Maple Cheesecake Brownies

Adapted from my favourite baking blog, Smitten Kitchen you should definitely check it out (but please don't forget about me I am new to all this!)

Having finally treated myself to the expensive culinary necessity that is maple syrup I decided these maple cheesecake brownies would be the perfect first thing to bake with it! The combination of the gooey chocolatey brownie with the lighter baked cheesecake makes for a perfect post tea treat - and a useful bribery tool to get your other half to do the washing up, always a bonus.

Maple Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients

For the brownie batter:
60g butter
85g plain chocolate
1 cup sugar

Honey and Pecan Granola

Now I don't know about you but there isn't an hour that goes by when I don't think about food (she says eating a toasted chocolate orange hot cross bun) and when I am lying in bed at 11 o clock - you see if I go to bed any later than 10 my tummy thinks it should be fed for working over time - what nicer thing to think about that a scrumptious breakfast waiting for me in the morning. The thought of my honey and pecan granola certainly sees me into a happy sleep!

Ingredients

150g jumbo rolled oats
150g your basic rolled oats (I use Tesco every day value and despite common misconceptions these own brand oats are delightful and wonderfully versatile!)
150ml apple juice
50g sugar (more or less to taste - last time I made with only a sprinkling of sugar and it is still heavenly)
50g flaked almonds

Gooey Lemon Bars

I have finished uni for the term and what better way to spend my three weeks of luxury (and perpetual bordem) is there than baking (and revising :( ) Hannah my wonderful wonderful girlfriend and my number one go to tester of all culinary creations is still in college so today I thought I would make her gooey lemon bars. Hannah is particularly fond of a deep base (cheese cakes must adhere to her cream cheese to base ratio preference *demand*) and so these bars are the perfect way to put a smile on her face when she gets home!

Ingredients

Now here is where things get a little confusing, last time I made these I made them along side two 15cm diameter lemon tarts, I used half the filling mixture for the tarts and half for the lemon bars I made in a loaf tin. If you too plan to make bars in a loaf tin then half the recipe (use 1 large egg instead of 3 medium) but if using a deep tray bake tin the amounts below will be fine!

For the base:
190g unsalted butter (I melted this before use)