Baking with friends is good for your health!

I can't believe I've been so lazy at blogging! How shameful. I must do better in 2012.


To kick start the year, my friend Ruth and I decided to have a baking day. A relaxed, gentle day of baking delicious and tasty goods while drinking tea, trying new recipes and chatting. Well,three out of four isn't bad. We certainly baked some fantastic treats and we definitely chatted and tried out new recipes. The tea? Well......

A slight variation on a snowball to help with the baking. No tea!

I have never tried making meringues, so after exploring a few different recipes, I thought I'd try lavender meringues. I also had a go at mint macaroons and my tried my hand at my first ever  Bakewell Pudding (not tart!). Ruth baked a rather tasty walnut and treacle cake and also some muffin sized chocolate and chai tea cupcakes. The macaroons were quite difficult, but would have been easier if I'd used the piping bag properly. As it was, I filled it to the brim, resulting in the squidgy goodness escaping everywhere. I haven't actually used a piping bag since I was about 10 years old. Well, that's my excuse!


I can highly recommend a day spent baking with a good friend. Very relaxing and enjoyable! The trick is then to invite more friends round to help you eat them. If there are any left that is. 

Ruth, contemplating the next ingredient

I MUST learn how to use a piping bag!

The finished products!