April Degustabox review

The end of the month is nigh which means ... it's time for another Degustabox to arrive - always a moment that heralds much excitement as we all gather round to see what goodies are hiding inside this time.

We weren't disappointed, it's a really family friendly box this month and, as usual, I love the fact that it's a good mixture of well-known brands and total unknowns for us to discover. Here's what we found in this month's box :

2 bars of Dr. Oetker Fine Cooks' Chocolate - hmmm what should we do with these? I think some more Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes may be called for as they were so lovely.

Crabbie's Alcoholic Raspberry Ginger Beer - I love the sound of this one. It's currently chilling in the fridge and I'll let you know what I think once I've sampled it.

 Clearspring Miso Soup on the Go - we eat a lot of soup here at The Madhouse but have never tried miso soup before so we're looking forward to trying these out. Each individual serving sized pack just needs to be added to water so it's ideal as an instant lunch to keep in your drawer at work . Judging by how much we loved their Fruit On The Go pouches, I have high hopes for these.

 Lindt Lindor - yum, we already know these ones and love the smooth, velvety chocolate.

 Go Splash Blackcurrant Squash - We've already tried and reviewed (and loved) the Go Splash Apple so I'm envisioning lots more happy squeezing with this. It's amazingly concentrated so, hard as it is to believe, you'll get 30 glasses of drink out of this little bottle. I love the fact that it takes up less space in the kitchen cupboard and the kids love the taste. It's also sugar free.

 Cawston Press Rhubarb drink - another exciting drink that is chilling in the fridge waiting to be sampled so I'll have to report back once I've tried it. It sounds delicious - a blend of pressed apple and raspberry juice with sparkling water and added vitamin C.

 Keogh's Atlantic Sea Salt & Irish Cider Vinegar Crisps - We'd never heard of the Keogh's brand but the crisps got a thumbs up. They are "grown with love in Ireland" (you can even trace which field the potatoes came from and who cooked them on the pack, which is a nice touch), and they're gluten-free which is great news for any Coeliacs out there.

 Mornflake Superfast Raisin, Honey & Almond Granola, and Fruit & Nut Muesli - if (like me) you find it hard to find the time to grab a healthy breakfast before heading to work, these may be just the ticket. They contain milk powder so you just need to add cold water to get a tasty breakfast - you could throw one in your bag to eat at work, even if you don't have access to a fridge and fresh milk. They even come with a spoon. Could you get more convenient?!

McVities Jaffa Cake Mini Rolls Tropicool and Berry Burst - well, we love Jaffa Cakes and Mini Rolls but I wasn't sure what we'd think of these new mini rolls that are a mixture of both. The answer is, they're delicious and they're great for summer too because you can put them in the freezer for a refreshing sweet treat that shouldn't melt as quickly as regular chocolatey snacks.

If you fancy signing up to get your own Degustabox, I have a discount coupon code for you, which gives you a £3.00 discount when registering. The code is: NDZ86 and this brings the price down to £9.99, shipping included.

for more information: https://www.degustabox.com/en/

http://bit.ly/DBUKfacebook - Facebook or http://bit.ly/DBUKTwitter - twitter - @degustaboxUK

Disclosure : We received a Degustabox in order to write an honest review.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Schwartz Flavour Shots Spanish Paella review

March Degustabox review

Madhouse recipe : Souper-duper Pasta Bake

Go Splash Squeezy Apple review

A couple of weeks ago, I won a bottle of Go Splash Squeezy apple squash on twitter. They wanted to know about something your kids have said that made you laugh and I told them about Juliette saying that solar bears lived at the North Pole ! The little bottle - it's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, making it ideal for keeping in your drawer at work - promises to deliver 30 glasses of drink which I found hard to believe at first - on to the testing !

The kids loved the fact that you have to squeeze it into a glass in a little jet. It's much easier for children to handle than a big heavy bottle and it is also much less likely to cause spills or drips. It is VERY concentrated so you only need a tiny amount - there is about five times too much in this photo, we split it into several glasses afterwards. You'll be surprised how little you need the first few times so go easy - for this small glass, just a tiny squeeze to cover about 1/10 of the bottom of the glass is enough for a deliciously fruity drink with a lovely refreshing apple flavour.

It gets a huge thumbs up from the whole family for the taste and convenience. I also love the fact that it is sugar free and takes up a lot less space in the kitchen cupboard. Don't be put off by the price for such a small bottle - you'll be amazed at how far it goes.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £2.45 for 48ml

for more information : http://www.gosplash.com/eu/en/index.html

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans review & Jelly Belly Easter Nest Cupcakes recipe

#Alphabakes meets #Randomrecipes : A is for ... Granny's Apple Shortcake

Clearspring 100% Fruit on the Go review

LeapFrog LeapReader Book Club Book of the Month : Interactive World Map

LeapFrog has recently introduced a LeapReader Book Club on Facebook and we were delighted to be invited to join in as one of the mum-testers on their panel. The Book of the Month for May is the LeapReader Interactive World Map so we were very excited to receive a LeapReader as well as the World Map book to discover.

We've had a busy weekend with our geocaching adventures, so we've only had quite a short time to play so far but we're already loving what we've seen. I'll report back when we've discovered all of the functionalities because I'm sure we've only scraped the surface.

Basically, what we have discovered already is that the LeapFrog LeapReader is a child-friendly but educational system that uses a talking pen, along with a constantly growing collection of books, that helps your child learn to read but also write by teaching reading comprehension, vocabulary and listening skills, as well as writing and letter forms. It targets little learners aged 4-8 who are just starting to learn to read or who are already well on the way but need practice and a little confidence boost. 

The LeapReader recognises words on the page so it can say them to your child if they get stuck when reading alone, or it can read the story to your child as an audiobook. The reading comprehension is in the form of little games, with the pen asking you to click on things in the pictures to answer questions. It's all a lot of fun and will seem more like playing than learning for your child. The pen can be recharged via a USB cable (no need for batteries - yay !) and each time you buy a new book, you have to download the additional content to the LeapReader from internet.

The Interactive World Map is fantastic for slightly older children. We've visited a few different countries as a family already (Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey so far) and, as we're a dual-nationality French-English family, the kids are very aware of other cultures and countries so they love the opportunity to improve their geographical skills and learn more about the world at large. As well as identifying countries and continents, the World Map introduces famous landscapes and even teaches you how to say hello in different languages. I must be honest, I've even been having a bit of a play myself and I've learnt a few things too !

This was our first introduction to the LeapReader and we love it so far. We'll definitely be having a look through the collection of books on offer to see what else appeals to the kids - they've already spotted lots of titles featuring their favourite Disney characters that they would love to get next.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £39.99

for more information : http://www.leapfrog.com/en_gb/landingpages/leapreader.html or https://www.facebook.com/LeapFrogUK

Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Seedling Pirate Excavation kit review

Suteki! Mega Stencil Station review

Hot Wheels Double Jump Duel track set review

Madhouse diaries : Geocache-seekers but above all funseekers !

Geocaching is extremely addictive so, despite the rain that was threatening, we decided to head out for a quick roadtest with our new handheld GPS. Well, OK, I decided actually, but the kids were up for it too ! We went for a walk to one of our favourite parks where there are FIVE geocaches hidden.

There's also a geocache somewhere in this field on the way that is used for vertical archery (I still have no idea how that works - it sounds suicidal to me !) but we didn't have the coordinates so we'll save that one for another day.

The kids tried (and failed !) to sneak up on a family of rabbits.

Then there was lots of running up and down the hill to what we call the daisy meadow. Pierre decided to do lots of rolling about on the ground too - it's like letting a dog off a lead !

Juliette got up close to the daisies. He loves me, he loves me not ... !

"Mum, can we take this stick home with us ?!" (In a word, no !)

Now there is supposed to be a magnetic nanocache (ie a very small geocache) somewhere within 20m of this bridge. We looked all over the bridge, a nearby bin and a nearby bench (which were the only metal things we could see) but to no avail.

We did find this tiny magnet and wondered if that was it but there's no logbook or anything so I'm not convinced !

We also discovered some metal plaques announcing the "méridienne verte". This is a line (like the Greenwich Meridian) that runs across France from north to south (starting in our town) and for the year 2000, trees were planted all along it and a picnic was held on Bastille day. I was up for some more geocaching but the sky was darkening and the kids wanted to play so I put my GPS away (sniff) and we went to play in the park instead.

We quacked at mummy duck and her little ducklings (who went swimming one day, over the hill and far away ... !). Yes, I'm sure everybody else thought we were mad too !

Pierre stung his finger on a nettle and was very impressed with the "magic flower" (dock leaf) I gave him to make it better !

We finished off in the play area then got home just as the first raindrops started to fall. So, total geocaches found : zero ! But it still got us out into the fresh air which is the main thing.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Madhouse Diaries : Urban geocaching

Madhouse diaries : Our first foray into geocaching

Madhouse diaries : Lake-side !

Globe-cooking recipe (South Africa) : Peri Peri Chicken & Pap

One of the South African recipes in this month's Kitchen Trotter box was for Peri Peri Chicken with Pap. Now pap didn't sound at all appealing to me - "it tastes like pap" means it tastes like wallpaper paste but I don't know if that's where the saying comes from or not ! (I had a quick look online and come across this definition :  1. any soft or semiliquid food, such as bread softened with milk, esp for babies or invalids; mash 2. (Cookery) South African porridge made from maize 3. worthless or oversimplified ideas; drivel: intellectual pap.

Well, time will tell ! Here's the recipe :

 Peri Peri Chicken & Pap

ingredients (for 6 people) : 

1 whole chicken or 6 chicken thighs

1 tbsp Coriander seeds

1 tbsp Nando's Peri-Peri sauce

butter

10cl white wine

for the Pap :

250g  Iwisa white maize flour

50cl water

1/2 tsp salt

knob of butter

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Heat the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan until you can start to smell them, remove from the heat and crush with the back of a spoon. 

Put the chicken in a roasting tin, dot with butter and sprinkle over the crushed coriander seeds. Stick it in the oven for 45 minutes (chicken thighs) or 70 minutes (whole chicken). 

Meanwhile, cook the pap. Put the water and salt in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the maize flour, little by little, while whisking vigorously so that it doesn't form lumps. Reduce the heat, cover and leave to cook for 35 minutes. (The longer you cook it, the thicker it will get. Add a little water if it's too thick.) Stir in a knob of butter before serving.

Remove the chicken from the oven and drain off all the lovely juices into a saucepan. Add the wine and peri peri sauce (to taste) and heat, stirring, until it reaches the boil.

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Well, it wasn't awful but I was a bit underwhelmed. I was expecting really spicy chicken with a marinade or spice rub so just cooking regular, plain chicken and adding a bit of peri peri sauce to the gravy was a bit bland. It meant that the kids liked it though and they're not keen on spicy food so it was probably better for them.

I really wasn't a fan of the pap. I was dubious right from the start - maize and water? How nice could it really be ?!

It instantly created a slightly strange, fluffy, dryish mixture.

The final consistency reminded me of seriously overcooked couscous that has all gone sticky and clumpy. It was just about edible but not something I'd go out of my way to recreate ! I added spices (BBQ seasoning, garlic pepper, onion salt) to inject a bit of flavour into it.

I can tell I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about this one because I totally forgot to take a picture of the final dish ! I have to say, I much preferred the bobotie.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Globe-cooking recipe (South Africa) : Bobotie and Geelrys en Rosyntijes (Yellow Rice)

Globe-cooking recipe (Peru) : Mazamorra Morada with Rice Pudding and Maca

Globe-cooking recipe (Peru) : Sweet Potato & Halibut Ceviche

Sunday weigh-in : Well, that was Easter !

Last week, I was delighted to make it into the 82 point somethings just by the skin of my teeth. Then it was Easter. I haven't been pigging out on chocolate (probably thanks to the SlimPod) but I have been eating a bit more than I usually would, so I was expecting a slight gain and hoping it wouldn't be too big. Today's verdict is a 700g gain - that's only a pound so it could be worse and I'll go all out to lose it next week.

On the exercise front, I haven't been on the Wii fit at all this week but we have a new hobby - geocaching - so we've been walking miles most days, looking for hidden caches. It's great fun as well as good exercise and I love finding something the whole family can enjoy together.

How about you? Hope you managed to survive Easter without scoffing your entire body weight in chocolate ! Are you brave enough to get on the scales today?!

Positives of the week

- I've only been eating the mini eggs and even then, only one or two at a time - could be worse !

- You can't lose every time so looking overall, I'm still on a downward curve

- The sun is back - not all the time but enough for us to get out and about a lot more.

Current targets 

Last week's target : Stay in the 82's. Avoid the Easter chocolates ! Fit in exercise, whether that be long walks or the Wii fit. (well, I'll call that a half done !)

This week's targets : Get back in the 82's and get loads of exercise, whether that be geocaching or Wii Fit.

Short-term targets : I have a new pair of bright blue target jeans to fit into ! (Done but I want them to be a bit looser.)

Longer-term targets : Get back to the 70-somethings. Get my badges back to "weight lost" being more than "left to lose"

START WEIGHT :93.7kg

TARGET WEIGHT : 67.8kg

WEIGHT LAST WEEK  : 82.9kg

WEIGHT TODAY : 83.6kg

WEIGHT LOST SO FAR :  10.1kg

STILL TO GO : 15.6kg

CHANGE THIS WEEK : +0.7kg

Feel free to add your weightloss posts to my weekly linkie - it's great to see how everyone else has been getting on and give each other support and encouragement. You can even grab the linkie code and add it to your own blog if you like. :)

get the InLinkz code

You might also like to join in with the #WobblesWednesday link-up over at AutismMumma

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

 MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Sunday weigh-in : A stride in the right direction !

Dukan Konjac Shirataki Noodles review

Sunday weigh-in : Phew, a loss !

Fairy Platinum Dishwasher review

Savvy Circle recently selected us to take part in a campaign for Fairy Platinum premium dishwasher tablets. As well as sending us a pack to try out ourselves, they sent us through a whole boxload of trial packs to give out to friends and neighbours to help spread the word.

Inside each of these trial packs are some samples, a money-off voucher and also some recipes to try out, before testing how clean the dishes come out afterwards !

Time to put them to the test. My first thought was ooh, they're pretty - not the most important thing, I know, but all the same, it put me in a good mood when setting off the dishwasher ! It's not just a pretty "face" though, each colour represents a different stage of cleaning. Fairy Platinum's liquid-topped formula aims to provide better cleaning than ever before with a triple cleaning action : in the light blue part, an exclusive protease enzyme penetrates and weakens food residue and helps clean protein soils such as eggs, milk and protein-containing sauces; in the dark blue segment, surfactants provide grease cleaning for both your dishes and your dishwasher; and the green part adds extra shine.

Well, here are the dishes waiting to be washed. There's curry sauce, a tomato-based sauce and dried on ketchup from the kids, amongst other things. Interestingly, the first four plates up to the pink-edged square plate are going through for a second time. Madhouse Daddy had bought a cheaper own-label product to see what we thought and it was abysmal - there was food residue left on the cutlery and several of the plates looked just as dirty as when they had gone in. For this second wash, those rejected plates now had dried-on food stains to deal with.

Fairy Platinum promises to clean your dishwasher just as well as your plates so I decided to take a picture of the inside of the machine - ewww that's pretty horrible. I can see food residue and lots of grease left over from the last wash.

I popped one tab in the detergent drawer and put it on the "normal" cycle that we generally use. As soon as I opened the door at the end of the wash, I could smell a nice "clean" smell and could also see that all the plates and everything else were spotless. But what about the machine?

Well, it's not spotless but it's certainly a lot cleaner and this is after just one wash so I would think it will have more of an effect over time. It also promises to clean all the hidden grease out of the filter but I will investigate that another time as I didn't fancy touching it when it was covered in grease and grime !

I'm really impressed. It may cost a bit more than the supermarket own brand but it's definitely worth paying more for, having seen the results.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £9.99 for 30 tabs

Disclosure : As a Savvy Circler, I received the product in order to write an honest review, as well as extra product samples to give out to collect feedback and spread the word.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Persil Stain Challenge Video review

Tesco Loves Baby Non-Bio Laundry Gel and Fabric Conditioner review

Russell Hobbs #IlluminaWeek 'Come Dine With Me' blogger challenge

Madhouse Diaries : Urban geocaching

As I told you earlier in the week, we have a brand new hobby - you can see our first geocaching adventure here. We managed to find a couple of caches just by following the instructions and having a quick look on google maps but I knew we'd need a GPS (or a smartphone) to do it properly so we headed off to a sports shop to buy one. I opted for a cheapie one to start with but I'm dropping (gigantic) hints about wanting a proper one for mothers' day (which is in June in France). We got the Quechua Keymaze 100 which is OK but needs you to convert the map coordinates into a format it recognises (you multiply the final three figures by 0.06, if anyone else is having problems and got here via a google search !) and I'm hoping it will get easier to programme with practice because it's a bit of a fiddle.

 The great thing about geocaching is that, although it lends itself perfectly to getting out in the countryside, there are also innumerable caches in urban environments too so you can go and find a couple in your lunch hour, if you're so minded. (I *might* have looked up a couple on the map close to the school where I work for when I have a free period when I go back to work !) The main geocachers in Dunkirk have put together online fact sheets about the various monuments hiding geocaches, so it's a great way of learning more about our local area. I'd checked online and discovered that there was one hidden right on the wall of the sports shop - this could be a cunning marketing ploy actually ! - so we went for a look.

Yay, found it !

Out of the three caches that we've found so far, only one of them has had a treasure in it to exchange. Oh well, the most exciting part is tracking them down, so we filled in the log and put it back in its hiding place. We had a good sort out today and pulled loads of tiny toys out of the bottom of the toybox so we've decided that we'll fill up all the caches we find from now on, even if they're empty when we get to them.

Time for a quick refuel and we were ready for more adventures - we had a quick look for another cache on the way home but didn't find it so we'll be back with the GPS, once it's up and running.

 We popped into the garden centre next door before heading home, where Pierre imitated the chickens ! 

He asked if this is where the Easter bunny goes when he's finished his rounds !

We didn't find the final cache but we did find these interesting mushrooms. Don't you think they look just like they've got fried eggs in the middle ?! I've no idea what type of mushroom or toadstool they are though so let me know if you know.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Madhouse diaries : Our first foray into geocaching

Madhouse diaries : Lake-side !

Madhouse diaries : Beach picnic and lighthouse hunting

Giveaway #384 : Win a Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Machine - closed - winner Jayne Elizabeth Hall

I've just been sharing my review of the fabulous 40 Flavour Gift Box as well as a recipe for Jelly Belly Easter Nest Cupcakes, but I thought you might also like some fun facts about the world's favourite jelly beans !

Did you know ... ? :

The founding fathers of the Jelly Belly Candy Company were two brothers who in 1869 opened a candy and ice cream parlour in Illinois, USA. The company today is run by the fourth, fifth and sixth generations of the same family and is still at the cutting edge of candy manufacturing.

Jelly Belly beans were created in 1976. They were the first jelly beans to be sold in single flavours and to come with a menu of flavours. The original eight flavours of Jelly Belly beans introduced in 1976 were Very Cherry, Root Beer, Cream Soda, Tangerine, Green Apple, Lemon, Liquorice and Grape.

Blueberry flavour was created to match the blue in the American flag so the company would have red, white and blue. For Ronald Reagan’s presidential inauguration in 1981 over three tons of red, white and blue Jelly Belly beans were consumed during the festivities.

Very Cherry remained the most popular flavour of Jelly Belly beans for two decades until 1998, when Buttered Popcorn moved into first place. In 2003, Very Cherry moved back into first place.

Jelly Belly is now available in over 63 countries worldwide. Each one has their favourite flavours and they’re all different. The reigning number one flavour in the UK is Strawberry Cheesecake.

Currently, there are over 100 different flavours of Jelly Belly beans.

During the presidency of Ronald Reagan, Jelly Belly beans were served in the Oval Office and Airforce One. A holder was designed for the first plane so the jar of Jelly Belly beans would not spill during flight. Liquorice was President Reagan’s favourite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavour. Jelly Belly beans were the first jelly beans in outer space when President Reagan sent them on the 1983 flight of the space shuttle Challenger.

It can take 21 days to create a single bean! Each part of the process is incredibly important and designed to enhance the flavor and texture of the Jelly Belly bean. In between each stage there is a “resting” period to allow the flavours to develop. That is why it takes so long.

Over 2,000,000 Jelly Belly beans are created each hour and over 16 billion beans per year.

British fans are brilliant at creating flavours and register their idea all the time on http://www.jellybelly-uk.com/flavours/recipes/your-recipes/

Over 16,000,000,000 Jelly Belly beans will be eaten worldwide in 2014. That’s enough to circle the earth 4 times. If all the Jelly Belly beans eaten in the last two years had been placed end to end, they would reach further than the moon (roughly 366,000 kilometres).

If I've got you in the mood for jelly beans now, I have some great news for you. Jelly Belly have kindly offered to send a Mr Jelly Belly bean machine to one lucky Madhouse Family Reviews reader. Just fill in your details on the Rafflecopter widget to go in the draw.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only. Closing date : 10/5/14

T & C's : Entries close at midnight on the closing date. Winners will be selected with a random number generator and announced on facebook, twitter and in the giveaway post subject line. Please note, you will be contacted by email and/or twitter and if I haven't heard from you after a week, I'll have to pick another winner. Prizes will be sent out by the companies or their PR directly to winners. Madhouse Family Reviews cannot be held responsible for any prizes that go astray !

Other giveaways you may be interested in :

Giveaway #383 : Win 1 of 10 Joulo Energy Saving Devices - closing date 9/5

Want your chance to #win 30 days of Skinade, worth £90 ?

Giveaway #381 : Win a Chuggington Chug Patrol: Ready to Rescue DVD - closing date 27/4

Giveaway #382 : Win a Kids 'Tweedy Rabbit' Easter Bunny Sewing Kit - closing date 29/4

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans review & Jelly Belly Easter Nest Cupcakes recipe

Well, Easter has been and gone - are you all choc-ed out yet? My ultimate Easter surprise wasn't of the chocolate variety this year - I received this fabulous box of Jelly Belly jelly beans to review. Yum, they are my absolutely favourite sweet !

This big 500g box comes with a pretty springtime-inspired cardboard sleeve but the traditional Jelly Belly packaging can be found underneath. This extra sleeve is great for helping out your failing willpower when you can't stop eating them - you can't just lift the lid and sneakily poke your fingers inside, you actually have to go to the extra effort of taking off the sleeve before you can get into them ! And boy, is it worth it?! You get a whopping 40 flavours to try out ... are you ready for this ?! :

Strawberry Jam - Caramel Apple - Buttered Popcorn - Orange Sherbert - Chocolate Pudding - Strawberry Daiquiri - Vanilla - Green Apple - Pink Grapefruit - Raspberry - Kiwi  - Berry Blue - Bubble Gum - Red Apple - Lemon - Cantaloupe - Crushed Pineapple - Strawberry Cheesecake - Blueberry - Lemon Lime - Coconut - Top Banana - Licorice - Cream Soda - Pomegranate - Very Cherry - Juicy Pear - Plum - Orange- Island Punch - Peach - Tutti-Fruitti - Margarita - Sizzling Cinnamon - Tangerine  -  Cappuccino -Toasted Marshmallow - Candy Floss - Watermelon - Pina Colada

The total weight of 500g corresponds to about a dozen jelly beans in each flavour. I love the fact that one bean is packed full of a huge amount of flavour so you can savour it for ages before going on to the next one. As each bean contains zero fat and just 4 calories, that means that I can eat them with a totally clear conscience even if I'm trying to lose weight !

My ultimate favourite thing about Jelly Belly is the recipe suggestions, where you take several flavours, pop them all in your mouth at once and get a real Willy Wonka moment when they all combine and taste just like something totally different ! The leaflet enclosed in this box had several recipes that I couldn't wait to try out.

First up, 2 x Very Cherry + Buttered Popcorn + Caramel Apple = Cherry Turnover. (Why couldn't maths be this much fun at school?!)

2 x Blueberry + Buttered Popcorn = Blueberry Muffin

Chocolate Pudding + 2 x Cappuccino + Raspberry = Raspberry Mocha

2 x Lemon + 2 x Coconut = Lemon Meringue Pie

And there's still more !

Kiwi + Strawberry Jam + Blueberry + Cantaloupe = Fruit Salad

2 x Green Apple + Cinnamon = Candy Apple

2 x Strawberry Jam + 2 x Vanilla = Strawberry Shortcake

But, believe it or not, you don't just have to restrict yourself to these "virtual" recipes - you can also incorporate Jelly Belly jelly beans into proper cooking. You may remember I shared a recipe for Jelly Belly pancakes for Shrove Tuesday but the fabulous Helen from Fuss Free Flavours has done it again and come up with these Jelly Belly Easter Nest Cupcakes.

Jelly Belly Easter Nest Cupcakes

Pretty vanilla cupcakes each topped with butter cream and a chocolate nest of Jelly Belly "eggs". You can use any Jelly Belly beans for decoration but the Ice Cream Parlour mix is especially pretty with egg like speckles!

Makes 12

For the cakes:

125g softened butter or baking margarine

125g caster sugar

2 eggs - beaten

125g self raising flour - or plain flour with a tsp of baking powder added

½ tsp vanilla essence

pinch salt

1 - 2 tbs milk

Cream the butter and sugar together with a hand held mixer or in your stand mixer. Add the eggs together with a tablespoon of the flour and beat well.

Sieve the flour, baking powder, vanilla essence and salt and fold into the batter. If the batter is very stiff add the milk to loosen the mixture.

Line a bun tin with fairy cake cases. Fill each case 2/3 full with batter and bake at 190C / GM 5 for about 12 - 14 minutes.

The buns are done when risen and springy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes then removed from the tin.

For the Buttercream

This quantity will be enough to pipe the frosting onto the cakes - if you are going to spread the frosting you can reduce the amounts by a third.

100g softened butter

200g icing sugar

Green food colouring

1 - 2 tbs milk

The secret to fluffy buttercream is to beat the butter really well before you add any sugar.

Place the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until soft and fluffy. Slowly add the icing sugar beating as you go. Add the milk to loosen the mixture. Add the food colouring a few drops at a time until the frosting is the colour you require.

You can also make your buttercream in a food processor, again beat the butter well before adding the icing sugar, milk and colouring.

For the Chocolate Nests

40g butter

1 ½ tbs golden syrup

1 ½ tbs cocoa powder

1 ½ tbs white granulated sugar

50g shredded wheat - crushed

Place the butter, syrup, cocoa powder and sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring all the time, until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the crushed shredded wheat.

Dollop teaspoons of the mixture onto a piece of greaseproof paper or silicon baking mat and shape into nests by flattening and hollowing out the centre. Allow to cool and set.

Decoration

Pipe or spread the buttercream onto each cake, top each with a chocolate nest filled with a few Jelly Belly jelly bean "eggs".

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Wow ! What more can I say, except don't go away - I have a fab giveaway coming right up for all you Jelly Belly fans.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £16.18 for the 500g 40-flavour gift box

for more information : www.jellybelly-uk.com

Disclosure : I received the product in order to write an honest review.

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Jelly Belly Chocolate Dips review

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