Brownie Cookies with Maple Bourbon Buttercream

I had my first day off in months the other day and was excited to get into the kitchen and bake something, while still in my PJ's, in the middle of the day on a Wednesday. But when it came to deciding actually what to make, I hit a wall. The fridge was a little bare, the fruit bowl even more so, and nothing on my very long list of baking ideas was standing out to me.

But then I remembered these cookies from Donna Hay magazine a couple of months ago and was instantly inspired. The brownie cookies themselves are super easy to make, as long as you follow the recipe and allow it to rest after mixing it all together. These cookies also spread in the oven so be careful not to place them too close together on the baking tray. They take next to no time to bake, so keep an eye on them or you'll end up with crunchy cookies rather than rich and chewy ones, trust me I know! One unfortunate batch ended up on the crispy side when I wasn't looking.

 
Of course, I can never stick 100% to a recipe so I changed up the filling from peanut butter frosting to a delicious maple and bourbon buttercream, made with salted butter. Although anything that goes with chocolate would work well here - caramel, coffee, raspberries, coconut, honeycomb, more chocolate - use your imagination! But next time I think I'll skip the icing entirely and put a big scoop of homemade ice cream in the middle.

Have a great weekend!

Cherry & Pimm's Pie

I look forward to cherry season every year. It's a short but sweet couple of months where I quite literally gorge on them at every opportunity. Our cherry season is still quite a way off, but the imported cherries from the USA have been delicious, abundant and downright cheap this year, and I couldn't help but turn a few into a lovely pie. I know they have travelled an awfully long way and I should be cooking seasonally, but this cherry addict kinda doesn't care. I also tried blushing pink Rainier cherries for the first time this year and loved their sweet flavour, although they didn't make it into the pie as we I ate them all first!


It was actually a stunning winter's day on Sunday when I made these pies, warmer outside than in the house so we opened up the windows and let that almost-warm breeze flow through. A nice reminder that spring is on its way. My thought process while I was rolling out the pastry went a little like this...

Is 11am too early for Pimm's? It's perfect weather for it. I should make another recipe with Pimm's one of these days. Those Pimm's and Pomegranate Macarons we had in Melbourne were amazing. My kitchen is covered in cherry juice, it looks like a crime scene. Really must buy a cherry pitter. I wonder if Pimm's would go with cherries. I could muddle a few in a glass... I could put Pimm's in the pie filling!! DING DING!!


Unfortunately the taste ended up being quite subtle for this Pimm's fan, so I've amended the recipe below to hopefully give a stronger Pimm's taste in the finished product. But Pimm's or no Pimms, the pies are delicious warm or cold with a big scoop of ice cream on top. I wish I had some chocolate coated popping candy to sprinkle on top like the one at Gazebo!

Have a lovely week everyone! xo

Cinnamon Doughnut Ice Cream

To conclude my series of spiced up recipes for spicyicecream's 5th birthday, I have a very special recipe for you. I have to say, I wasn't sure this little experiment world work, but happily it did, and has become one of my favourite ice cream flavours to date. The doughnut flavour really carried through well and the ice cream itself was deliciously creamy.

This dessert was inspired by the Stoners Delight at Ms G's that included doughnut ice cream as part of a wacky dessert also featuring the likes of chocolate crackles, marshmallows, pretzels and dulce de leche, as well as bacon, and a fried banana fritter last time I was there. Soooo good!


Cinnamon doughnuts were always my favourite as a kid, especially when they were super fresh and hot from Donut King. These days I don't buy donuts as I prefer to make my own, but I wanted this ice cream to have that same flavour as the doughnuts I remembered. So I infused the cream with a dozen of them! Well, a dozen minus the one that ended up in my tummy.

The other great thing about this recipe is that you don't need an ice cream maker, you don't need to make a custard and you won't end up with a heap of leftover egg whites. There are only 4 ingredients and hardly any active time, most of it is taken up waiting while the cream infuses and while the ice cream freezes.

If you missed any of the other recipes in the spicy series, here they are!
• Spiced Mulled Cider
• Chai Spiced Rolls with Cinnamon Glaze
• Sticky Ginger Spice Cake
• Spicy Chocolate Doughnuts