Christmas Eve Goodies!

Today is going to be *such* a wonderful day!  We love to celebrate Christmas Eve with my aunt, uncle and two cousins and this year is no different!  We alternate houses each year and today it's our turn to host (^_^) We're planning on a delicious fish and chip supper followed by some delicious homemade sweet treats!

I love to bake at Christmas and try every year to make something simple and tasty to tuck into.  This year my Mum made some amazing coconut ice and caramel shortbread and I made rock cakes and the most delicious brownies!  I'm going to share my rock cake and brownie recipes, both of which I've customised to my own liking so you can do the same!

Rock Cakes

These little bundles of misshapen yummy-ness are *so* easy to make and such a lot of fun too!

You Will Need:

• 250g self-raising flour
• 90g soft brown sugar (light or dark)
• 90g soft butter
• 1 egg

These are the basic ingredients for your rock cakes!  It's traditional to add fruit to them, like currants or candied peel, but I like to make them as chocolatey as possible so I add lots and lots of chocolate chips!  You could add fruit, multicoloured sprinkles or food colouring to jazz these little beauties up!

How To:

• Rub the butter and flour together with your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs.
• Add the sugar and your added ingredients (mine here was the chocolate chips!).
• Beat the egg in a separate bowl, then add to the mix.
• Stir it all together!  The mix will look quite dry but it should hold together!  If it's a little too dry, add a splash of warm water.
• Get your hands messy (again!) and squidge your mix together into lovely little rock shapes.  You should be able to make around 8-12 with this recipe.
• Set your oven to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F.
• Bake for about 15 minutes.
• Leave them to cool on a rack, then dive in!

They get lovely and crunchy on the outside and stay soft and fluffy on the inside.  Perfect!

Brownies

This recipe is actually a combination of two different recipes and it makes really chocolatey brownies!

You Will Need:

• 175g soft brown sugar (light or dark)
• 130g soft butter
• 150g cooking chocolate (I like to use milk but you can use dark if you prefer!)
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 110g plain flour

How To:

• Melt the chocolate and butter together using the good old 'bowl over saucepan of water' method.  Leave to cool completely.
• Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla.
• Slowly mix in the chocolate and butter, followed by your flour (sifted if possible!)
• Pour the mix into a greased tin (I greased mine with a little butter)
• Set your oven to 160 degrees C/320 degrees F.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes (check after 20) When it's firm and slightly springy, it's done!
• Leave to cool, then cut into bite-size pieces.

After you've added your flour, you can always add chocolate chips, chopped nuts, fruit or even something like marshmallows to the mix to make it even more exciting!  I love these brownies, they melt in your mouth with a slightly crisp crust and a soft, gooey, chocolatey centre.

I can't wait to see my family and spend time all together, eating yummy food and enjoying some Christmas spirits *winks* I hope you're all having a magical Christmas Eve!  Have an amazing day!

xoxo

♥Ắçĕ♥