Spiced Apple Cup Cakes

What you need:

125g (4oz) butter softened
125g (4oz) light soft brown sugar
2 medium eggs
125 (4oz) self raising flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 desert apple cored and grated
1 desert apple cored and sliced

For the topping:
4 tbsp apricot jam
2 tbsp water

Oven 190C/ 375F/ gas 5

What you do:

Beat together the butter and sugar untill light and fluffy. Add the eggs and then sift in the flour and cinnamon. Beat the mixture untill smooth then stirr in the grated apple.

Devide the mixture between paper cases and arrange sliced apple on the top of the cakes.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the cakes have risan and are fim to the touch. Cool the cakes on a wire rack.

Warm the apricot jam with the water in the microwave for a few seconds then brush over the top of the cakes.

What we thought:

"It took quite a lot of work, but it was worth it!"
"They're quite chewy, I think it's the apple"
"Ooh they're lovely!"

Marks out of ten?!

"8"
"Better than 8, 9 I think"
"Tasty but lots of grating 8"

Brilliant Banana Buns

What you need:

125g (4oz) butter softened

125 (40z) caster sugar

2 medium eggs

125g (4oz) self raising flour

1 ripe banana, mashed

hand full of chopped walnuts

oven 190C/ 375F/ gas 5

What you do:

1. Beat together butter and sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add the eggs flour banana and nuts and beat till the mixture is smooth.

Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the centre of the oven until the cakes have just risen and are firm to the touch. This will take about 12 - 15 minutes.

2. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

What we thought:

"Really easy to make and delicious!"

"Fantastic flavour!"

"I like the nuts with the banana!"

Marks out of ten?!

"10"

"Yes me too 10!"

White choc and cherry cookies

Ingredients:

200g (7 oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
125g (4 oz) caster sugar
125g (4 oz) butter (at room temperature)
1 egg
few drops vanilla essence
1 tablespoon of milk
150g (5oz) white chocolate chips or chunks
75g (3 oz) dried cherries (we used sour baking cherries but they can be glace)

What you do:

1: Set the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4
Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and sugar into a bowl and mix well together.

Cut the butter into little pieces and add them to the bowl, rub the butter into the flour with your finger tips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

2: Beat the egg, vanilla and milk together in a mug. Chop the cherries up a bit so that they're not such big pieces. Be careful with the knife and make sure you use a chopping board!
Put egg and milk mixture, chocolate and cherries into the mixing bowl.

3: Grease or line baking sheets, drop spoonfuls of cookie WELL SPACED APART on the sheets.
Bake in the oven for 10 -12 minutes until lightly browned.
Leave to harden for a couple of minutes on the tray then move to a wire rack to cool
(or to a plate and eat them!!)

What we thought:

"These are really easy and really tasty!"
"They're very sweet, maybe I'd like them more with brown chocolate"
"You could change the fruit to nuts, or a different fruit, that'd make it less sweet"
"Will we make these again?!"

What score would you give them out of 10?
"Ooh! A healthy 8.91!!"
"10, no worries!"