs split in half and I have no idea where the leftover half went ;) )
Sprinkle of cocoa nibs 

Preheat oven to 160c (325F). Line the bottom and sides of a square baking tin (I used an 8 inch one) with baking paper. Put the butter, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl placed over a simmering pan of water (making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water). Stir the ingredients until they are all melted and combined. 

Take the bowl off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes (I used this time to line the baking tin). Then add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, stirring them in completely. The mix should now look smoother and more shiny. 

Stir in the flour, and once completely incorporated, stir in the nuts (or chocolate chips if using). Pour the mix out into the tin and bake for 15 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and its time to add the toppings! I like to sprinkle over some cocoa nibs (they are available from health food shops) to make the top of the brownies crunchy and crispy. Then chop the cream eggs in half and place them on top of the brownie in lines so that each person gets one half of delicious cream egg! 

Then bake the brownie for about another 10 minutes (you can test if its done using a skewer although if you want it to be gooey, the skewer will come out slightly wet). 

Once they've come out of the oven, leave them to cool for about 10 minutes in the tin then take them out and leave to cool for a further 5-10 minutes before cutting - this will allow cleaner cutting lines. 

All thats left is to tuck in and enjoy! 

If you bake these delicious brownies, I'd love to see them! Use the hashtag #bakingwithsoph on twitter (@sophiespotlight) or instagram (sophiespotlights) or tag me in the photos so I can see them :)

Thanks for reading, I hope you bake and enjoy these - the ones I made had disappeared by the next day! 

Soph xx 

Valentine's Day Bakes!

Well hello there lovelies! I am truly apologetic for being absent for so long but I'm back with a bang and some delicious recipes! 

Before Valentines Day I decided to make some tempting themed treats for my friends and family to enjoy, and I wanted to share them with you too! I made red velvet cupcakes, crumbly cookies and some heart shaped strawberries to add something light and refreshing! 

I filmed a video whilst baking these moreish treats and I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did filming it! :) 

The recipes for the bakes in this video are in the description box underneath the video. If you do recreate any of these tempting treats use the hashtag #vdaybakingwithsoph so I can see them! 

Enjoy!! 


Soph xx

My new favourite food - Cauliflower Rice!

So I just wanted to dedicate a whole blog post to my new favourite food item - cauliflower rice! I discovered this about a year ago in a WeightWatchers magazine but only tried it a few months ago. Strictly speaking its not really 'rice' as such but it's usually eaten as a substitute for rice. 

(In the photo I've made myself a vegetable concoction with courgette, onion, carrots, mushrooms, chopped tomatoes and garlic and then I've teamed it with the cauliflower rice. This is such a nice hearty warming winter dish thats healthy and nutritious too!) 

To make this all you have to do is grate up raw cauliflower. It takes some time but if you have a food processor then you're laughing. (If you're doing it by hand then grate the outside of the florets first i.e. hold the stalk). You need about a 1/4 of a large cauliflower for 2 people. Once it's all grated then put it in a bowl (here I add a pinch of Maldon salt) and microwave it on full power for 2 minutes. Then it's done! Its fast, easy AND healthy! 

FYI all I did with the other vegetables was fry them in a teaspoon of olive oil and then after about 3-4 mins I added the chopped tomatoes and let it simmer for 5-10 mins while I made the cauliflower rice. 

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this blog post, 

Sophie xxx