A Balanced Diet.....

Is a cookie in each hand!

As well as Blogging, I have decided to use some of my baby free time to indulge in a bit of baking.  I have several lovely baking books that I haven't so much as looked at let alone actually tried any of the recipes!

First on my list was the 'Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook'.

I had a quick look though and found lots of things I want to try but settled on the 'Nutella Shortbread Sandwich Cookies'  I always seem to bake cupcakes or make large celebration cakes and wanted to try something different.  They were really easy and only use a few ingredients, one of which is Nutella, Bonus!

Here is the recipe if you want to try them for yourself!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Pinch of salt

1/2 jar Nutella

Preheat oven to 180C . Grease two sheet pans or line with parchment (or Silpat).

Toast and skin the hazelnuts. In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts with the sugar until they are finely ground. Add the flour and pulse again. Add the butter pieces, and process it until the mixture comes together. Turn out onto a work surface.

Roll out dough to approximately 1/8-in. thickness (this is quite delicate and tore easily so make sure you are well floured!). With any shape cookie cutter, cut out cookies and transfer the cookies to the prepared sheet pans.

Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, depending on their size and thickness. Cool the cookies on the sheet pans. (these are really easy to overbake, they are ready when slightly golden at the edges, I overbaked mine!)

Once cooled: spread the Nutella on one cookie and make a sandwich by topping the Nutella with another cookie.

Yummy!

 

Lets just say they didnt last long and I'll be making them again!

I even made a special super cookie for James!

Lots of Love

xxxx



King of the Jungle

I don't normally make a point of watching 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here' but after catching the first show and seeing fellow Essex dweller Mark Wright enter the jungle I have to admit to a sneaky series link on the old Sky Plus!

Any TOWIE viewers will know Mr Wright hasn't always been portrayed in the best light but as far as I have seen he has conducted himself really well!

Oh and he is very good looking!

Vote Mark!!!

Lots of Love

xxxx

Hi Ho, Hi Ho........

It's back to work I go!

Well its been about a month, and we seem to be getting settled into what would pass as a routine, or as close to one as we can get with us both working shifts!

Its been horrible leaving Sophie, but she is genuinely loving nursery now and is really benefiting from being with the other children.  We love that we can get things done in half the time and when we pick her up we can devote our attention and time to her without worrying about the pile of washing or errands that we need to run!

For me its been a bit more difficult, there is lots of new equipment I need to be trained on, permits and licenses to renew and generally brushing up on my duties (not an easy prospect when the most brain taxing thing I've done for the past year is watch Micky Mouse Clubhouse!)

On a positive, though, it means I get a little 'Me time' that I plan to use to get my blogging head on again.  I have missed keeping up to date with what's going on in blogsville and can't wait to have a good read!

Lots of Love

xxxx