Cinnamon Brownies.

I have few secrets, but the ones I do have... they're horrific. I don't often tell people for this exact reason, but I feel I need to be honest with you all.

I'm terrible at making brownies.

...But I made brownies.

With CINNAMON.

They came out perfectly moist, with just a hint of cinnamon spice. They're perfectly cooked, perfectly chocolaty and... have you ever eaten a brownie for breakfast? I have. It made me feel sick. It made me feel dirty. It was all oh, so wrong but... I'd do it again.

I'll tell you the story of how these babies came about. I'd made brownies before. I'd made them horribly. In fact, I'm not even sure I made brownies, because it was much more like a massive souffle. The brownie mix rose in the oven... and rose some more... and the middle was still completely gooey, despite being in there for an hour... then I got them out, and they were still towering above the edge of the tin and... it never deflated. Only when I poked it did it drop down, but it was still runny and horrible inside. I needed to prove to myself that I could make brownies.

So I did. I had to dash to the shop midway through making these, because I didn't realise we only had 3 eggs, rather than the required 4. Then, finally when the time came for me to add the flour and cocoa powder... I decided it was missing something, so I went to the spice box and found the cinnamon. I was a weird urge, but once I'd added a touch of it to the flour/cocoa powder... it felt so right.

And that's exactly what these brownies are. You'll want to make them and eat them all within a day. I would've if these weren't so intensely chocolaty, so instead I had to take some into college with me and they were demolished by friends and acquaintances of mine... I even offered one to my lecturer.

I'll be getting straight A's for the rest of the year.

Cinnamon Brownies.

Adapted from The Great British Book of Baking.

(I didn't use a square tin for this, we don't have one, instead I used a round cake tin. Also, feel free to omit the cinnamon, or change the milk chocolate to dark. Whatever takes your fancy.)

225g butter, diced

100g milk chocolate, broken up

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

50g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

50g white chocolate chips

50g milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to gas-mark 4 (180 C/350F). Grease a 20cm tin, line the base with greaseproof paper.

Slowly melt the butter and chocolate in a small, heavy-based pan, on the lowest heat stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside to cool until needed.

Mix the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract together with a whisk, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture.

Sift the flour, cocoa and cinnamon into the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Stir in the chocolate chips (alternatively you could use nuts, or a mixture of the 2) then transfer to the prepared tin and spread evenly.

Bake in the heated oven for around 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with moist crumbs. (This will continue cooking once you’ve taken it out of the oven, so do not overcook it. [I personally had to leave it in for around 40 minutes, as my oven dislikes brownies])

Leave to cool completely before cutting into squares.

If you can stomach a whole batch of brownies, then go ahead and eat these all by yourself, but I highly recommend sharing. And, with Valentines Day coming up, you have the perfect opportunity to impress your friends, family and valentines with your baking skills, whilst showing the world how much of a generous, caring person you are.*

*(Disclamer: I don't usually condone "sharing" and I'm generally a selfish individual, so you can't sue me for any feelings of goodwill and generosity that may come from the act of "sharing")

Black Cherry Jam Muffins

Sometimes, I make things wrong.

And, sometimes, things explode all over the oven.

Sometimes, things go so wrong, and explode so much they frighten me out of making them again.

I thought that was the case with these babies. But I was wrong. So very wrong. There's nothing frightening about Black Cherry Muffins when they're RIGHT. Because they're so right, when they're right.

The tops are perhaps a bit too golden, but they're perfectly risen and so ridiculously lovely on the inside. I encourage you to give them a go. The crumbley top turns these amazing muffins considerably better. It's true.

Even though I made a mess, and might've made double the amount of crumble I needed. Who cares? The only thing that matters are muffins. Go on... Give 'em a go.

Black Cherry Jam Muffins.

Adapted from joythebaker.com

Makes 6 muffins

Batter:
50g butter
45ml milk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
75g plain flour
75g sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp black cherry jam

Topping:
25g cold butter
25g plain flour
2 tbsp sugar

Pre-heat oven to gas-mark 5 and place rack in the upper-third of the oven. Line a cake tray with muffin cases.

Melt butter on a low heat in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and whisk in milk, egg, and vanilla until combined.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk mixture and stir well.

Gently fold in jam.

Divide the batter between muffin cases.

Rub butter into dry topping ingredients until crumbs are formed then sprinkle evenly over batter.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown, or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool on wire rack.

Then, enjoy. Really. Enjoy them. They don't last long.

An Adventure to a Place

Occasionally, I go to places. I'll be going to a place at the end of February for a week, and I went to a place this weekend.

I have no idea where I went. It was a pretty place, with lots of rocks and it was by the sea. Right by the sea. (Why I say that as though it's special I have no idea. I've lived right by the sea all my life.)

This place was somewhere in Dorset, past the Puddle's and past the Piddle's. I think we went through Dorchester at some point, and then we were in this place.

  

This is the place we went to. It is pretty, huh? There were a lot of flies around that seaweed, which made me want to run away and scream. A lot.

The sky did lots of pretty things like this...

...And this. It made me love the world a little bit.

There were lots of rocks. Have I said this? Here I am... With some rocks. And some noisy people who scared me and made me think rocks were going to fall down on them and I'd have to try to be brave and get past the fly infested seaweed to save them.

Luckily, that didn't happen.

I did find some rocks though. Rocks with things in. I was the champion of finding rocks with things in. My mum wasn't too great and my step dad was just terrible.

We also found a stick at one point, and I'm not sure how it happened.

But now that stick lives in our utility room, next to the drier and a pot of string.

If you have a clue where I went, that'd be helpful. I would ask the parentals, but I have a feeling I should know where I go and then that'll just make them think I'm stupid. I'm not. I'm just very unobservant at times.

Also, the place I go to in February will be very INTERESTING, with lots of lovely things. It's called Rome, and I hear it's pretty old or something. Should be quite the adventure, huh?

Lorren