Best Brownies Ever, Fairtrade, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, with Free-Range Eggs in just TEN STEPS

It's not every day that you go to someone's funeral and taste a cake that is so deliciously chocolatey and gooey and chewy, all that same time, that you have to ask the person who gave it to you from her tin, for the recipe. 'Ah', she responded,'It is a secret family recipe and I can't tell it to you.' I knew that I had to get that recipe, it couldn't remain a secret any longer, I wanted my customers in my shop to be able to enjoy a slice of this indulgent deliciousness with their coffee. Poor lady at the funeral, I followed her around asking and asking, finally, she smiled a secret, cheeky smile and told me the truth, that it comes out of a packet mix from Costco.

So, we went to Costco and found the mix that she was talking about and it was so easy, we just had to add some oil and some eggs and they came out perfectly, every time, which was great for me, as I don't see myself as a naturally great cook, I'm the kind of person that would always burn myself when cooking, or burn what I was cooking! Also, my concentration is not my strong point, so remembering where I am in a recipe or even planning ahead to pre-heat the oven, is still an achievement in itself. That I suppose, would be the end of the story, if I didn't feel passionately about Fairtrade and making sure that our cakes do something to help heal the planet and are ethical too. I called up the mix manufacturer and asked if they would be doing a Fairtrade version, with Fairtrade chocolate and sugar in and they said that it wasn't on their radar at all. I was really disappointed and after a lot of thinking decided to try to create a recipe as simple as theirs, no egg separation needed, no fancy stuff, just quick ingredients that you can throw in the bowl and then cook and it comes out right, every time, no matter who makes it and it is Fairtrade and I decided that I wanted to make it Gluten-Free too.

So, I tried and I tried and I tried, again and again and our customers were lucky enough to taste them and tell us what they wanted it to taste like, then one day, after lots of failures, I created a recipe that tasted so beautiful, gooey, chewy and rich but with a clean aftertaste! Success! Not only that but it was Fairtrade and Gluten-free too.

Well, after that build-up, you'll want the recipe now, won't you!

I write my recipes as step by step instructions, how you would do things logically, none of this suddenly being told to put things in a pre-heated oven, without being told it needed to be pare-heated, at the beginning of the recipe.

Best Brownies Ever, Fairtrade, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, with Free Range Eggs. Suitable for Vegetarians.

1/ Preheat the oven to 170 Degrees Celsius

2/ Line a 9 x 13 inch baking tray with grease-proof paper and grease with oil.

3/ Into a big bowl put 450g of raw cane caster sugar, Fairtrade, with 3 eggs and 1 teaspoon of Fairtrade Vanilla Extract. Mix together well, with a fork.

4/ Into a measuring jug, measure out 200ml of vegetable oil, then add 70g of Divine Cocoa Powder. Mix these together well with a fork and then add to the sugar and egg mix and mix it all together.

5/Next, measure out 120g of Doves Farm Organic Gluten Free Self Raising Flour and add 1 and a half teaspoons of Doves Farm Gluten Free Baking powder and add this to the chocolatey mixture, stir in well.

6/ Take a 100g bar of Divine Dark Chocolate and smash into pieces whilst still in the packet, using a rolling pin, I prefer a hammer though!

7/ Mix the chocolate pieces into the mix.

8/ Pour and scrape the mix into the prepared baking tray.

9/ Place in to the preheated oven for 19 minutes. Then take out, cover with foil and place in the oven for another 19 minutes.

10/ Take the brownies out and give them time to cool, then serve up and enjoy!

These brownies are great for a teatime treat, or even as an extra delicious dessert. If you can't be bothered to make them for yourself, then please pop into our shop and get some.

These brownies are full of sugar, so they are not the healthiest thing in the world to eat but they are very, very tasty and enjoyable!

Blueberry Sherbet Slush

Oh my, I invented this crazily sweet and zingy number last night, whilst wanting to give my children something sweet but healthy to enjoy whilst watching a film. I can still imagine the flavours on my tongue, like fruit and sherbet and sweetness all exploding off each other, such a refreshing little number and with a secret ingredient, that pulls it all together and makes it even more nutritious for you than ever. (I know, not so secret now that I am going to mention it but there you go!). The secret ingredient is Baobab powder! We sell this in our shop, so if you would like to make this for yourself at home, please visit us to buy it, or you can order it online.

The Aduna website tells us that Baobab is a 100% natural and organic African superfruit that actually dries on the branch of the tree. It is a rich source of Vitamin C, high in fibre and has more antioxidants than any other fruit! That is one amazing superfood powder! It is said to boost immune function, help energy release and improve skin health.

In this luscious smoothie, we are throwing in some blueberries, known for being a superfood which is high in antioxidants. On the NHS website, Alison Hornby, a dietitian and BDA spokesperson is reported as saying that blueberries are a fantastic choice as one of your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, as they are low in calories and high in nutrients. This is despite admitting that scientific evidence at the moment is inconclusive about the broader health claims of this fruit.

I was going to write a small amount of information on why the pineapple chunks in this smoothie are also extremely good for you but the list is so good and so strong and nicely presented here, that I thought I'd let you click on that instead! However, if you just want to stay on this page, basically, the pineapple is a nutrition powerhouse, great at helping you to fight colds with high amounts of Vitamin C and an excellent help with digestion and respiratory well-being because of the high amounts of Bromelain.

Of course, this smoothie is now on the menu, so come and order one, come in specially to treat yourself, in the nicest possible way.

If you are too far away to pop in, or just want to make it at home, here's how to make this amazing smoothie for yourself.

Put the following ingredients into your strong blender:

A handful of frozen pineapple
A handful of frozen blueberries
300ml of apple juice
2 x teaspoons of Aduna Baobab powder, available from us!

Whizz the blender on the ice setting, then whizz on the smoothie setting.
Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Healthy Chocolate Smoothie with Chia Seeds!

Why,  oh why, do people drink crappy milkshakes with artificial syrups in them and icecream, when they can have something as tasty and delicious as this chocolatey concoction, which is actually good for you, as well as tasting so deliciously good?

I make one of these if I need a chocolate boost, for my breakfast, or for a snack and it takes like a real treat. Today, I made one for myself and one for my soon to be a teenager son. We loved sipping them in the sunshine and even though he ate those Bamboozled Jelly Beans the other day, blurgh, at least I know that he enjoyed something a lot healthier today.

Here's the recipe for two mason jars:

Put all these ingredients into a good, strong blender.

600 ml of Almond Milk
2 x tablespoons of Pulsin Rice Protein Powder
2 x tablespoons of Naturya Lacuma powder
2 x tablespoons of Raw Cacao Powder from The Raw Chocolate Company
1 tablespoon of Artisan Grain Chia seeds
2 x ripe bananas (I normally use Fairtrade and Organic)
A pinch of ginger, if required.

Then whizz on the smoothie setting, pour out into two seperate classes and enjoy.

All the above ingredients are available to buy online for delivery or through click and collect, from our shop.

Or just pop in to see us at My Coffee Stop, 34, High Street, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5AS