A ménage à trois you won't want to miss - Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

Sad, sad news people. The absolutely incredible 3 nuts Cookie Dough Peanut Butter I bought in New York at Smorgasberg market ran out last week. I was enjoying it in so many ways : spread on toast, mixed into my porridge, as a key feature in some very delicious chia seed puddings, and in all honesty, more often than not just straight from the jar and into my mouth.

RIP - gone, but not forgotten.

But every cloud has a silver lining, and I managed to pull myself out of my nut butter mourning and launch into recipe creation mode. Looking to recreate the brilliant combination of cookie dough, chocolate chips and peanut butter, this recipe is a combination of all things good and yum - say hello to Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes with Cream cheese Cookie Dough icing.

The touch of cream cheese with the cookie dough makes for a very smooth, spreadable icing. And it couldn't be simpler to make! To make the icing I literally whacked everything in my blender and mixed in the chocolate chips at the end. The icing is sweet (of course), but ended up as the perfect for the rich chocolate brownie recipe I chose to follow. Taken from the incredible food blog smitten kitchen, this brownie mix which uses just cocoa powder rather than melted chocolate.

Sweet cream cheese cookie dough icing meets rich cocoa brownies. The rest is history.

I tweaked smitten kitchen's recipe slightly, through the addition of swirls of peanut butter (chunky, please) and I opted for a mix of white and brown sugar, as I felt this would provide a good sweet balance against the rich cocoa flavor. I choose to make my brownies in cupcake molds, because...why on earth not?

Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes with a Cream cheese Cookie Dough topping

(This recipe is adapted to make 6 cupcake sized brownies, so if using 8×8-inch square baking pan, you'll need to double it)

For the Brownies
- 70 grams unsalted butter
- 60 grams of white caster sugar mixed with 60 grams brown sugar (1 cup)
- 30 grams cocoa power (this is a little less than 1/2 cup)
- 6 tea spoons of chunky peanut butter (a spoonful for each cake)
- A wee pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 30 grams self-raising flour (again, a little less than 1/2 cup)

For the Cream cheese Cookie Dough icing
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 40 grams brown sugar (1/3 cup)

- Drizzle of milk (if needed. Play this by eye, only adding if it seems too thick).
- 35 grams flour (1/4 cup)
- 70 grams mini chocolate chips (2/3 cup)

Baking the Brownies
1) Get the oven on, and set it to 190 degrees. Grease chosen mold for brownies.
2) Now we want to melt our butter into our cocoa - traditionally done in a heat proof bowl over a pot of bowling water, I actually managed this just fine in a microwave. Blasts of 20 seconds are recommended, just to check you aren't burning anything. Once combined, add your pinch of salt to the chocolate butter combo.
3) Now we want to add the egg. Use a wooden spoon, and stir in gently.
4) Once the egg is mixed in, it's time to add in the flour. Fold in until it can no longer be seen, and then your brownie mix is ready! Pour into baking tray/cupcake mold, and on top on each cake nestle in a teaspoon of peanut butter, so that the surface is flat.

Making the icing

1) Place cream cheese, butter, sugar and flour in blender. Whizz on high speed for about 10-20 seconds until you reach an even consistency. If it's looking a little lumpy, here's the time to add in that drizzle of milk.
2) By now you should be seeing a clear dough-like texture. Remove from blender and stir in chocolate chips (and plenty of them).
3) Once your brownies have cooled completely, bang your icing on top.

Now these look good. 

But I couldn't help add in just a little bit more chocolate for good measure. I melted some chocolate in the microwave, and swirled it into the icing...

Because chocolate, on top of chocolate brownies and chocolate chips is never a bad idea. Make these cakes and make some special people very happy. Or...

Just be one very happy baker and munch them all on your own!

Peanut butter, cookie dough, and brownie. The sexiest ménage à trois I can think of!

A huge thanks to my lovely roommate and the all-round likable human Juan Kattan for some of these lovely snaps. You can check out some more of his photos on his Tumblr blog.

Museli and milk for breakfast? Give me fried pork rind instead!

"Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Pauper".

We've all heard the phrase before and are frequently told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But why is that true?

Looking at its name, it should all become a little obvious - you are quite literally breaking the fast you undertake during your nights sleep. I don't know about you, but I rarely go for more than 6 hours without eating. So when I wake up, I'm always pretty hungry! And to all you non-breakfast eaters out there, did you know it's you lot who are more likely to be reaching for the high sugar and fatty snacks mid-morning? So...wake up well, and get your breakfast on!

BidmeadBites strikes lucky - one free breakfast coming my way

I was lucky enough to win myself a free breakfast at La Tiendacita, a well-loved local joint here in Barranquilla which serves only the most typical costeño food. I won through a competition on Instagram, in which I had to name three of my favorite things about my beloved Barranquilla. What did I pick? The people, La Troja (the epitome of the city and my favorite salsa club - check out my post on it here) and of course, the food!

A typical morning meal here in Colombia is not to be taken lightly - and I mean that very literally. That is to say, granola and yogurt it is not. Think meaty, cheesy things, fried pastries and what for us might seem more like lunch or dinner options: rice, meat, even stews are all fair cop for this Colombian morning munch.

La Tiendacita itself is a really cool place, with two different branches within the city. The walls are adorned with local phrases, some of which I shall share with you here,

Tronco de pajarilla - a load of bullshit

Cogela suave - take it easy (the phrase of Barranquilla)

Mi llave - my best friend
Fria - a beer

Your typical Barranquillero slang. Don't go shouting these at your granny though, as a lot of vulgarity is involved!

Ever find yourself on the coast of Colombia, be sure to try some of these out - your cara de gringo will certainly be reassessed! For breakfast, an array of typical bites were on offer. Fritos (think tasty fried pasty-style things) are particularly popular, as arepas, empanadas and the delicious cheesy fingers deditos all feature as part of a Colombian breakfast. 

Finger-licking fritos, next to a huge pot of chicharrón

My complimentary breakfast consisted of an enormous portion chicharrón (fried pork rind cooked in its own fat), boiled yucca (a root vegetable), both served with some of the typical costeño condiment suero, which is a bit like sour cream. Served with some corozo juice (a small dark berry, somewhat like a cranberry), I opted for an extra cheesy dedito on the side - as if there wasn't enough food to begin with!

Behold the Barranquilla Breakfast - not for the faint hearted!

This was a breakfast fit for a king. As I stared down at my plate, over-flowing with meat, carb, and its creamy dipping sauce, I started to wonder if the extra dedito hadn't been just a bit ambitious. However, with pork as good as this, with its perfect contrast of the crispy, salty skin against the melt in your mouth soft, flavorsome meat, it was no hard feat to finish it all. I love yucca served like this, with its slightly sweet taste somewhat similar to sweet potato. Dipped into the creamy suero, it was the perfect carby accompaniment. Even the unnecessary dedito was a treat - tangy costeño cheese wrapped in a rich, buttery pastry case.

I enjoyed the wonderful company of the waiters as I plowed through my breakfast, and was entertained with tales of the city while learning more costeño slang. About 45 minutes later, to the sheer disbelief of the waiters, I had consumed every morsel on my plate. Yes, I was full, but actually pleasantly so. However...without over sharing, I'd say fried pork for breakfast isn't the kindest thing on the old digestive track. But it's sure to say I was fueled for the day ahead, and definitely didn't need any form of elevenses.

My 'before' breakfast picture. But believe I ate it all!

Eating at La Tiendacita is more than just the food - it really is a cultural experience. People come here when they want their own taste of home, just like their mum and grandma used to make. However for this inglesa, whose mother and gran cooked more of your typically British roast chicken than Colombian champús (the not so tasty thick drink made from corn, pineapple, and other ingredients, tried on my trip to Cali), it is a chance to further learn about some real Barranquilla's traditions. And if their typical breakfast means it's okay to consume crispy fried pork before 1 pm, I am all game.