Merry Christmas everyone. This Christmas I am spending with my wonderful boyfriends family for the first time. In an effort to pitch in I am bringing sweet treats. My baking efforts have included Chocolate chunk cookies, Gingerbread and Chocolate brownies. To top it off I have also made Chocolate truffles and will be making Tiramisu. I have been a baking and chocolate queen this week.

Firstly lets have a look at the Chocolate chunk cookies. My work colleagues always love when I bring these into work. My secret is...... doubling the vanilla and using milk and white chocolate melts instead of chips. I am a big fan of vanilla, and if I am putting it in a recipe I want to taste it. Hence the double shot of vanilla in these cookies.

Recipe

125g unsalted butter

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla essence (it is worth getting essence or even vanilla paste if you can)

2 1/4 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon of bicarb

1 cup of white chocolate melts (roughly chopped)

1 cup of milk chocolate melts (roughly chopped)

It is a basic recipe, and simply a case of preheating the oven to 180 C, then creaming the softened butter and sugars together until light and creamy in texture. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium until well combined. Add the sifted flour and bicarb and stir until they are well mixed in then add the melts. Using a desert spoon, place spoonfuls on the baking tray (lined with baking paper, no greasing or flouring required). Place them in the oven for 10-12 min until the are turning golden. Remove from the tray with spatula and place on a cooling rack, then repeat. This recipe makes between 3-4 dozen depending on the size of the biscuits.

I will post the other recipes over the coming days but here are some pics of the yummy foods I have prepared.  Merry Christmas everyone :)

I'm a fan of tea, whether it is a cup of English Breakfast to start the day, a nice Earl Grey to warm me up on a Winter afternoon, or a cup of soothing Chai to finish the day. Tea and the subtle (or not so subtle) variations in the blends will always bring a smile to my face. I think it is partially that memory of being a child and having mum fix me a cup of tea and a milk arrowroot biscuit for afternoon tea.

Recently I visited The Tea Centre on Little Albert Lane. Firstly, I love walking into this place and feeling like I have stepped into a wonderful fragrant tea house.  From the wall of tins containing tea from all over the world, to the variety of tea pots and cups to purchase, this place has the perfect cup of tea for any palate.

On this visit I had the Pai Mu Tan Stockholm Blend and a sinful little Pavlova with fresh fruit. I have to admit that I am partial to the White teas when I go out. I have so many varieties of tea at home so when I go out I enjoy having something a little different.  The Pai Mu Tan Stockholm Blend is white tea with orange blossoms, rose petals, safflowers, calendula blossom, vanilla and apricot.

The wait staff are very good at the Tea Centre. They give you just the right amount of time to peruse the menu, and then provide your order quite quickly also. The tea comes out in it's own little pot, and they let you know how much longer to leave it steep. My tea is a very light floral flavoured tea with a slight sweetness from the vanilla and apricot. I've just poured the tea into it's cup and taken the first mouthful when my sweet treat arrives. The little pavlova is actually two small meringues sandwiched with cream, kiwi fruit and strawberry slices. There is more of the same on the top as well as a drizzling of passionfruit. It was a purely light and delightful afternoon treat.

When I finished my tea and wandered around the store the have a look at the tea pots the staff were friendly and answered all my questions. I highly recommend The Tea Centre for a quiet relaxing afternoon (or Morning) tea. Stop in to sample their hot or iced teas, or even a coffee if you prefer. Stay and enjoy Devonshire tea or one of their sweet deserts. Have lunch and enjoy a Chicken filo wrap, or quiche and salad. And definitely stop in to look at the wonderful assortment of tea pots, especially with Christmas just round the corner. You may find the perfect gift for that special person.