It’s not everyday that you get approached to write some recipes and when you do, there is a little jump for joy.

Over the summer I was approached by the rather lovely team at The East India Company to write some recipes based around some of their products. Once the brief was explained and the various recipes created I came up with 3 rather moreish and decadent ideas. The team at The East India Company also graciously sent me the products over to use – see the photo at the end of the post.

The first of which I’m sending to you now, my lovely subscribers, as the Company has just released the entire set of recipes on their website.  Over the next couple of weeks you can have your own recipes delivered to you in-box. I know, I’m too kind 🙂

So here you go, enjoy.  You can also click the link to their website to buy these rather indulgent treats – to eat on their own or for baking (the coated macadamia nuts are amazing)

Spiced Chocolate Muffins

• 225g very soft butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 255g gluten free self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 30g Spiced drinking chocolate – The East India Company drinking chocolate is Chai Spiced – and its delicious.
• 30g baking cocoa
• 150ml semi skimmed milk

• Plus – either 12 crushed Macadamia Nuts covered in chocolate OR 70g crushed Cappuccino Coffee Beans (all can be crushed in a sandwich bag and bashed with a rolling pin, not too much just enough to break them up)

Pre heat the oven to 160c fan, 180c, Gas 4 and lime your muffin tray with 12 tulip muffin cases.

Place all the ingredients into your mixing bowl and beat altogether until well combined and you have a light and fluffy batter that has increased in volume. This should take about 6-7 minutes.

Place around 2 tablespoons of the batter into each of the muffin cases and place into the oven to bake for 20 minutes at 20 minutes, remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle on the crushed nuts or coffee beans and return to the oven to finish cooking, which should be another 2-3 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Sprinkle on some additional freeze-dried raspberries if you are using the Macadamia Nuts, as they work well together. Enjoyed best within a day, even better when they are not long out of the oven!