testing out the tried and tested [recipe: chocolate chip bread pudding with vanilla sauce]

Call me boring and unadventurous (though I’d much prefer somewhere along the lines of safe), but I am the sort who finds a great recipe, and sticks by it. In itself it might sound contradictory given that I’m a food blogger, and the very essence of a food blog pivots on the testing and sharing of a plethora of recipes. Well in case you’ve lost me, what I am more specifically referring to is the fact that I have my chosen repertoire of turn-to recipes I’ve been using as bases, or point of reference, for certain bakes. The way I see it, if a said recipe is tried and tested over countless of times, and have proven its worth amongst differing palates, it must surely has earned itself a spot for tweaking and variations.

A favourite base recipe I’ve used countless of times in experimenting new flavours and combinations has to be the much-loved and understated fudgy cocoa brownies, which has lent itself to some yummy peanut butter blondies, and snickerdoodle blondies, just to name a few. Then there is my most oft-used base muffin recipe, which I can never seem to get tired of, and have made variations with other ingredients such as different chips (butterscotch yum!), fruits (strawberries, blueberries) and spreads (Nutella, jam, peanut butter). Hence it would only seem natural that when I was craving for bread pudding the other morning, I turned to my favourite Nutella chocolate bread pudding recipe for a little tweaking.

striking one off the wishlist [recipe: german apple bundt cake]

It is that time of the year when I rummage through my pantry (and book shelf, don’t judge) for long-forgotten and / or long-purchased-but-never-used baking ware and items. After all, it is only natural that certain baking tools get less attention than others, seeing its novelty and perhaps just the lack of occasions requiring you to whip out your blowtorch or your much-adored Elmo baking pan. And I reckon it is also only inevitable that you enter a new store, not expecting to purchase much, but end up leaving with some irresistible offers on items you may not need, but have always had on your wishlist. Right?

Case in point here would be the Nordic bundt pan I got on offer at ToTT many months ago, wrapped neatly and tucked into the depths of my bookshelf. For a small household not big on cakes, I did wonder (perhaps just for a moment) whether such a large bundt pan would be fully utilised, but after having had baked this beautiful and moist German apple bundt cake, there will no longer be any room for regret of purchase, even if it means baking this recipe over and over again.

exciting future ahead [recipe: butterscotch chips blondies]

Is it just me, or did the month of September just zoom by way too fast? And while we’re at it, I highly suspect August was its sneaky precursor of an impetus. With almost every weekend of September spent catching up with, and in my case, getting acquainted with new relatives (via extension of my first Eid as a missus), it is no surprise that the weeks had gone by in a blink. Not that I’m complaining, though. The past month(s) saw some significant changes in my life, where I have found myself looking at each day with great faith and renewed priorities, and just between you and me, I must admit that even the adverse-to-changes yours truly is feeling nothing short of sheer excitement in anticipation of things to come.

And speaking of the future, these blondies, or more specifically, these butterscotch chips blondies, my dear beloved friends, now these are the ones which will definitely keep popping up in the future. They are, to quote an over-used sentiment in reality shows, “the one to beat!”.