Recipe: Gooey chocolate cookies.

Hi guys, Sherrie here. Our household is inundated with chocolate and Easter Eggs and as I limit the amount of sweet treats that Lexi has, I knew they would probably still be there in a years time. So today I thought it was a great idea for Lexi and I to get in the kitchen and make something with the towering pile of chocolate that is currently in our cupboard. Lexi decided that she wanted to make cookies so that’s exactly what we did. These double chocolate cookies are rich, gooey and so decadent that are just so delicious when warm and are perfect with a glass of ice cold milk.

Ingredients (Makes 12 Large cookies)

200g Butter
300g Caster Sugar
1 egg
275g Self raising flour
75g cocoa powder
Splash of milk
1 large 100g bar of White Chocolate
1 large 100g bar of Dairy Milk chocolate (We used a large Dairy Milk Easter egg instead)

Method. 

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (c) and cover three trays with grease proof paper.  
2. Add the Butter and Caster Sugar into a large mixing bowl and cream together until combined 
3. Add the egg and sift in your dry ingredients along with a splash of milk 
4. Break your chocolate into cubes and add to your mixture, if you are using Easter Eggs break into chunks around the size of a ten pence piece and combine with your hands (do this until the chocolate is incorporated into the dough, but not too much that the chocolate starts to melt) 
5. Place your dough balls onto the baking tray and push down a little. I normally add 4 per baking tray.
6. Pop into the oven for 11 minutes and leave to cool for an hour. The cookies will look raw when they come out but this is completely normal as they will harden when cooled whilst still remaining gooey on the inside. During this step it’s easy to leave them in the oven for longer but I assure you that 11 minutes is enough! 
7. Enjoy with a nice glass of milk. 

Store these cookies in an air tight container and they should be good for a couple of days (that’s if you haven’t resisted the urge to eat them all in one go) if you want them to be warm and gooey, pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds. 

Warner Bros Studio Tour in Burbank, California

We took a trip to Warner Bro's Studio Tour in Burbank, California a while ago which we both really enjoyed. The Tour costs $69 which included a two hour guided tour of the backlots and sound stages and a one hour self-guided tour. During our jam packed tour we got to see The Ellen Show stage, Central Perk, Bat-mobiles, costumes from the Aquaman movie and plenty more. This tour is perfect for TV and movie lovers and for those interested in developing a career within the industry. Take a look at some of our photographs from our time at the tour below.

Overall, we do wish our tour guide was a little more engaging with us to find out our interests and what we wanted to see specifically. It's also good to bare in mind before you visit that this is a working studio so some sets may not be available to see depending on filming schedules. Also, to my disappointment weren't able to see the fountain from the Friends opening title but not sure why. Perhaps they keep some areas closed off for special events or to have people go back? That being said, The fountain is now available as part of the everyday tour for recreational photo opportunities, damn! Nevertheless, we both had a really good time. Being a huge Friends fan, my favourite set had to be Central Perk and Jon's favourite was the Batmobile collection. If you ever find yourself in Cali, we highly recommend this tour.

Our favourite snacks from Universal Orlando

Hi guys,

Fellow theme park goers will know all too well that the food sucks and tends to be over priced and ultimately disappointing. But having explored a good amount of theme parks and trying our fair share of food and snacks, we pretty much know whats good and bad.
But there's one park for us that always seem to outdo every other theme park with delicious snacks and treats - Universal Studios along with its sister park, Islands of Adventure. As avid fans of all things Universal Orlando, we thought we would share our favourite snacks and where you can get them in the parks.

Frozen Butterbeer

From: Various carts/shops
Where: Diagon Alley in Universal Studios and Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure

Comes in a choice of frozen or non frozen but we prefer the frozen version. It’s the perfect sweet treat that cools you down from the hot Florida sunshine. A frozen butter beer is an absolute must have when we visit both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

Korean Beef Tacos

From: Bumble Bee Man's Taco Truck

Where: Simpsons Land, Universal Studios.

We recently tried these tacos for the first time and we absolutely loved them. We tried the Korean Beef which is tender Asian inspired braised beef served in warm tortillas and topped with cucumber and radish and served with tortilla chips. We shared these so didn’t find them very filling but for one person would be enough. We did however think these were kind of pricey at $10.99 but loved them nonetheless. 

Butterbeer Icecream

From: Florean Fortescues
Where: Diagon Alley, Universal Studios.

Butterbeer in the form of ice cream - enough said. It's super delicious and creamy and can be had in a waffle cone or in a souvenir cup.  Its Sherrie's absolute favourite.

Pumpkin Juice (Pictured on the right)

From: The Three Broomsticks or have it bottled from various carts
Where: Diagon Alley, Universal Studios and Hogsmeade, Islands of Adventure.

Pumpkin juice is a great refreshing alternative if you want something a little less sweet than Butterbeer. It comes in bottles which can be bought from various carts around Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade or can be poured from a barrel in The Three Broomsticks in Diagon Alley.

Big Pink Doughnut

From: Lard Lad Donuts or the Kwik-E-Mart gift shop.
Where: Simpsons Land, Universal Studios.

Jon's personal favourite is the big pink doughnut from the Lard Lad cart in Simpsons Land. It's light and fluffy in texture, sweet, super yummy and a must have whilst exploring the park.

Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando.

Hi guys,

Sherrie here! On Monday evening we took a trip to Universal Studios for their Mardi Gras event which has been running since February 1st and runs up until April 2nd. The event promises live concerts (on select dates), lively parades and Cajun street food. The event is included in with park tickets/passes so no additional tickets are needed unlike for other events such as Halloween Horror Nights where separate tickets need to be purchased. It’s worth noting however that the event is only available on select nights for seasonal pass holders so you will need to check before you go.

The parade starts at 6:15 and features colourful floats inspired by “Treasures of the deep” which is this years theme to celebrate 25 years of Mardi Gras at the park. During the parade you can see street performers in costumes and great music provided by authentic bands from New Orleans and tons of colourful beads are thrown into the audience from the floats.

Once in the park, guests are able to join a virtual queue which enables them to ride on a float but you will have to be quick as these usually go pretty fast with the queue opening up a couple of hours before the parade starts. We didn’t get chance to ride a float this time but we had fun watching, dancing and catching the beads that were tossed our way. The whole event had us laughing and had a real feel good factor about it.

Authentic Cajun street food is available to purchase from the French Quarter Courtyard, just steps away from Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Gumbo, Jambalaya, Beignets and Po' boys are all available along with many more tasty treats and drinks.

We had an overall fun experience celebrating Mardi Gras at Universal Studios Orlando and we already can't wait for next year. The whole celebration is great fun for everyone and we would highly recommended catching it whilst in the park.

**Tickets were gifted to us by Universal Studios Orlando - This does not influence our thoughts and opinions**