And the Winner of Eat Me Is

Smartie Cookies, after baking

The winner of Eat Me! The Stupendous, Self-Rising World of Cupcakes and Bakes According to Cookie Girl by Xanthe Milton is Carla of Four Foodies. I’ll be in touch about sending it to you! Well done Carla, and thank you to everyone who entered.
Here is a couple more recipes I’ve made from this excellent book:

Snowdrift Shortbread
I take on Millionaires shortbread, just with white chocolate and coconut on top, very good, best on day made we thought.

Before baking
Smartie Cookies
I’ve tried a few Smartie cookies in the past, and this one is the clear winner. I suspect it’s the chopped white chocolate that is enclosed into the balls of uncooked cookie dough before being studded with the colourful smarties. I made this for my little one and a friend who came to play on Friday. The friend said she had tried (bought) smartie cookies before, and refused a taste! Isn’t it always the way? Best laid intentions and all that. Cookie Girl says these are just as loved by adults as children, and it’s true; the little friend must have been the exception to the rule - everyone else has loved them and my batch has all but disappeared!
Think I’ll do Easter cupcakes and Easter cookies next. Mmmm.

Eat Me Review and Cookbook Giveaway

I can hardly believe that it is the Third Anniversary of my blog. Time flies and all that… and of course my interest in food, cooking and cookbooks is as vibrant as it ever was.
To celebrate the Third Anniversary of Cooking the Books I’m giving away a new copy of a cookbook which I bought for myself months ago on pre-order and which arrived last week.
It’s by Xanthe Milton - Eat Me! The Stupendous, Self-Rising World of Cupcakes and Bakes According to Cookie Girl. How is that for a title? A fabulous book on baking cupcakes and cookies. I really like it, it’s just my kind of book- girl-y, a little whimsical and a whole lot tempting. Not to mention indulgent, and I love to indulge my family and friends with little sweet things, especially when it’s things that will give a lift to one’s heart and soul. There is something about baking for someone else, or having them bake for you that is special far beyond the sum of the time and ingredients involved. I want to make half the book, right now, this very minute!
Xanthe took a sabbatical from acting and started baking and delivering bakes to offices, this led to a stall at Portobello Market, cupcakes being sold by Selfridges amongst others and she also writes Cookie Girl columns for The Grove magazine regularly, her website is here. She has an obvious real love for cake, cookies and baking. With chapters including recipes for cupcakes and cookies charting the four seasons plus a party chapter too. A taster of some of the delicious recipes are: Easter Egg Cupcakes, Lemon Finger Cookies, Bounty Cupcakes, Blueberry Clouds, Orange Polenta Cookies, Snowdrift Shortbread, Jack Daniel’s Cupcakes, White Christmas Cupcakes and Banoffee Cupcakes.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes

The picture above is of the one I’ve baked first, and I had a very hard time pinpointing the first one I can tell you; but pinpoint it I did and white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes were soon baking in my kitchen. Vanilla sponge with fresh raspberries, filled with white chocolate ganache and topped with a fresh raspberry buttercream icing. They are lovely, the ganache really works so well and takes a raspberry cupcake to another level.
To enter the competition please leave a comment saying you’d like to enter. It is open until 12.00 p.m. on the 20th of March 2010. The winner’s name will be drawn from a hat and I’ll post the winner on the 21st of March 2010. Good luck!