Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Note to all you bakers out there: do not eat this cookie dough. It will result in half the batter gone in a matter of minutes!

Ingredients:

1 + 1/4 cup - Flour

1/3 cup - Cocoa powder

1 tsp - Baking soda

Mix together the above ingredients and keep aside

125gm - Cooking chocolate

Melt the chocolate and keep aside to cool.

125gm- Butter (softened)

1/3 cup - Brown sugar

1/4 cup - Castor sugar

1 - Egg

1 cup - Chocolate chips

1 tsp -Vanilla essence

Tools-

Mixing Bowl

Spatula

Baking Tray

Measuring Cups

Measuring Spoons

Whisk

Parchment Paper

Cooling Rack

Ice Cream Scoop

Lets Get Baking!

1.Beat together butter and both the sugars with electric beater till light and fluffy.

2.Gradually add egg to the mixture while beating. Add the vanilla essence.

3.Add the sifted Flour and melted chocolate to the batter

4.add chocolate chips but make sure you Do not over mix it.

5.Place the equal size of mounds with ice cream scoop on a lined baking sheet, leaving some gap between them as the cookies will spread while baking

6.Bake in a preheated oven at 170c for 15-18 minutes.

7.Leave the cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 min and then transfer them on wire rack to cool.

Note:

Cookie bake times will greatly vary by ovens. Instead of taking them out at a certain time, look for a consistency where the cookie has risen and is soft to the touch, but does not feel wet and spongy underneath the surface. For the best consistency, bake your cookies in two batches, as you will learn from the first batch if you need more or less time for the second. And remember, all cookies continue to cook when after they are taken out of the oven. So when in doubt, take your cookies out a minute early!

               

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Whats In My Bag ?

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably curious as to what people carry with them on a day-to-day basis. (okay.. this kinda sounds creepy..)

I thought I’d give you a glimpse of what’s in my bag and maybe there’s something you might want to add to yours!

The purse- The purse I’ve been carrying a lot lately is this straw sling bag from Forever 21.I’ve had this bag for a while now and it was very reasonably priced. It also fits a TON and goes with everything. I would love to have it in another shape too!

Aside from 30 lip glosses (not really) I keep a few essentials in there.

Travel size Adorn EDP Fragrance in Jasmine + Ylang Ylang + Violet (my fav) This was a Christmas present from my parents which they bought from Urban Outfitters One bottle lasts forever, even for someone as spritz happy as me!

                         

Confession time, I have this thing about having dirty hands SO I always have sanitiser or wet wipes with me. This one is from Bath & Body Works; Twisted Peppermint!

                                   
The Lip Products- Confession: yes, I cleaned up the contents of my bag before taking these photos, so as to rid the scene of discarded till receipts and ten different lipsticks and lip balms. 

I don’t have a “go to” lip product and i swear i loose one every week..and every time I empty out my bag I find a handful of lip products that  I’ve forgotten I owned.

I’ve been loving this Blossom Lip Gloss in Passionfruit from urban outfitters : they’re easy to apply roll on and come in a lovely range of flavours/scents,

Diary – This very vintage looking wonder is from again… urban outfitters  and I’m definitely not using it how it should because honestly i have commitment issues with such things that need to be filled in timely and stuff. so now i just fill the pages up with things that seem important and doodle in it.

and sometimes i have another notebook because nobody can ever have enough places to write down plans for world domination!

Pens/pencils – There’s always some weird assortment of writing equipment in my bag, and apparently right now I have an Paperchase  pen with a very pretty planets and galaxy print and i also found a worn out IKEA pencil but i tossed that out before taking the picture…

Sunnies- Usually I’d have more accessories in my bag .. but definitely one accessory I can’t live without are sunnies! These Retro sunglasses are from Forever21 and they're just adorable!

Especially having sensitive eyes and to hide my dark circles .. I always like to bring a pair of sunnies just in case! 

Sweets-I have the ultimate sweet tooth ! Honestly this picture is not really doing it justice with just how much sweets I have in my bag. Its borderline ridiculous and I’m pretty sure I’m due to get dentures any time now! I love any kind of SWEETS. 

My iPhone8 Plus- used for everything; Spotify music, to take quick pictures for when i don't have my camera handy ( my phones camera is genuinely MAGICAL) .. It’s more than a must have- it’s my life!

Bag charm – This adorable cactus keychain is from HM and I bought it a few months back – they’re still in some stores and they have some other versions available too.The little hook is pretty convenient, i can hook on my tiny umbrella along with it… the capricious British weather has caught me out a few times!

I’m addicted to Arizona Tea ! Sue Me! okay so i always carry a small bottle of water with me but lately I've been obsessed with Arizona tea and look at that bottle of tea, isn’t it a beauty? 

                       

Side Note- I took these photos of my bag contents after I emptied and cleaned my bag so what you see here is the contrsucted, pretty version. This is of course the picture I’ll push across social media to convince you all that my life is all one perfectly presented, glossy affair – when actually it’s not, and actually YES my handbag is full of just as many receipts as yours. And crumbs. And random hairs. And tangled headphones. My life is only glamorous 5 per cent of the time, promise!!

I also can’t find my headphones – WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY? 

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Blueberry Bundt Cake

A moist Blueberry bundt cake topped with fresh blueberries and a sweet sprinkle of icing sugar.

This Blueberry Bundt Cake is a perfect dessert for blueberry lovers!

Ingredients:

½  cup- unsalted butter, softened 

1 ½  cups- caster sugar 

¼  cup- vegetable oil 

½  teaspoon- blueberry extract (or vanilla for a plain bundt cake)

3- large eggs 

½  cup- buttermilk 

1 ½  cups- all-purpose flour 

½  teaspoon- baking powder 

icing sugar / confectioners sugar for dusting

fresh blueberries 

Tools-

Mixing Bowl

Spatula

Bundt Pan

Measuring Cups

Measuring Spoons

Cake Testing Needle

Whisk

Parchment Paper

Cooling Rack

Lets Get Baking!

1.Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. Grease and flour a Bundt pan and set aside.

2.Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside 

3.Place the softened butter and sugar in the separate bowl. Beat until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes with electric mixer. Then beat in the oil.

4.Keep the mixer running on low and add the extract and one egg at a time. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, then, turn the mixer on low again and add the buttermilk and flour mixture until fully combined.

5.Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes.

6.Test the cake by inserting a cake tester into the centre. If it comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. 

7.Cool on the counter for 30 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. 

8.Dust with powdered sugar. decorate with fresh blueberries. 

          

              

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Concept: the smell of grass, fresh bedsheets, tulips, melting snow, flying clouds, four-leaf clover, walks along the river, hair flowing in the wind, cheek kisses, bike rides through the countryside, flea markets...

I chose an array of songs from the Vampire Weekend to The Beach Boys -- this playlist is sure to be a great start to your spring break. and Of course, I had to keep my current favourite song The Good Side on this list.

 
                                                    

 I’ll be updating the playlist regularly with more tracks until then...

 Turn your volume up and enjoy!

Just in case you don't have spotify, i've made a little list of the songs so you can just search them up!

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Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Cake 🎃

OK first off I know many of you won’t have time to go all out and make an almost real looking pumpkin, but that’s OK! Just make the cake and serve with the glaze of your choice, slather it in buttercream,or eat it plain with some tea!

Ingredients:

For The Cake-

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons milk, room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla Extract 
• 1 ¼ cups (150 grams)  flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) caster sugar
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

For the Buttercream-

• 550 gms confectioner's sugar / Icing Sugar
• 250 gmssalted butterroom temp ( you can even use 1/2 butter and 1/2 vegetable shortening)
•  2 tbsp cold milk 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• orange food coloring & Black Food Coloring

Fondant-

• Orange Ready To Roll Fondant 
• Green Ready To Roll Fondant 

Tools-

• Measuring Cups
• knife for carving the cake
• Mixing Bowl
• Whisk
• Weighing Scale
• Measuring Spoons 
• Bundt Pan
• Cooling Wrack 
• Turn Table 
• Pallet Knife 
• Cake Side Scraper 
• Electric Mixer/ Hand Mixer
• Rolling Pin

Lets Get Started!

For The Cake-

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C and place rack in center of oven. 
2. Grease and dust 2 small Bundt Pans. 
3. Sift flour with baking powder and keep aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
5. In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the eggs, gradually, until well combined adding a tbsp of flour with first addition
6. add the flour a little at a time
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, Bake for about 35 minutes  or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 
8. Remove the cakes from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.
9.  Remove the cakes from the pan and cool completely on a lightly buttered wire rack.

For the Buttercream-

1. Beat butter until light and fluffy. 
2. Add vanilla and then slowly add sugar. 
3. Add milk a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached. (If want a stiffer buttercream, use less milk.)
4. Divide the buttercream for the filling and for covering there cake
5. Add in the food coloring, black for the filling and orange for covering the cake!

For the Assembly:

1. Cut bottoms off cakes.
2. Smear buttercream frosting onto bottoms. Sandwich together.

3.Depending on the shape bundt pan you use, you may need to contour the outside using a knife to sculpt into a pumpkin shape.
4.Cover in orange buttercream. Refrigerate to help the sculpting process.

5.For the final smoothing chill the pumpkin in the freezer and use the back of a spoon dipped in hot water.

               

6.Roll out some Orange fondant.

7. Drape onto the Cake.

8. Smooth out with your finger to give it some shape.

9. kneed some green fondant and shape to to form a stem for the pumpkin

10.Add stem to the top of the pumpkin. 

11. To give it a more realistic look you can shade the fondant with some Orange, brown and Green Petal Dust!

                                         

            

              

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃👻

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