Little Box Brownie

A Baking Blog from Melbourne, Australia

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Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

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This one is for all the American readers out there. I have never tried peanut butter cookies before and well, all I can say is you guys know a good thing. Wow, how good are they!!! I normally like a soft centre gooey cookie, but these are soft, melt in your mouth almost like eating whipped peanut butter, with the added goodness of chocolate. I think these are my new favourite cookies. I’m going to start experimenting with more peanut butter in my recipes after this one. Do you have great peanut butter recipe you want to share??

 

Peanut butter and Choc Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Author: Sophia Purvis
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
  • 100g butter
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons greek yoghurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking power
  • 1 ½ cups plain flour
  • 250g chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Pre heat the oven to 175C
  2. In a bowl cream butter, peanut butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir through the egg and yoghurt, then sift in the flour and baking power and combine. Stir through the chocolate chips, then spoon the cookie dough onto a lined tray.
  3. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked. Fabulous to have with a coffee tea or great with a big glass of milk.

 

Apple Cider Scones

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Scones
When I lived in London I would pick up these amazing magazines from a supermarket called Waitrose. They were a free monthly magazine, they were so inspiring and filled with amazing photographs. When I returned to Australia, my bags were so full, we even had to send some things back to Australia by post which I think cost about $500. Anyway, there was no way I was leaving these behind, so I smuggled them into my already overflowing bag, without my travelling partner knowing, as I’m sure he would of thought that I was ridiculous, and I managed to get them back to Australia safely. 
When I returned I even wrote to the supermarket to ask if I could get them to send them to me, but sadly they unfortunately said that they could not. I know I’m a little obsessed with these books, but they really are wonderful. 
There are so many great recipes in these books, and one of them is scones with vodka soaked strawberries, which to be honest where a bit strong in the vodka department. So using the idea of the vodka soaked strawberries, I have come up with this next recipe. Apple Cider Scones served with strawberries infused with cider. The cider is subtle taste but is definitely there.

Apple cider scones

Scones

Scones with apple cider strawberries

Scones on a plate

Scones
Scones

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup of thick cream
1/2 cup of apple cider
2 tablespoons milk

Strawberries

100g of cut strawberries
1/3 cup apple cider

Place all the ingredients into a bowl, stir until the ingredients combine. Pour onto a floured surface and knead until a dough forms.
Press out using your fingers until 2cm thick then use a 3cm cookie cutter and cut out, place on an oven tray and place in the oven for 25-30mins or until cooked.

 Cut the strawberries into pieces. Place in a saucepan with the cider, heat until the strawberries start to break down and the cider reduces.

Serve with whipped cream
Apple cider scones

Apple cider scones
Apple cider scones

Apple cider scones

Good bye my friend

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It has been a week since my beloved Miss Kitty passed away, I had to make the hard decision to put her down, it was the hardest decision I have ever had to make.
She was my baking companion, I always knew a good recipe when she tried to taste test. I will miss her everyday.

Strawberry Blondies

100ml strawberries

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup white chocolate pieces

A few strawberries to place on the top (optional)

Using a stick blender blend the strawberries together until they become a liquid, then set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs, crushed strawberries, and vanilla essence and stir until combined.

Sift in the flour, baking powder and stir through. Then add the chocolate and mix until combined.

Pour into a square lined 20x20cm tin, place a few cut strawberries on the top and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked.



A few photos of my Beautiful Miss Kitty that I had on my phone…….

Enjoying her favourite food… Pizza
Just sharing the love

Miss K and her son Raz
Just catching up on our TV
Catching up on shut eye
Good bye my beautiful friend.

Romance of days gone by

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Happy Valentines day everyone. It is officially after midnight here in Melbourne so I hope I am the first to wish you a good day. I hope you get to spend it with someone special, or if your doing a Bridget Jones, I hope your doing it in style, with good food and a great movie.

The other day my dad was going through some old papers and found some old envelopes that happened to be letters that he and my mum had written to each other many years ago. He wouldn’t let me read them, so it must have been good reading. Anyway today I pulled them out to use in this next shoot (don’t worry I didn’t read them), after all whats more romantic than a love letter written over forty years ago. My Parents celebrate there 43rd Wedding Anniversary at the end of March(so don’t forget Dad).
My Father lived in England and Mum was from a little country on the other side of the world, New Zealand. My Dad worked at sea and on one particular journey, he walked into a small pub in New Zealand, where my mum planted eyes on him and said to her friend, I’m going to marry that man. And within the year they were married. They only knew each other in person for two weeks, the rest of that year my dad spent at sea, so there were lots of letters back and forth. It seems so very romantic, good old fashioned love letters. 

Chocolate Tarts

Pastry
1 1/2 cups flour
250 g butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (dutch)

Filling
100g dark chocolate 
50g butter 
1/4 cup sugar 
1/4 cup cream 
1 egg  

Place the flour, sugar, cocoa and butter in to a food processor and pulse until combined. Then add the egg and pulse again until a dough starts to forms. Remove from the processor, and kneed on a floured surface until just smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour. 

Remove from the fridge and roll out of a floured surface until about 2mm thick, then place into tart tins. Blind bake for 15 minutes, remove the beans and place back in the oven for a further 10minutes.

While the pastry is cooking prepare the filling. Place the chocolate and butter into a saucepan and heat until they melt and combine. Remove from the heat and stir through the sugar and cream. Wait for the mixture to cool slightly then stir through the egg. 
Pour the mixture into the tart cases and place back into the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are just cooked and the centre is a little wobbly.