So, this week was technically my first bake of the year. I had every intention of trying new things and being a little healthier. So in this blog you have the story of my beetroot brownies that certainly weren’t by cup of tea and instead a slightly unhealthy batch of cookie dough instead. I feel like I've tried being good this week but this was certainly a little cheat. I’ve stuck to my word so far of wanting to try and bake things other than cakes and for the next couple of weeks I have a few ideas I’ve never tried before. It’s been good being back at uni this week and getting back into a routine. I’ve got so much free time next week which I’m excited about, meaning I have time to bake as well as study.
Let’s start with the cookie dough, purely because the brownies just weren’t photogenic enough for my liking. The cookie dough however was extremely simple and not something I expected to blog about. However considering the batch I made this week has gone already I took it as a sign it was a hit. It was such a simple snack to whip up, annoyingly I couldn’t find any chocolate chips so settled for M&Ms and Smarties instead. I started by measuring 190g plain flour and put it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 10 minutes. This makes the cookie dough safe to eat. After I took the flour out of the oven I, melted 115g unsalted butter in the microwave. I added the butter to 150g light brown sugar and whisked it together. I also added 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Once this was all combined I added the flour and gently mixed it together. The mixture was quite crumbly so I kept adding a little bit of milk at a time until it all came together. I then split the dough into two balls so I could add my chocolate. I added Smarties to one and M&Ms to the other. Once it was all incorporated I rolled the balls into around 35g per ball. This recipe made 16 but of course you can just put it in a ball and scoop it out.
I kept the cookie dough in the fridge and it’s safe to say it didn’t last long. I then tried what it would be like heating it briefly in the microwave. I put the cookie dough in the microwave for around 20 seconds it was honestly lush! The chocolate went all gooey and it was nice having it warm. You can even freeze the cookie dough if you want to. I have a feeling it’s going to be a regular addition in our uni house based on the reaction. I’ve even been brainstorming some flavour ideas I want to try. They are amazing though because I priced them and they are ridiculously cheap to make, I’m certainly going to look into them further.
Now going back to the brownies, I love a good brownie. I’ve never been adventurous with the flavours. My housemate suggested I put beetroot in them. I was apprehensive purely because I don’t like beetroot which probably didn’t help. I’ll briefly explain the recipe and to be fair I think it was just personal preference that I didn’t like it. I melted 250g dark chocolate and unsalted butter together over a pan of simmering water. In another bowl I grated 250g of beetroot. I can’t stand the smell of beetroot and used a food bag over my hand so I didn’t have to touch it. I then whisked 3 eggs and 250g caster sugar in a bowl until it was creamy. I stirred in the chocolate mixture and added 250g self-raising flour, beetroot and 100g crushed walnuts. The tin I used was far too small and the brownies ended up being far too thick. I baked them at 180 degrees for 35 minutes. When they came out of the oven I let them cool before I cut them. I took so many photos but just wasn’t convinced they were blog worthy. I got told by my housemates that they were really good and that you couldn’t taste the beetroot, so maybe you might like them if you tried them. For me, these brownies are something I would rather forget about.
I can’t believe I’m back at uni already. I’m so happy and ready to try baking new things this year. I’ve already got a yummy bake lined up for next week so look out on my Instagram for a sneak peek next week. I hope you all have a lovely week, I can’t wait to bake some sweet treats.
Lots of love,
Hannah x
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