Gold Medal Muffins with Elizabeth Shaw

Gold Medal Muffins

Hurrah for the Olympics!

The opening ceremony last night was outstanding and, today, I've had one eye of the telly for the road race, the swimming and the tennis.  I'm not a sports fan but somehow, this is different!

There was another celebration last week when I opened up a hamper sent to me my the lovely people at Elizabeth Shaw.  Oh my goodness so much chocolate!  As well as a couple of boxes of the well known Elizabeth Shaw, Dark Chocolate Mint Crisp, there are some new flavours to try and some different ways to enjoy Elizabeth Shaw chocolates.

Like this bar of Milk Chocolate Butterscotch Crisp.  It's a very mild chocolate at 31% Cocoa Solids, personally I prefer chocolate with higher cocoa solids, the butterscotch crisp has pleasant, if slightly burnt flavour, if you like a mild milk chocolate and cinder toffee, you will like this bar!

Despite my preferences, it didn't last long!

Also new in the Elizabeth Shaw range are a variety of 'Flutes', Orange, Amaretto, Latte and Mint.  These are ideal for nibbling and would make great stocking fillers or little hostess gifts.

Now a review is all very well, but if you are a regular reader you will know that I like to try to make something with the products I'm sent to review.

I looked at this selection of Elizabeth Shaw Butterscotch Crisp, Caramel Crisp, Cocoa Crunch and Honeycomb Crisp and thought 'Muffins'.  Finding a couple of blackening bananas in the fruit bowl and it was clear that some kind of banana and chocolate chip muffin was in order.

When I weighed out the chocolates, I thought how like medals they looked with their shiny foil covers and decided to make Gold Medal Muffins.

I found a recipe for Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins at Muffin Heaven  I pretty much followed this recipe but, as I only had 2 bananas, I cooked up two eating apples and added those with the bananas.

I used a combination of the Elizabeth Shaw chocolates and chopped them to add to the mixture. I baked the muffins in gold muffin cases which I had picked up in a sale some time ago.

To decorate the Gold Medal Muffins, I made the little flags by scanning a Union Flag that came with Simply Homemade Magazine for the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.  Using Photoshop Elements I put the flags side by side and printed them out.  So basically, you cut out two flags side by side and then fold them round the cocktail stick using a little glue to hold them together. I love it when my crafting and baking hobbies come together.

The 'gold medal' is, of course, an Elizabeth Shaw Butterscotch Crisp. I printed out the Olympic rings and stuck that onto the 'medal', cut a ribbon and taped it to the back of the chocolate.

I melted half a dozen of the chocolates in a bowl over a pan of hot water and placed a spoonful on the top of the muffin, then stuck the 'gold medal' onto the chocolate, stuck the flag into the muffin behind the chocolate and you are done!

If you would like to win a hamper of Elizabeth Shaw chocolates then they are running a competition on their website:  Win Chocolates to Celebrate

I entering this into the Calendar Cakes challenge. As July's challenge is The Olympic Games.  Calendar Cakes is run by Laura Loves Cakes and Dolly Bakes

I'm also entering this for Sporting Snacks run by Ren at Fabulicious Food

 

 I can't wait for Team GB's first Gold Medal, good luck to all the competitors.