Tiddly Banoffee Pies

The other night J and I had a date night, just a trip to the cinema to see "The Big Wedding", which was pretty good, but seeing as he's in the middle of exams right now we can't see each other as often as we'd normally/like to.
Anyway, one of his favourite puddings is Banoffee Pie. It would be risky for the inside of my bag if I had tried to sneak a whole pie into the cinema so I made a small batch of my trusty short crust pastry that made just over 7 pie crusts that I laid over cupcake tins.

3 oz plain flour
1.5 oz butter
About 4 tsps. water

1 can of boiled condensed milk (or dulche de leche)
1 banana
Whipped cream (optional)
Grated chocolate

After making your pastry roll it out and use a cutter to cut out circles that cover the cupcake tin holes like you would if you were making mince pies.
With the point of a sharp knife gently prick the pastry so that it doesn't rise and pop in the oven (200 celcius) for about 15 mins.

You can use a can of condensed milk that you've boiled yourself (keep the tin sealed) or you can use a precooked one like the one below!

 




















Grab a teaspoon and dollop the caramel in the cases, depending on how caramelly you like it (J likes caramel so I went overboard slightly).

Mmm don't they look good??

Then eat the rest of the tin with a spoon by yourself whilst watching a movie. I won't judge you.

 

 Slice up your banana and plonk/arrange artistically on top.

You could go for several half slices, for more bananary tastiness but I was in a rush.

 

Add a good amount of whipped cream if you have some and sprinkle with chocolate (or chocolate powder in my case).

I don't think they are exactly the same as a normal banoffee pie base, because that's with golden syrup, butter and biscuits, but they're really easy for you to eat, and perfect for cinema sneakin'.
I did actually catch J fit one whole into his mouth so they went down a treat!

 

Alternatively you could leave the banana out and eat them as a caramel jam tart!

 

Daim Bars

Now, I know some of you are going to hate me for this, it being get-ready-for-bikini-season season and everything, but this weekend two members of my form turn the big 1-8 and as you probably will know by now, my form like to celebrate birthdays, for one I'm making my all time favourite chocolate cake and for the other, I'm making my form famous Daim bars upon her request.
If you don't know what they are, here are some pictures, and here's Wikipedia's thoughts on them, but basically they're a bar of buttery caramel blanketed in milk chocolate. And they are divine, just measure the ingredients with your eyes closed in case they discourage you.

8oz butter (it doesn't matter which you use)
10oz caster sugar
1 tbsp. golden syrup
Lots of chocolate (optional)
Maldon sea salt (optional)

This is a quick and easy recipe, a bit like this post, and advance apologies for the photos, butter isn't the most photogenic of ingredients.

Weigh out your butter and sugar, and pop in a medium to large saucepan, get it melted and hot, stirring won't hurt either, just to get it on it's way.

Now, give it time, maybe 5 minutes, it should start bubbling and start to look like this,

It's about ready when it turns a slightly light tan leather colour. I know that's not exactly specialist language but as I was making it, that was the best colour to describe it.
If that didn't help you, grab a mug/cup/glass and fill it with cold water, get a teaspoon of the caramel and drop it into the water, if it goes hard/drops to the bottom, take that pan off!

Get a large baking tray and rip out a sizable sheet of greaseproof paper, pour your caramel onto the tray.

Now, here's where you'll have to use your imagination.
Ideally, you'd pour melted chocolate on top of this and bung it in the fridge for an hour or two to set then beat it with a rolling pin to get rustic shards, it would also work if you scored the caramel a few minutes after pouring onto the tray to get uniform treat sizes, which once covered in chocolate, could have a couple of grains of salt on them to enhance the flavour.
But, if, like me, you have a chocolate snaffling sibling, you will have to buy the chocolate tomorrow.
I will include the chocolate covered bars in any photos of the celebrations, big apologies X