Butter Mafia

It has been a good 6 months since I last posted here. Looking back, I realized how unproductive I was during the lockdown period. Gyms were closed so no more rushing out to attend classes; I have stopped working on weekends, I hardly spend any time looking at properties as house inspections are almost nil existence and most importantly, holiday plans are on hold until international travel resumes.

 Indirectly, this could be a sign for me to slow down and reflect on what matters most to me; quality time spent with family and with myself. Too often I push my limits in an attempt to attain what I presume to be "achievement" financially and physically, consequently, losing patience and self-worth when targets are not reached.

This year had been a lesson on it's own and one that I will remember whenever I take things for granted. Butter Mafia treats came in a timely manner during my reflection period, possibly God sent? :) 

I was kindly sent a package from Butter Mafia that included 6 decadent brownie logs and 3 cookies. I will go into more detail but for now, can we please appreciate that these treats are 100% gluten free and are handcrafted to taste delicious, nil compromise on flavour whatsoever.

 

Henchmen cookies - Peanut butter cookie fully loaded with hand cut chocolate chunks. A chewy, crunchy, sweet and salty little number and one that I could easily finish off at least 3 pieces of (despite my mind disagreeing). I am not a huge fan of thin chocolate chip cookies because it isn't satisfying enough for me but this fella proved me wrong.

And now, let's meet the 6 brownie logs aka the mob log. On the front row lies The Mistress surrounded by the Bad Boy brownie on the left and the Don on the right.

The mistress - lemon and passionfruit curd on vanilla biscuit. The perfect marriage of tangy, sweet and creamy on the palate, lightly dusted with fine coconut for added aroma. This would be the perfect little contrast to the other bolder brownie flavours.

Bad boy brownie - the ultimate brownie aka rich, decadent and loaded with roasted almonds and hand cut milk chocolate chunks.  What more can one ask of a brownie.

Don - a remake of the classic caramel slice but made better with the addition of roasted hazelnuts in the rich caramel layer and a chewy chocolate biscuit base. Caramel slice redefined luxuriously.

To the left lies the Mafia Darling and to the right, the Black Widow. 

Mafia Darling - decadent white chocolate salted caramel on a buttery vanilla biscuit, topped with tempered white chocolate with a lovely pink hue swirled into it. I was anticipating sweetness overload for this one but found it rather pleasant and easy to appreciate.

The Black Widow - When you think the Bad Boy brownie takes the cake (haha), the Black Widow is akin it's relative minus the nuts but filled with a layer of coffee caramel and dark chocolate. Ohh now this is one for the really hardcore chocoholics out there.

 Last but not least, the Mob wife; a rich and moist chocolate mud piece layered with raspberry pate. For those who love both chocolate and fruit, this is one not to miss. Would have loved more raspberry pate to balance off the chocolate flavour but then again, I have been overdosed on chocolate so...

Overall a really enjoyable afternoon for myself as I work my way through the various treats. One can easily order online from their website as delivery is available Melbourne wide (free delivery for those lucky peeps living within 5km of Northcote). 

Mobile upload: July's foodie finds

To think that May and June flew by quickly, July must have been travelling at the speed of light in comparison. I am slowly picking up the habit of being more adventurous when it comes to food as opposed to sticking to my usual routine.

Here are a few new items that I have tried this month!

Agathe Patisserie's poppyseed, orange and grand marnier almond croissant - I love love this one especially when its warm. Strong orange fragrance paired with silvered pieces of almond and an almond filling - match made in heaven once it got together with a bit of alcohol! Highly recommended and worth queuing up for.

24 chicken mcnuggets for $9.95 - I had about 3 rounds of chicken mcnuggets this month alone and although it was a pretty good bargain, I think my waistline did a bit of compromising haha. Oh wells, I'll just have to work harder at the gym;)

As some may notice, I have been experimenting with preparing healthy meals but one thing that I have yet to perfect is muesli or granola. Which led me to testing out different brands of muesli or granola. Bought this one because it was on special and it's packed with lots of protein with each serve. Not too sweet at all and goes well with yoghurt or even on its own :p

Bodum cup - for the longest time I have put off the idea of purchasing this cup. But...after a week of constant utilization, I cannot live without it now. Made my smoothies and drinks look so good in it and that double walled concept means I no longer can burn my fingers touching hot items:)

Cornerside beef - never again. I was under the impression that I bought a good slab of beef but turned out that its been cured aka salty-fied. Not something I want too much of in my diet:(

Nike metcon - bought a new pair of Nike sneakers as the ones I was using did not provide enough stability and support to see me through my intensive gym classes. Originally priced at $180 and reduced to $75. Happy days.

Byron Bay cookies - I have heard of this brand before but never did get around to trying it out. This trip choc fudge cookie is a must try for chocolate lovers out there - cookie like crunch with a bit of soft, cake like crumbliness and pockets of chocolate nibbles. Delicious.

Dotty - This is a fun cookie to have and in a way, it did brightened up my day just from its mere appearance. Very happy colours.

Byron bay's white choc chunk and macadamia nut cookie - my first impression was that it's slightly doughy and possibly under-baked. However, I slowly grew addicted to it and eventually bought a second one a week later. I love its creamy, smooth texture, made better with the addition of decadent macadamia nuts in it.

Moccona latte - This is probably for you if you like your coffee to verge on the milder side of the scale. Quite a milky character and I would advise to be cautious of adding too much milk to it.

Not food related but here's a monthly picture update of yours truly - I am 90% back to black coloured hair and am loving it. Am wearing a Kookai dress and the quality is amazing. Kookai has some of the best basic, well-made wardrobe pieces which costs a bit more but is worthwhile the investment because you can pair these items easily!

Chinese New Year melting moments

I can't remember what's this cookie called but it is similar to the traditional melting moments' recipe so let's call it that for now, alright?;) Wasn't overly impressed with this recipe because the final results weren't as pretty as I had wanted it to be:( But overall, it did taste good despite getting a bit oily-er as the days pass by-.-

It seriously looks so promising before I bake it! Nice edges, smooth and crumbly texture. I've added a bit of blueberry jam on top just to add more glamour to it.

Well..sadly, the edges had to "frill" out and it didn't look as round and golden as I would have liked it to be. Hence, no recipes can be provided until I find THE recipe.

p.s: I threw away this recipe, in case anyone's curious about it.