Baked on Sunday

This morning I woke with a real humdinger of a cold...blocked nose, sore throat, scratchy eyes, the whole works. The thing I've always especially hated about colds is that they're so very common that there isn't really any excuse for getting into bed & pulling the covers over your head (which is all I yearn to do) You're expected just to dose up & get on with life!
So I took my paracetamol, ate a couple of hot, buttered crumpets with divine blueberry jam, drank a strong cup of hazelnut coffee and decided to bake something delicious.
One of my best customers is our local coffee shop. I've supplied them for nearly 6 years, and the lovely thing about them is that they don't exactly order from me - they just let me bring them whatever I feel like each morning. This is such a gift, because I get to try out recipes for my book on the general public & I can cook just what I want to according to the season & my mood!

And when I needed inspiration & comfort this morning, I turned to one of my books of the moment:

The wonderful Baked - New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito. A while ago, a very good friend sent me a set of baking cups - something I'd resisted for many years, being firmly entrenched in the British psyche of weights & scales. What a revelation! It's opened up a whole new world of baking to me & totally rejuvenated my repertoire...and it's so easy! It also helps that Australia uses the cup system too...so my sister can send & recommend books to me from there too - and Aussies DO baking like Americans do! The only problems I had to begin with were in translating sticks of butter. But I've worked out that 2 sticks are about 250g or 1 pack of butter...so using that (which seems to work fine) I've been able to cope!

For more recipes & words about the book, try the wonderful Marzipan 's blog!

I've tried most of the recipes now  all wonderful although I must admit that I sometimes 'play around' with the methods & ingredients as I've been doing it so long now. But it's a great source of inspiration!

And deliciousness - take this Malted Milk Chocolate Cake for instance:

one of my all-time favourites. The Salted Caramel Cake is just to die for too...irresistible..and the Red Velvet Cake with Cinnamon frosting

mmmm!

This morning, I needed to make some sort of bars though. I've taken the image below from Tracey's Culinary Adventures because mine are still in the fridge & not fit for photography just yet....I hope she won't mind, because they look fantastic & she has a great, fun blog too..

but I've made them before & they really DO turn out like this!

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars - makes 9 greedy portions!

For the crispy crust:

1 3/4 cups crisped rice cereal

1/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp light corn syrup (for those of us in the UK, you can get the Karo brand online or at Selfridges Food Hall - lasts for ages!)

3 tbsp melted unsalted butter

For the milk chocolate/peanut butter layer:

5 oz good quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup creamy peanut butter

For the chocolate topping:

3 oz dark chocolate - 60 to 72% cocoa solids, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp light corn syrup

4 tbsps (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick baking paper. You can also use a glass or china dish for this as there's no baking involved - but GREASE it well!

Put the cereal in a large bowl. Pour 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar & corn syrup & stir until just combined. Cook over a medium high heat & bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage, or reads 235F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, stir in the butter & pour over the cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thouroughly coated, then pour ionto the prepared pan. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan - you can use your hands, as it will cool quickly. Leave to cool while you make the next layer.

In a large bowl, combine the chocolate & peanut butter. The book says, at this point, to set the bowl over a pan of simmering water & stir until the chocolate is melted & the mixture is smooth. You can do this of course...I used the microwave to save time & washing up, but melt in short bursts & don't stop watching it! Pour over cooled crust & put in the refrigerator for 1 hour to harden. I must admit that, gilding the lily as usual, I scattered over a generous handful of salted, roasted peanuts at this stage too - up to you! x

Again, for the topping, mix the ingredients together & melt using your preferred method until smooth. Pour over chilled peanut layer & return to the refrigerator to firm up. Cut into squares to serve. Devour!! Bars can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 4 days (if they last that long!)

If you love peanuts & chocolate - or know someone who does - try them. Absolutely gorgeous!

Ok, now I'm off for a hot bath & a day of DVDs & cuddling on the sofa.

Find time to relax this Sunday....have a wonderful day xox