Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies x2

Eek it's been a few days since I've blogged. Well it has been fashion week (I was Burberry bound once again) and I've been preparing for a particularly important pitch tomorrow so forgive me.

I've made these before but this time I made larger cookies and baked them for slightly longer (5 mins extra) since last time they were a little too brownie-like for my taste and it made 24 in total. The texture was a lot better than last time - crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey in the middle. I also used milk chocolate chunks instead of bought chocolate chips. It resulted in them being melty when they came out the oven and added a smooth, sweet contrast to the rich cocoa powder.

They were epic. I don't normally blow my own trumpet when it comes to cooking but these were probably the best thing I've ever made. And also probably the easiest.

{As you can see by the photos it was a midnight snack mission}

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Banana Loaf - in a cake tin

I like to make a dessert that will last the week, rather than going out and buying one because for some reason, you feel less guilty eating something you've made yourself. It's somehow justified that because you put the effort in to make it, you actually deserve to eat it as well. Well maybe that's just my logic.

I had some over ripe bananas left over from the week before and I really do hate to throw away food so decided to use them in a banana bread. Of course I don't actually have a loaf tin so it ended up being a cake, but the process is essentially identical.

I used this recipe from the BBC Food website, by John Barrowman of all people. It was simple, easy to follow and came out great. I baked mine for about 15 minutes longer than the recipe called for but I figured it was because I used a different shaped tin.

I've made a banana bread for Maria's Gaga before, seen here, but I think I prefer this recipe because the sponge colour is a little less perfect, more rustic and varied. And it's also slightly flakier with a darker crust on the outside. The first one I made was more golden in colour, the sponge uniform and was more like a cake consistency than a "loaf". They were both delicious but I think the slight variations in colour and texture make all the difference.

Creamed butter and sugar mix and mashed banana