i love baking...

Something you will get to know about me is that i love baking!

I love to be able to make something from scratch and be able to make something yummy for my friends and family to enjoy (if it lasts that long!)

I have quite a few recipe books but i also keep a little recipe keeper folder type thing which i brought from waitrose. It has sections where you can write down recipes that you have been told by people or maybe have found on the internet.

My book is full of recipes people have kindly given to me, mostly from a lovely lady i used to work who used to be the cook there. She adored baking and always made something yummy for the staff and children (it was a nursery) and was really good at cutting out or cutting down on things like sugar or fat but somehow still managed to make them really tasty. She also used to make us a yummy treat for our birthdays :-) and we could request anything we fancied which usually lead to me asking for the recipe!

So, the other day i was in a very baking-esque mood (not a word, i know) and decided to make gingerbread men, sorry gingerbread PEOPLE (to be politically correct).

Now, i have never made gingerbread people before but it is actually really simple, below is the recipe i followed which i found in the recipe book below (which is amazing by the way!)

You will need:

• 4oz of cold butter plus extra to grease
• 12oz plain flour plus extra to dust
• 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsb ground ginger
• 6oz light brown sugar
• 4 tbsp of golden syrup
• 1 medium egg, beaten

One thing i love/hate about this book is that it tells you a rough guide on how much rubbish is in what you are making....

Lightly grease 3 baking sheets then sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a mixing bowl (or a food processor, which is what i did)

Add the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs and then add the sugar.In a separate bowl, beat the syrup with the egg the add to the flour mixture then mix again until a dough forms. Kneed it until smooth, then divide into two halfs, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for half and hour.

Preheat the oven to 190c / Gas mark 5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll until approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut out gingerbread people and place onto a baking tray.

Cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes, being careful to not burn them.

Enjoy! Heather x x

About me...

SO, welcome to my blog :-)

First, i thought it would only be right to explain a little about me...

I am an average 23 year old girl who lives in the midlands, who likes to be around my friends and family. I own a house with my boyfriend who i have been with for 10 years (yes since i was 13!)

We have 2 tortioses called Bangers and Mash...

And a kitten called Jasper...

I love cooking but especially love baking. I love being able to make things for my friends and family (however sometimes goodies i bake dont last long enough to be gievn away as by little piggy of a boyfriend likes to get there first!)

I recently have gotten into making things, first it was homemade cards, then i made soap and bath salts for my friends at christmas and i have recently gotten into knitting (such a granny!)

So, thats a little about me, feel free to tell me a little about yourself :-)

Heather x x