Baking Friday - Choc dipped Biscuits

After a gap in baking dates, we are back and baking at LB towers! This week we decided on these easy, tasty biscuits. Scarlett particularly enjoys using our brand new cookie cutters, and is skilled in pushing them into the dough!
We baked a tin full, which are being nibbled as we speak.......

Ingredients:
300g plain flour
100g caster sugar
1 egg
200g butter
finely grated lemon peel
tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

-Mix all ingredients in a bowl
-Knead well by hand
-Roll out dough and use cookie cutters to make shapes
-Bake in 180/gas mark 4 oven for 12-15 mins (depending on oven type)
-Melt 100g chocolate (we used milk) and dip one half of cooled biscuits into chocolate. Place dipped biscuits on silicone sheet/clingfilm.
-Before chocolate sets, you could sprinkle decorations into it.
-Leave to set at room temp or fridge to speed up process
- Enjoy!

What I've been up to....

This blog has been very neglected for the last week or so. This is due to working on a project for a museum in Australia. It is a dress made using my 'Eternal Lace', which is a hand stitched lace created entirely from waste plastic bags. This project has taken over my life, (as well as others!) for weeks and weeks.

I developed this lace 5 years ago during an MA at Chelsea College of Art & Design. I have pieces in a couple of Museum collections, and have taken part in many exhibitions and selling shows as well as commercial work. This last piece is likely to be the last I make for a while, as I am now concentrating on Lettie Belle.

My lace work is technically interesting to have developed and to make, however takes a very long time. Time, as all parents will know is hard to come by with a toddler at home! The technique is also hard on the eye sight and fingers. I have learnt a lot in the last few years, such as the do's and don'ts of working for oneself. I feel that Lettie Belle is starting really well, and is a new phase in my design life.

I plan to make more lace work, for specific projects such as this one- but to no longer create collections. This dress will be in an exhibition in Sydney this summer. Now, it's fingers crossed that the parcel makes it there on time.
Bon voyage!Normal blog ramblings will now resume......

Have a look at more of my work at http://www.lauramarsden.com

ps, I know the model (my sister) is lacking hands in one of the pics, it is to demonstrate her as a mannequin, which is how dress will be exhibited!

Pretty Cup Cake Cases

While prepping for baking today, I came across my stash of cup cake cases. There are some fun designs. I don't know if I've been watching too much New Jersey based reality TV, but I just love the animal print ones!

I'm not sure where they are all from, but here are a few details:

Animal Print Cases - Morrisons, 99p
Silicone Cases - John Lewis
Fairytale Cases (3 sizes) - Habitat, £4.50

Baking Friday - Fairy Cakes

Today was Scarlett's first crack at baking. After initial reluctance to don an apron, she soon got into it! We made up a mixing song to help us along. Obviously it was very tiring work, as Scarlett went for a nap while the cakes were in the oven. Mummy iced them as lunch was much more interesting!

Eating and cooking are a huge part of our family life. Growing up with a French mum, 3 hour lunches at the weekend and on holiday were the norm! So far Scarlett has a good interest in all kinds of food, and (at the moment) will try anything. We will be baking every Friday and will share our recipes with you.

Enjoy!

Fairy Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

125g butter
125g sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
vanilla extract
125g self-raising flour
2 tbsp milk

Method:
- Beat butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy
- Add beaten egg a little at a time
- Sift in half flour and fold into mixture
- Add milk, vanilla extract and rest of flour and fold until well combined(we also added a drop of natural food colouring, though this didn't show up much when cooked!)
- Bake for 12 minutes in oven, gas mark 4/180

Icing:

We made icing using recipe on back of icing sugar packet! Though you could also make butter cream icing, which is very yummy.

For a bit of variety I like coloured icing, just add a couple of drops of natural food colouring. We used chocolate and strawberry curls to decorate, bought from the supermarket.

Very easy and fun to make!

Comfort & Soothing

It's been a bit of a roller coaster lately here at Lettie Belle HQ. Scarlett has had horrendous teething, sore throat, soaring temperature and insomnia. These are all very familiar to parents everywhere. As we know it's very testing for everyone, especially the little one who can't say what hurts! Thank goodness for NHS Direct.....

We all need a bit of comfort and soothing in our house at the moment, so here are some things that are keeping us sane (just)!I am also finding that my singing ' Frere Jacques' for hours on end is actually calming to Scarlett...sympathies to anyone else in the vicinity!

Bashful Bunny-Beige, £5.75 - £33.50, www.justjellycat.co.uk
Sophie the Giraffe teether, £11.99, www.sophielagirafe.co.uk

Silent Sunday