Tag Archives: Golden syrup

Week Sixty Nine – Mary Berry’s Marmalade Tray Bake & Melting Moments

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Well I am definitely back in the baking saddle this week, I was raring to go this morning and delved eagerly into Mary Berry’s Baking Bible to find 2 bakes that I could fit in today. I do like the tray bake section- have I mentioned that I am still recycling my Lakeland foil tray bake tins?! Well Mary’s recipe for the marmalade tray bake is a “no brainer”- throw all the ingredients into the bowl and mix. The only thing she warns you about is measuring the marmalade carefully as too much will make the tray bake sink in the middle.

Mary Berry's Marmalade Tray Bake

The finished tray bake looks like a mix between a fruit cake and a bread pudding but with a tangy orangy smell.

Kim's Marmalade Tray Bake

Mary’s next recipe should have been just as easy but either I was tired or not reading the recipe as carefully as I should have- and I wasn’t wearing my glasses. Mary tells you to add the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract and flour into a bowl and mix into a dough- my HUGE mistake was at a quick glance I “misread” the golden (sugar) for golden syrup- and yes, that’s what I added instead of the sugar….. when I realised what I had done, I had 2 choices, continue and see how they turned out or throw the mix away and only have 1 bake this week…… so I continued…. and added the porridge oats to the dough and mixed them in when Mary clearly says ( on closer and second time of reading!!!…..Sigh…) make the biscuit dough, roll into small bowls and roll the balls in the porridge oats…. well at this point I was really kicking myself and decided to bake a batch to see how they turned out anyway- waste not , want not as my Nan would have said.

Mary Berry's Melting Moments

Well, given that I added golden syrup instead of golden caster sugar and mixed the oats into the mix rather than rolling the small dough balls in it, I didn’t think they turned out badly at all so I baked the rest of the batch and was rather pleased that my complete hash turned out okay after all.

Kim's Melting Moments

Note to self, ” read all recipes at least once and with glasses on before attempting next bake.” !!!!!

Week Forty Five – Mary Berry’s Yorkshire Gingernuts

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After the gluttony of the last few weeks, I needed a bake recipe that didn’t involve sponge cake or chocolate. Mary Berry‘s Baking Bible never fails to offer an answer and Mary’s Yorkshire Gingernuts fitted the bill nicely.

I had been considering missing a week this week, I think I had hit my “wall” as you hear runners say when they reach a certain distance. I had been feeling a little despondent and had even considered giving up the challenge but after giving myself a swift kick and talking to, the challenge goes on!

Mary Berry's Yorkshire Gingernuts recipes

Mary’s recipe asks you to melt the butter and the golden syrup in a pan and then add this to all the dry ingredients. I must admit I had checked my store cupboard for all the ingredients ahead of my bake but thought I had more ginger than I actually had. Mary’s recipe asked for a tablespoon of ginger…and when I opened my pot, I had at the most a teaspoon’s worth. I found myself, at 4:45pm on a Sunday afternoon wondering where I could get some ginger. Luckily for me, I found my local Co-Op was still open and had just what I needed! The bake was still on! I added the wet mix to the dry and brought it together into a dough. Mary says to roll little balls about the size of a walnut and that the mix will make about 50 biscuits…well my version of a walnut must be different to Mary’s but I still must have made about 35 biscuits or so.

Into the oven they went and I set the timer and sat and waited. Once the time was up, I had a look and they smelt lovely and gingery. They were a lovely golden colour too. I took them out of the oven and put them on a cooling rack and put the next batch in.

Kim's Yorkshire Gingernuts

Once they were cool enough, hubby and I shared one between us and put the rest in a tin. I have taken some to work and hubby will give some to his parents soon. I must say that after a day, they had that lovely “snap” on the outside when you bite into them and a softer middle. For a “filler” recipe, I must admit that I would happily make these again!

Week Eight- Fast Flapjacks- with chocolate chips!

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Week eight and I have adjusted to mum living at a distance again.

I didn’t want to cook anything too taxing this week so chose flapjacks. Mary Berry’s Fast Flapjacks with the option of adding chocolate chips sounded like it fitted the bill.

Since I have started this challenge, I have 2 avid fans in the kitchen watching my every move and if I drop anything, well, they make sure it’s cleaned up quickly!

Ok, the recipe seemed simple enough, golden syrup, butter, Demerara sugar and porridge oats– vaguely healthy too- well the porridge oats say they are a “super food” any way!

The syrup, butter and sugar all went in the pan and melted together.

Then in went the porridge oats, a thorough stir in and left to cool for 10 minutes before adding the chocolate chips, then pressed into a tray bake tin and into the oven for 35 minutes.

 

All in all, another success, quick and easy and no hidden extras- such as preservatives that you get in shop bought things. I am also beginning to think more about buying things in the supermarket, before I stop and I think- ” I can make that!”.