New Video! Hyper Japan Christmas Market Haul 2015

Happy Friday! Check out the latest video. Just watching for the kawaii-ness is enough for me! I hope you enjoy it and have a great weekend!

Japan Candy Box Video *Giveaway Closed*

Who doesn't love sweets and candies? The blog was created with a love of sweet treats in mind! So when I was approached by Japan Candy Box to do a review of the latest box, I was delighted too!

They sent me the August 2015 box which arrived beautifully wrapped in some very kawaii purple paper! I have a list of the candies that was sent to me:

1.Kracie Tsunagete DIY Chain Candy-

Orange and bubblegum flavoured chain sweets, which were delightfully chewy. Also, they are fun to put together but I prefer to just to eat them. 

2.Kracie Neru Neru Nerune DIY Candy-

Yikes, I hated this! The texture of the drink of terrible, the flavour wasn't too bad however. It was fun to make but I wouldn't get this one again!

3.Rilakkuma Cookie Sticks-

These are so sweetly packaged. The cookies taste more like rich tea biscuits rather than cookies but they are so more-ish! Definitely one of my favourites in the box.

4.Puccho Watermelon Chewy Candy- 

Chewy, yet gummy and fruity. They truly taste like watermelon.  

5.Shigekix Super Sour Grape Gummies-

Wow! Talk about sour! These were so tasty but very strong. If you love sour sweets, you'll fall in love with these!

6.Yaokin Sour Grape Paper Candy- 

This 'paper candy' was leathery and way too chewy for my palette. However, the sour and grape flavour are spot on. 

7. Meiji Yan Yan Biscuit Sticks- 

I've had a similar product before and I do like this sweet too. The strawberry, for me, need to be stronger in flavour. Its still very enjoyable to moonch on!

8.Bourbon Petit Choco Filled Cookies-

These are so addictive! The vanilla and chocolate really complement each other.

9.Tohato Anpanman Caramel Corn- 

These have the texture of crisps but have a toffee flavoured sweetness. 

10. Moominvalley Biscuits-

I really like these chocolate biscuits and the design is quite detailed on each biscuit. 

Overall the candy box was really enjoyable. I loved most of the sweets, with a few exceptions. I would like to say a big thank you to Japan Candy Box for sponsoring the post. Do you like the look of the Candy Box? Well you can win one yourself by entering the competition link below. 

A Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! and Happy Baking!

*This post was sponsored by Japan Candy Box. They sent a candy box to me for free and are giving away a candy box to my readers!* 

Stained Glass Decoration Cookies

The Christmas season is well and truly upon us and everyone is dashing around the shops for their last minute presents, makes me glad I'm finally finished! Phew!! I have been a busy (student) baker and I have quite a few bits planned, so watch this space. But as I was decorating the tree, which is finally up and decorated, a little inspiration hit me.

At school, I used to do Food Technology (in the U.S the class is called Home Economics) and my teacher showed me a basic biscuit recipe that was not just yummy and not only a great decoration for the tree BUT super duper easy to do. This is a simple recipe and is easy for kids to do with a little adult supervision.  

Jewel centred cookies look amazing but are effortless.

Recipe: Makes about 12 depending on the cookie cutter size

• 175g plain flour, sifted 
• 75g butter
•  3 tablespoons caster sugar 
•  1 egg white 
• 2 tablespoons orange juice 
• 225g hard sweets/candy in various colours

Equipment:

• 2 x baking sheets 
• Baking paper/greaseproof paper 
• Sieve 
• Bowl
• Various Christmas cutters 
• Skewer
• Thread or ribbon

 1.    Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/ Gas Mark. Line baking sheets with baking paper.

2.   Sieve flour into a bowl and blend in butter with your fingers so it looks a little like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, egg white and orange juice to mix into a soft dough. Knead lightly.

3.    Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into shapes. Cut out the centre of the cookies using a similar shaped cutter or a plain round cutter.

These cookies really catch the light and can be coloured themed to suit your Christmas decorations.

Bake on and Merry Christmas!!

Penny