I’m always on the lookout for things that are quick, cheap and keep and transport well for the friendly pony to take to work, and as soon as I saw these bars on 17 and Baking I knew they would be perfect.

The same mixture makes the base and the topping so they’re super quick to whip up, and all the ingredients are things I usually have on hand, plus the flavour can be adapted to whatever jam or fruit you need to use up.

I used a mix of blackcurrant and the last of my homemade raspberry rose jam, with a handful of frozen berries thrown on top which turned out great, and was a nice change from all the chocolate baking I’ve been doing lately!

Jam crumble bars (adapted from 17 and Baking)

Makes 8 large bars

• 150g plain flour
• 70g light brown sugar
• 140g butter
• 1 tbsp milk
• 150g oats
• 250g jam
• handful frozen berries (optional)

Mix the flour and sugar in a food processor, then add in the butter and mix until it forms bread crumbs. Transfer into a bowl and stir in the oats, then add the milk and bring together with your hands into a dough. Press about 3/4 of the mix into an 8×8 square tin, lined with foil.

Spread the jam on top of the base, heating a little in the microwave if it’s too thick to spread easily. Add the berries on top if using. Sprinkle the rest of the oat mixture on top, then bake at 190 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until golden. Leave to cool before slicing into bars.

Red velvet cake has been on my to-bake list for quite a long time, and when better to try it than Valentine’s Day?

I’m not much of a romantic, but who could resist a deep red cake, topped with swirls of cream cheese icing – in red cases, dotted with white hearts, of course…

The red velvet cupcakes I’ve had in the past have actually always been a disappointment – dry sponge and heaps of too-sweet icing – but I still wanted to give them a go to see what the fuss was about.

I used a recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery, which seems to be widely regarded as the best recipe around.

The cakes didn’t disappoint – they were actually surprisingly light, and the cream cheese icing was just the right side of sweet, unlike so many of the shop bought cupcakes I’ve had.

The only slight negative was, as the pony put it, “they’re a bit more like orange velvet” – not quite as deep red as I would have liked…

Oh, and I still have a way to go to mastering the Hummingbird Bakery icing technique…

I followed the recipe exactly so no point re-posting it, but it can be found on Good To Know’s website if you want to give it a go.

This post is a bit of an anomaly for the Hungry Hinny – an actual meal as opposed to a baked good!

But as the challenge set by Choclette for this month’s We Should Cocoa was to create something savoury and vegetarian using chocolate,  I was happy to branch out.

The only savoury cooking I’ve done with chocolate in the past is using it in chilli, but I thought that was too obvious and set out to find something a bit different.

I stumbled across this recipe for warm encrusted goat’s cheese which used cacao nibs, which I figured would at least be interesting, if not actually nice, so I set about recreating it.

After a bit of reconnassaince on Twitter, I found a local shop which sold cacao nibs, but when I visited they only had 200g bags costing over £8, which I couldn’t really justify spending on an experiement, so the final version of this is definitely more ‘inspired by’ than an actual replication of the original…

I served the goat’s cheese on seeded panini breads with caramelised onions, a rocket salad and balsamic dressing, and I have to say I actually really liked it!

The pony wasn’t so keen on the crust, but then he doesn’t like pecans anyway so I wasn’t too surprised – it’s definitely worth giving it a go for something slightly different to do with chocolate!

Chocolate and pecan crusted goat’s cheese (adapted from All Chocolate):

(Serves 2 as a lunch)

• 2 x 65g packs of Gevrik Goat’s Cheese (other goat’s cheeses will work fine, but if you’re a strict veggie double check as some French ones aren’t suitable)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50g pecan nuts
• 1tsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Use a food processor to quite finely chop the nuts, then add in the cocoa powder and black pepper. Cut each mini-log of cheese in half width-ways, so you have four rounds, then dip each in the beaten egg before coating with the nut mixture, then place on a baking tray. Bake at 180 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until the coating is crisp and the cheese is just starting to ooze out.

To serve:

• 2 medium onions
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1tsp brown sugar
• 2 seeded paninis, or other breads
• 1 pack of rocket or other leafy salad

Heat a little oil in a frying pan then add the sliced onions. Cook slowly for about 15 minutes or until starting to turn golden, then add in 1tbsp balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, until caramelised.

Heat the breads for about 5 minutes in the oven, then slice in half and top with the onions and goat’s cheese. Arrange on top of the salad and drizzle with the remaining balsamic vinegar.

In theory, I should love blondies.

Basically the same as brownies (which I love), but with the melted chocolate swapped out for brown sugar or white chocolate. I even thought I might prefer blondies, as I prefer plain cookies with chocolate chips to the double chocolate variety.

Unfortunately, my first attempt at blondies was not a success. They were far, far too sweet, and the brown butter in them that everyone raves about actually just seemed to make them greasy.

Although my first experience was a bad one, I was willing to accept that it could have just been a bad recipe, or maybe down to my dodgy oven, so I decided to give them another go.

I chose this recipe from Rachel Allen because the pony had requested something with peanut butter. Not being a fan of peanut butter normally, I was fully expecting not to love these, but no – they were amazing!

They were literally so addictive, I couldn’t stop eating them. To the point that I put on two pounds in the past week and fully attribute it to these blondies.

If, unlike me, you can actually exercise portion control and self restraint, you should definitely make these – I am now a 100% blondie convert.

Peanut butter blondies (adapted from Rachel Allen’s recipe)

• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 200g butter
• 300g crunchy peanut butter
• 350g light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g white chocolate, chopped

Cream together the butter and peanut butter until well mixed, the add in the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, then sift in the flour and baking powder and fold to combine. Stir in the chocolate, then pour into a 9×13 ” tin, lined with baking paper. Bake at 170 degrees for 25 minutes, then leave to cool before cutting into squares.

I’m by no means an expert when it comes to relationships (something people who know me well will be quick to testify!) but one thing I do know, with some certainty, is that the way to any boy’s heart is food.

In the case of the friendly pony, if the food involves some sort of chocolate, then it’s pretty much the equivalent of Cupid’s arrow – which is why for Valentine’s Day there will be no cards, no gifts – just lots of chocolate-based treats.

First up are these chocolate sandwich hearts, which I’m entering for the February Tea Time Treats challenge, this month hosted by Kate of  What Kate Baked (the theme of course being romance).

The biscuits are  thin, crisp and quite strongly flavoured of cocoa with just a hint of cinnamon. The fudge filling is my new favourite obsession – a rich, chocolatey fudge sauce that can be whipped up in 5 minutes with ingredients I always have on hand – slightly dangerous for my waistline but delicious nonetheless!

Together, they create a perfect bite-sized chocolatey tea time treat. And if the thought of Valentine’s romance makes you feel a little queasy, just use a round cookie cutter instead!

Chocolate sandwich hearts (biscuits from 1001 Cupcakes, Cookies and Other Tempting Treats, filling adapted from Espresso and Cream)

(Makes 10-ish sandwich biscuits)

For the biscuits:

• 125g butter
• 75g icing sugar
• 115g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

Heat the butter and milk in a saucepan, stirring until the butter has melted, then bring to the boil and simmer for a minute or two. Quickly stir in the cocoa powder and sugar, and whisk until the sauce is thick and glossy. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.

Once the biscuits and filling are cool, spread some of the filling onto half of the biscuits, then sandwich with another biscuit on top. Give to your Valentine, or just eat them all yourself!

When I saw these homemade Twix bars on Pinterest, they jumped straight to the top of my to-bake list.

They aren’t really that different to the millionaire’s shortbread I’ve made in the past, but being called a Twix was enough to sell it to me, as I love recreating shop bought treats at home.

I was a bit dubious about the base as it was a very liquid mixture, and it seemed spongy when it came out of the oven, but once cooled it did turn biscuity. The only problem was that as a result of it being so liquid to start with, all the butterscotch chips sank to the bottom, and a lot go stuck on the foil, making the bars not quite as perfect looking as I would have liked, but still tasty.

If I were to make them again, I think I would just cream the butter and sugar without melting the butter first and see if that makes a difference. On the plus side though, I think this was the best caramel I’ve made so far!

Homemade Twix bars (adapted from Bakers Royale):

(Makes 24 finger-sized bars)

For the base:

• 115g butter, melted
• 110g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 110g plain flour
• 75g butterscotch chips

Mix together the melted butter and sugar, then beat in the egg and vanilla before folding in the flour and butterscotch chips. Pour into an 8×8″ square tin, lines with foil or baking paper, then bake at 175 degrees for 15 minutes, or until firm. Leave to cool completely while you make the caramel.

For the caramel:

• 200g caster sugar
• 90ml water
• 60g butter
• 60ml double cream

Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to the boil, then continue to boil without stirring until it turns a golden amber colour. Remove from the heat, tip in the butter and cream, and whisk vigorously until combined and the mixture stops bubbling. Pour into a bowl or jug and leave to cool before pouring on top of the base.

For the chocolate layer:

• 170g dark chocolate
• 1tsp golden syrup
• 75g butter

Melt all the ingredients together in a bowl over simmering water. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little, before spreading on top of the set caramel. Leave the tin in the fridge for an hour or so to allow everything to set, before cutting into finger-sized bars and serving.

There’s nothing fancy about this cake, just a dark, dense, chocolate sponge with a hint of sticky toffee-ness about it, balanced by a not-too-sweet ganache.

One person did comment that he wasn’t sure if it was sweet enough, but the pony and I both agreed it was just right.

This cake also kept really well, possibly even improving with age – the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of coffee, but equally at home as an after dinner desert – I would seriously recommend you all go and make this cake!

Chocolate date cake (adapted from Under the High Chair):

Makes up to 16 small slices

• 300g dates
• 300 ml strong hot coffee
• 165g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 50g dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 120g self raising flour
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 40g cocoa powder
• 100g dark chocolate
• 100ml double cream

Soak the dates in the coffee for about 10 minutes, while you prepare a 9″ round cake tin by lining and greasing and start making the sponge. Beat together the butter and both sugars until light and creamy, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and fold until just combined. Puree the date and coffee mixture in a food processor, then fold that into the mix as well. Pour into the tin, then bake at 175 degrees for an hour, or until the cake is springy and pulling away from the sides of the tin.

While the cake is cooling, make the ganache by heating the cream in a saucepan until just boiling, then pouring on top of the chopped chocolate, and stirring until smooth. When the ganache and cake have both cooled, spread the ganache on top of the cake then leave to set. Cut into small slices and serve!

This month’s We Should Cocoa challenge, set by Chele of Chocolate Teapot, was to make something health conscious to start the new year.

I wasn’t immediately struck with inspiration, as my line of thinking is that chocolate is always unhealthy, but everything in moderation is ok – not that I always manage to stick to the moderation part!

As luck would have it, a few weeks ago Madison at Espresso and Cream posted these black bean brownies, at a very health conscious 130 calories each – and brownies with beans in just sounded too weird not to try!

Thanks to a few tweaks (adding chocolate chips and cutting into 12 squares instead of 16) meant that these brownies are actually more like 215 calories each – but that’s still kind of ok for a brownie!

You can’t taste the black beans, and the pony liked them, but they were a bit too cakey for me – I like brownies to be thick and gooey! They were interesting to try though, and I as a vegetarian I can even kid myself I NEED to eat one to get my daily protein fix…

Black bean brownies (adapted from Espresso and Cream):

Makes 12 squares

• 3/4 cup tinned black beans
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 2 eggs
• 20g cocoa powder
• 100g caster sugar
• 1tsp instant coffee granules
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 50g dark chocolate, melted
• 40g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 100g milk chocolate chips

Blend the drained black beans in a food processor with the oil, eggs, cocoa powder and sugar for about a minute, until completely blended with no bits. Add in the rest of the ingredients, apart from the chocolate chips, and blend again to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips, then pour into an 8×8 square tin, lined with foil. Bake at 175 degrees for 20 minutes, then leave to cool before cutting into squares and serving.

Before cupcakes became so popular, it was all about fairy cakes – and I think butterfly cakes are the ultimate version of the fairy cake.

Light sponge, just a little buttercream, and ‘wings’ proudly poking out the top, I think I’d take one of these bitesize treats over a sugar overloaded cupcake any day.

Butterfly cakes (sponge recipe from The Great British Bake Off book, icing my own)

Makes 12

For the cakes:

• 125g butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g self raising flour
• 3 tbsp milk

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Fold in 1/3 flour, then half the milk and repeat, finishing with flour. Divide between 12 cupcake cases and bake at 180 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, or until risen and golden.

For icing and filling:

• 85g butter
• 210g icing sugar
• 1tbsp milk
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1tsp lemon juice
• 12 tsp jam, curd or marmalade

Beat the butter and half the icing sugar until well combined, then add in the milk, vanilla and lemon. Beat again, then add the remaining icing sugar and keep beating for 3-5 minutes until really light and fluffy.

To assemble the butterfly cakes, first cut the tops off of each cake with a knife. Don’t throw the tops away, as they will make the wings.

Spoon a small amount of jam or curd on top of each cake (I used blackcurrant jam, raspberry rose jam and orange curd).

Pipe a swirl of icing on top to cover the jam, starting from the outside and working inwards so the jam doesn’t ooze out of the sides.

Cut the cake tops in half, and the place back on top to resemble the butterfly’s wings.

Super cute! Enjoy as an afternoon treat with a cup of tea or coffee.

I defy anyone to not like a proper, American style chocolate chip cookie.

Crisp around the edges, chewy in the middle, delicious chocolate chunks – and the smell when they’re baking! Amazing.

In the search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, I found a lot of reviews claiming that a recipe published in the New York Times was the one.

After a bit of searching, I found another blogger who had made them and handily converted some of the quantities from cups to grams – cup measurements are enough to stop me attempting a recipe, so thanks Made with Pink!

I made a few of my own tweaks, making half the dough, using a bit less chocolate and simplifying the measurements – and I can report that they really are the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever made!

I’d definitely make them again, and I’d also use the dough as a base recipe for other cookies – it’s worth the 36 hour wait between making the dough and baking the cookies, trust me!

New York Times chocolate chip cookies (adapted from Made With Pink)

Makes 11 cookies

• 105g plain flour
• 15g cornflour
• 105g bread flour or strong white flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 140g butter
• 125g light brown sugar
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 250g dark chocolate, broken into squares

Cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift in the rest of the dry ingredients and fold to combine, then stir in the squares of chocolate. Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and refrigerate for 36 hours (no idea why, but do it!)

When it’s time to bake, take the dough out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Divide the mixture into balls weighing 75g each, then place on a baking sheet. I put 3 on each sheet to be cautious, and they spread quite a bit so unless you have a really large baking sheet I wouldn’t try to fit more.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden around the edges and puffy in the middle. Leave to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (if you can wait that long!)