Home Bakes: Peanut Butter Bites

If you like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups you are going to absolutely love this recipe!

When I was at a training day recently with work one of my colleagues had baked little these

 little treats for us all. After my first mouthful I was hooked and just had to find out the recipe. 

The recipe is actually one of Nigella's and is so quick and simple to do. 

These little peanut butter bites are perfect with a cup of tea, and even make a lovely gift for 

those with a sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

For the base

50g muscovado sugar

200g icing sugar

50g unsalted butter

200g smooth organic peanut butter

For the topping

200g milk chocolate

100g plain chocolate

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Method:

- Stir all of the base ingredients together in a large mixing bowl either by hand or with an electric 

food mixer. I find this part a little messy as the icing sugar gets everywhere so prefer to

 do it by hand.

- Once the mixture has come together and has a very sandy consistency you can press it into

 a lined brownie tin. Nigella says 'it is quite satisfying seeing the gentle finger indentations in the

 soft, rich mixture' but I'm not sure I agree. What ever tickles your fancy Nigella.

- To make the topping I melt all of the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling

 water on a low heat. Stir this mixture regularly until there are no lumps left.

- Spread the chocolate mixture on to the base and then pop the tin in the fridge to set. 

When spreading on the chocolate mixture I like to leave it looking a little rough around the edges, 

but if you prefer a smooth finish just use the back of a spoon to spread evenly. 

- The chocolate mixture sets fairly quickly, and once completely hardened you can cut up into

 little squares and enjoy. I cut the squares pretty unevenly to give a rustic feel but you could be

 more precise if you prefer.

Will you be trying this recipe? I would love to know your thoughts!

The Self Preservation Society

 

Lush Cosmetics are a company that famously pride themselves on their natural, ethical

 and handmade products.Where possible Lush try to use only the finest natural and

 organic ingredients in their cosmetics, but do allow for the occasional safe synthetic.

 The safe synthetics (such as methylparaben and propylparaben) are used in cosmetics 

as preservatives to give products that contain water a longer shelf life.

Lush recognised that, although they are deemed to be safe, lots of people don't like to

 use parabens for many different reasons. They are now working on taking their

 range from 70% self preserving to 100%, and have started by adapting some of the most

 loved Lush products.

Dream Cream is up hailed as the best Lush product for many, many people. The incredibly

 soothing ingredients of this hand and body lotion make it great for those who suffer with

 dry skin, eczema or psoriasis. The new self-preserved version of Dream Cream has been

 cleverly re-formulated to provide the same effects as the original for even the most sensitive

 skins. The product inventors at Lush have reduced the amount of water in this product and

 replaced it with a higher olive oil and glycerine content. This has given the formula a richer

 consistency but, as it took 98 attempts to get it right, rest assured this is still the Dream Cream

 you know and love.

 

Good news! Ocean Salt  has not only become self-preserving but also vegan too. To make

 this well loved face and body scrub self-preserving the inventors removed the two

 parabens and three synthetic emulsifiers that were in the original formula. These safe synthetics

 have been replaced with more fine sea salt and glycerine, as both are natural preservatives and

 mango butter and lanolin were added to the mixture to soften and soothe. The product is thickened 

with the added japan wax and avocado butter, which in turn prevents the onset of bacteria.

If I'm really honest I do prefer the original version of Ocean Salt to the self-preserving as ironically

 this one smells a little fake. I also prefer the coarse sea salt used in the original formula , but despite

 this both versions work just as well as each other at brightening the complexion.

 

Mask of Magnaminty is probably my favourite of all these four products. This face and back mask

 is great at unclogging pores and giving the skin a really deep cleanse. To make this a winning 

self-preserving formula Lush have replaced the synthetic preservatives with a higher honey,

 kaolin and glycerine content. When I tried this mask I really noticed a difference in the way 

my skin felt compared to the original formula. Whilst on the face my skin didn't tingle as much

 as usual, which may be due to less peppermint oil, but when I rinsed it off my skin felt smooth

 and supple. To me this self-preserving formula is much better than the original and has quickly

 become one of my favourite Lush products.

 Sympathy for the Skin is the final product released in the recent self-preserving range at Lush. 

This hand and body lotion, which I think smells of cake batter, is a firm favourite due to its

 beautifully light banana and vanilla fragrance. Again, there is less water in this body lotion and

 it has been replaced with a higher almond oil and glycerine content. The self-preserving version

 of this body lotion is much thicker and richer, so if you are looking for a really emollient cream 

this is the one for you.

All in all it is great that Lush are offering their customers the option of using products free

 of safe-synthetics. It is important to note that both the originals and the new self-preserving

 formulas will be available in stores and online.

Do you try to stay paraben free?

Lush Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask Review

Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask, Lush, £6.25

If your skin is anything like mine you will need this product in your life. Rare is 

the day where my skin is completely spot free, so I usually spend my

 mornings trying to cover the blemishes. That is until recently when I decided 

to up my skincare game in order to prevent the blemishes and allow myself 

to use a lighter base.

I decided to incorporate a regular use of a cleansing face mask into my skincare

 routine. When it comes to face masks, for me only Lush will do. Their face masks are 

completely fresh and are made up of fruit, vegetables and the finest essential oils. The fact 

that these face masks are fresh gives a great excuse for a regular pamper as they need to be

 used up in a 3-4 week period.

Cosmetic Warrior is made up of garlic, fresh grapes and tea tree oil, among

 many other fine ingredients. At first sniff this mask can be quite strong and over

 powering, but once you see the effects it has on the skin you won't even think twice 

about the smell. I apply the mask directly onto clean, fresh skin and then sit back 

and relax for 15 minutes whilst it works its magic. This mask is great for combating spots

 and troublesome skin as it has many anti-bacterial properties including honey and 

organic free range eggs. 

Although this mask might sound like more of a meal than a skin care product it

 really is becoming a holy grail essential for me.

Have you tried any of the fresh face masks from Lush? Which one do you like the best?

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