Coconut Florentine Slice

8oz Chocolate (Melted)

2oz Butter

4oz Sugar (Demerara Sugar)

1 Egg

2oz Dried Fruit

2oz Glace Cherries (Chopped)

4oz Dessicated Coconut

Cooking Time: 40 minutes on 140c/Gas Mark 3

Serving: 7inch sqaure tin (I got 9 good size Pieces)

1. Grease your tin with butter

2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water

3. Pour this into the tin and make sure it is even throughout the tin and then leave to set in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the topping

4. In a bowl cream together the butter ana sugar

5. Add the egg and beat thoroughly until it is all combined

6. Add the dried fruit and chopped cherries and mix well

7. Add the coconut and mix well

8. Remove the baking tin from the fridge and ensure the chocolate is set

9. Pour the topping onto the chocolate and smooth out evenly

10. Press down lighlty with a fork and put in the oven to bake for 40 minutes or until golden

11. Once done, leave in the tin to cool for a while before cutting out slices with a knife and transferring to a wire cooling rack

N.B. I then wrapped these up in silver foil and ribbons and gave them to friends as presents!

Blondies

200g Oats
100g Flour (Self Raising / Plain)
150g Butter
100g Light Muscovado Sugar
1 Can of Light Condensed Milk
1Tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Egg
A Parket of Chocolate Chips

Cooking time: 35-40 minutes on 180c / gas mark 4
Serving: Square cake tin 1 x 23cm. approx. 15 good size pieces

1. Preheat the oven and line a baking tin
2. Sieve the flour into the bowl and add the oats and mix
3. In another bowl beat together the butter and sugar until creamy
4. Beat in the condensed milk and vanilla essence until the mixture forms a smooth consistency
5. Add the oat and flour mixture and mis weel
6. Add the egg and whisk the whole mixture together for approx 2-3 minutes
7. Fold in the chocolate chips
8. Dollop the mixture evenly over the tin and spread out evenly
9. Place in the oven and bake for the prescribed time or until golden
10. Remove and leave in the tin to cool for approx. 10-15 minutes until scoring into pieces and moving the pieces onto a wire cooling rack

N.B. The Blondie will look cooked but may not feel inside that it is cooked, but it will harden up while it cools.

FlapJack

8oz Butter

2oz Brown Sugar (or muscovado)

4 Tbsp Golden Syrup (Heaped)

1 Tsp Ground Ginger

16oz Porride Oats

Cooking Time: 25 Minutes on pre heated oven 160c/Gas Mark 3

Serving: 12 good size pieces

1. Preheat oven and grease proof a 8 by 12" baking tin

2. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a large saucepan over a low heat, so as not to burn

3. Stir in the dry ingredients into the mixture and mix well

4. Spread evenly in the tin and press down until firmly packed

5. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden (Make sure it does not burn)

6. Leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes and then score out squares to cut and when cooler enough to touch cut and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack or eat warm!

N.B. If you like you could add dried fruit of chocolate drops to this mixture, I recommend 3oz.

Blackberry and Almond Traybake

7oz Self Raising Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
2oz Oats
2oz Ground Almonds
7oz Butter
7oz Granulated Sugar
3oz Light Brown Sugar
2oz Desiccated Coconut
2 Eggs
11oz Blackberries

Cooking Time: Gas Mark 4 / 180c for 45 minutes and then another 15 minutes
Serving: 15 squares

1. Preheat the oven to the above temperature and grease proof a baking tray (31cmx17cm)
2. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and the ground almonds
3. Add the butter and two sugars and crumble the mixture with a food processor or your hands to form breadcrumbs
4. Set aside 5oz of the mixture and add the coconut to this
5. To the rest of the mixture add the two eggs and whisk until it forms a dropping like consistency
6. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and smooth out
7. Scatter half of the blackberries on top and then the crumble mixture
8. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes then remove and add the rest of the berries and place back into the oven for 15 minutes or until golden
9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a while and then cut into squares and place on a wire rack and then enjoy either warm or cold!

N.B. You can use any fruit (fresh or frozen) for this traybake.

Sultana and Cherry Crumble Slice

6oz Self Raising Flour
6oz Light Brown Sugar
3oz Butter
4oz Butter
1 Egg
1 Tso Baking Powder
2 1/2 oz Sultanas
3oz Cheeries (chopped)
1/2 Tin of 400g Light Condensed Milk

Cooking time: 180c 15 minutes first and then another 15 minutes
Serving: 9 Slices in a 7inch square tin

1. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl
2. Rub in the margarine and sugar into the flour mixture
3. Stir in the oats and dried fruit
4. Put a quarter of the mixture to one side and add the chopped cherries to this mixture
5. To the rest of the flour mixture stir in the egg until the mixture combines well
6. Press the mixture into the greased proof tin and put in the middle of the pre heat for 15 minutes
7. Once done take out of oven and pour the condensed milk on top of the sponge mixture, spreading evenly out with a knife until covered.
8. Lightly press the rest of the cheery crumble mixture onto the milk and then put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until golden brown
9. Once done, leave in the tin to cool and then slice and place on a wire rack and enjoy!

N.B. This is tasty eaten warm either plain or with a dollap of yogurt or ice cream

Carrot Slices

4oz Butter
4oz Light Muscovado Sugar
5oz Self Raising Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Mixed Spice
2oz Ground Amonds
2 Eggs
5oz Carrots, then grate
2oz Sultanas
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

Cooking time: Gas Mark 4/180c for 18 minutes
Serving: 9

1. Grease a square baking tin (7inch)
2. Cream together the butter and sugar
3. Whisk in the eggs until smooth
4. Add the sieved flour, baking powder, mixed spice, vanilla essence and ground almonds
5. Whisk for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy
6. Add the grated carrotes and sultanas and stir until evenly combined
7. Pour into the tin and smooth out
8. Put in the pre heated oven and bake until golden or for 18 minutes
9. Once done, leave in the tin for 5 minutes then cut out into squares and place on a cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Icing

4oz Cream Cheese
6oz Icing Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

1. Breat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth
2. Add the sieved icing sugar and vanilla essence until smooth but be careful not to do too much as otherwise it will become runny.
3. Top on each of the slices, once the cake is cooled and enjoy!

Cheery and Coconut Biscuit Squares

Tin of Condensed Milk (Light)
12oz Digestive Biscuits
50 Small Marshmallows
20 Glace Cherries (Chopped in half)
Desiccated Coconut

Serving: 15
Chilling time: 3 hours+

1. Crush the biscuits in a food processor or in a bag with a rolling pin
2. Mix the crushed biscuits, marshmallows and Cherries in a bowl
3. Add the tin of condensed milk and stir until all the mixture is combined and forms a sticky dough (If the dough is too dry, add a drop of milk)
4. Cover greaseproof paper with a good amount of desiccated coconut
5. Dollop the mixture onto the coconut and using your hands form into a log
6. Once it is shaped, sprinkle another layer of coconut by the side of the dough and roll the dough over, ensuring all the dough is covered with coconut
7. Once done, place on tray / plate for support into the fridge and leave to set for 2+ hours
8. When ready, remove and cut into slices and serve

N.B. As you can see we sliced the log into slices and then placed them on top of one another to make a birthday cake, just adds to the presentation and makes it that all a bit more fancy!