Trick or Treat... Malteser/Mint Aero Traybakes

This weekend I decided to give some chocolate tray bakes a go. I’d heard they were simple. I heard they were delicious so I thought they would be worth a shot. Mmm and my tastebuds told me I was right. My scales, mmm not so much!

Recipe
100g butter
200g milk chocolate
3 tablespoons Golden Syrup
225g finely crushed Digestive biscuits
225g Mint Aero or Maltesers

Melt the butter, milk chocolate and golden syrup in a pan (careful as this can burn if not stirred) or in a bowl over hot water in a saucepan.

Crumble the digestives into fine crumbs using a food processor ideally or put them in a food bag and bash them around.

Add the crumbs to the melted mixture and mix them both well by hand. Fold in the Maltesers or broken pieces of Mint Aero.

Pour the mixture into a lined tin/sided dish to you desired thickness. Allow to set in the fridge for a couple of hours before cutting into portions.

I used this recipe and divided the melted mixture and digestives in two and added half Malteser, half Mint aero and got 8 generous portions of each. Mmmmm.

Possible additions...
100g milk chocolate (for the Malteser version)
100g mint aero (aero version)

The Malteser one is less chocolatey as there is less chocolateyness to melt in the warm mixture so I melted some extra milk chocolate to add to the top.

For the Aero version I added a rectangle of Aero to the top of each tray bake.

Other variations...
You could try this out with so many other chocolately delights... Toffee Crisp, Mars Bar, Crunchie and not forgetting you could substitute Digestives for a different biscuit or add some Marshmallows so extra yumminess.

I'd love to hear if you have tried these or have any ther similar recipes for me to have a go with :D

LoubouLush x

Winter Wardrobe

I love the winter but hate the cold. So it makes sense that I love layering up and wearing lovely warm clothes. I've been lusting over lots of clothes for the run up to the festive season so thought I'd share some of the things on my wish list (ok I've bought two of them)...

please feel free to add yours and give me even more to drool over ;)

Topshop Faux Fur Cossack Hat (£20)

Bought it, love it, it keeps my head toasty warm. I'm yet to wear it in public...

Joy the Store - Louche Knitted Heart Hat (£12) and Mittens (£8)

- also available in cream

Cute and warm - what is not to love?

Oli - Closet Rouched Tulip Dress (£39)

I have a new found love for dark blues and navies which I'm finding surprisingly flattering. I also love the style of lots of the Closet dresses.

Next Fit and Flare Coat (£75)
- red or camel and available in regular, petite, tall and plus (while stocks last)
I bought the camel and I really love it - great colour, flattering shape - win win!!

ASOS Gispy Heart Tights (£6)

- black or black and white

I love patterned tights, they make me smile and these are just an example of some of the fun ones around.

Next post of winter fashion will no doubt involve sparkly party dresses and ridiculous shoes!

LoubouLush x

Barry M Nail Effects

It's no secret I like a little bit of nail art. I was therefore intrigued by Barry M Nail Effects which is currently available in black. From what I could see it looks like it would provide a crackle kind of coat, a bit like something Carol Smillie would have oohed and aahed over in Changing Rooms circa 1998. Unlike the rest of the Barry M Nail Paint range this is priced at £3.95 which is still relatively cheap in my opinion.

First I tried it over the red from a couple of posts ago and it seemed to crack and dry very quickly. The colour difference wasn't too striking as the red is relatively dark. The black dries very quickly and almost to a dark charcoal rather than black and the finish is very matte. I thought it gave a nice touch of extra interest to my nails especially if you looked closely.

Next I tried it over a clear basecoat. It applied quite easily on the first nail (thumb) but I realised how fast you need to be to apply it to a nail as the rest dries out so quickly once it has touched the nail. The final result wasn't horrendous, but I would describe it as... patchy. Some brush strokes are visible and where it was applied more lightly the crackling didn't hide the brush stroke look. I think a wider brush might help make the application easier. After 2 quick applications I can see some of the paint getting clumpy in the bottle also as it seems to dry out so quickly which isn't great really...

From a distance they don't look too bad, maybe a bit of a lace effect almost?


All in all I'm a bit on the fence about this one. I love black nails but don't always have the patience to build up the colour and think this could be handy to add a last minute touch of intrigue to otherwise dull nails. I quite like the matte look for a bit of a change though I probably should use a top coat over it. For now though I don't think I'll be wearing it for for very long...

Have you tried it yet? Have I gone wrong with it somewhere?

LoubouLush x