Mexico is home to over 130 million people, and experts believe that number will grow in the coming decades. Mexico is also the birthplace of a vibrant culture and fascinating history.

One of the key aspects of any culture is its food, and Mexico created some great dishes over the years. It’s important to note that preparing Mexican food ranges in difficulty depending on what you’re making.

This means that there are plenty of great Mexican food recipes you can make even if you aren’t too confident in your cooking skills. We’ll discuss a few of these tasty and easy-to-make recipes in this article.

1. Southwestern Salad

A salad may not seem like Mexican food, and technically it isn’t. However, salads are somewhat of a chameleon when it comes to food. Salads are old enough to appear in Roman records and the word salad comes from the Latin word for salt. It’s also likely that the Romans were just the first to write down a salad recipe, and the dish predates them.

Whatever the case, salad has stood the test of time and showed up in almost every culture in the world. The Southwestern salad differs from other salads because it adds cilantro dressing. You can also add other ingredients, such as corn and beans.

2. Seafood Tacos

Something a lot of people don’t think of as Mexican food is seafood, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Mexico borders the ocean on two sides, so seafood is an important component of Mexican food, especially in coastal regions. You have several different options when preparing tacos, and one is to make seafood tacos. Some people prefer to put shrimp in their seafood tacos, while others substitute fish of various kinds. If you’re having trouble choosing, there’s no rule that says you can’t do both.

You could even go the experimental route and add calamari, crab meat, or any other type of seafood you can think of. It might be fun to do a seafood taco that mixes many types of seafood.

3. Burritos

Much like tacos, burritos offer limitless possibilities. Burritos are often made with ground beef, but you could change things up and use Carne picada (minced beef) as well. Though beef is traditional, burritos aren’t restricted to beef.

For instance, there’s a type of burrito commonly known as a “hapa.” Truly a clash of two worlds, a “hapa” is a fusion of Mexican and Asian flavors into one unique food. Some “hapas” use meat prepared in an Asian style, such as sweet and sour or Korean barbecue while others add seafood.

You can even make vegetarian burritos by substituting tempeh or vegetables for the beef.

Easy-to-Make Mexican Food Recipes

You don’t have to be a renowned chef to make decent Mexican food. There are many excellent Mexican food recipes out there for everyone regardless of cooking experience.

We’ve discussed a few simple recipes in this article, but there are too many unique variations and twists on traditional Mexican dishes for us to cover in one go.

If you want more delicious recipes and healthy lifestyle advice, please explore the rest of our site.

Chocolate is one of the UK’s favourite sweet treats. You can drink, eat and even display it. Our favourite chocolate inventions date back to hundreds of years ago, such as honeycomb and hot chocolate.

As the festive season approaches, millions of people will eat chocolate from their advent calendars. We share chocolate hampers with loved ones and sneakily grab an extra sweet treat at night. However – despite our love of the sweet treat, many of us don’t know how chocolate is made.

It starts with the beans

First up, the cocoa beans are harvested from the tropical cacao tree – also known as the “food of the gods.” The fruit is in vibrant red, purple, green and yellow pods that change colour as they start to ripen. If the pod is still green, it needs more time to ripen before you can pick it. The pods are cut between May and December each year, and the beans are collected. The beans are covered in banana leaves to help them ferment for around four to nine days. Once they go dark brown, you can start to smell the delicious cocoa.

Roast and winnow

Once you have the beans, it’s time to roast them. Roasting the cocoa beans helps to bring out their colour and flavour. After the roasting process, they are put in a machine that cracks them open and separates them into two parts. The husks are thrown away, and the delicious centres, also known as the nibs, are passed to the next stage.

The nibs are ground into a pulp with butter. They are combined with sugar and milk powder and ground further to make the cocoa finer.

Conch and temper

Conching is a refining process that removes all the unwanted flavours through heating. The chocolatey mixture is constantly stirred, and different flavours are added. Once the conching process is complete, the chocolate should have a fully developed flavour and smooth texture. Delicious.

The chocolate is then cooled from 45 degrees Celsius to 28. It is raised again to 30 degrees Celsius to crystalise the butter and give it a firm, glossy texture.

It’s then turned into chocolates and sold around the world.

Chocolate facts

Europe accounts for more than half of the entire world’s chocolate consumption. We are obsessed with the stuff. Switzerland, Germany and Ireland are the largest chocolate consuming countries in the world.

You might not know that a cocoa tree takes almost a year to produce enough beans for ten Hershey bars. Just imagine how many cocoa beans you have eaten in this year alone.

Cheesecakes are the quintessential comfort food; they’re moist and compact, silken smooth and just sweet enough to make you smile. Cheesecakes, though, come in all shapes and sizes, they’re a blank canvas for creativity, and you can turn a regular cheesecake into an extraordinary dessert with little effort.

Below you’ll find a tried and tested recipe for a fantastic no-bake butterscotch cheesecake, and we’re topping it with the most decadent layer of homemade chocolate ganache. What’s not to love? And after long consideration with friends, we’ve decided this is one of the tastiest cheesecakes we’ve all had!

Sharing is Caring.

Talking about sharing delicious, sweet treats with your loved ones, I’d like to invite you to show your loved ones how much you care through food, particularly chocolatey treats. 

The best desserts I’ve had, including today’s cheesecake, have been much more enjoyable in good company, and let’s say it out loud. We don’t show our affection to those around us as often as we should.

A slice of cheesecake might be hard to carry around, but you can also send those close to you a chocolate hamper. Nothing says ‘I care’ like chocolate!

The Perfect Butterscotch Sauce

To make the perfect cheesecake, you first need some butterscotch sauce, and if you want the best, you have to make it from scratch. Actually, making butterscotch sauce is not all that hard, and it’s immensely satisfying. Besides, your home smells lovely while the sauce browns to golden perfection on the stovetop. 

To make the butterscotch sauce, you’ll need three readily available ingredients: butter, brown sugar and double cream. A pinch of salt and a few drops of vanilla extract make all the difference. 

Never buy butterscotch sauce again! Make it instead. Butterscotch sauce is a lovely addition to your baking repertoire. 

What You Need for the Perfect Butterscotch Cheesecake

Back to our cheesecake recipe, you’ll need homemade butterscotch sauce, of course, but also full-fat cream cheese, icing sugar and double cream. With so few ingredients, quality matters, so get the good stuff!

You definitely want to make the biscuit base yourself as well, as it’s as easy that you can get your kids to help you with that. 

Finally, we’ll bring home the cheesecake with a thick layer of homemade chocolate ganache, and we’re using crispy milk chocolate butterscotch discs and double cream. 

Did I mention this is a no-bake recipe? Now, things really can’t get any better than that, don’t you agree? 

How Long Does It Take to Make a Butterscotch Cheesecake?

I know what you’re thinking; there are many elements in this recipe, so how long does it really take to put the cheesecake together? Less than you think. The butterscotch sauce takes five minutes on the stovetop. Then you can let it cool down and thicken while you work on the other elements. 

The biscuit base is also ready in minutes — we’re just melting the butter in the microwave and blitzing some Biscoff biscuits into powder. Then it all comes together in a spring-form tin as you press the biscuit base with your thumbs.

Since this is a no-bake recipe, the cheesecake filling is all about whipping the ingredients until fully incorporated, so it’s no biggie either. You want to leave the chocolate ganache last, as you want it nice and melty to cover the cheesecake. You’ll have to wait a few hours for the cheesecake to set in the fridge, though, but that’s the easy part!

When to Make Butterscotch Cheesecake?

You can surely imagine this fudgy cheesecake is quite versatile. Still, unlike other cheesecakes that you can serve on any weeknight, this one has a more celebratory feel. 

If you’re looking for a unique birthday or anniversary cake, butterscotch cheesecake is for you. If you want to impress someone or your boss is coming over for dinner, then this is the recipe you were looking for. 

Yes, butterscotch cheesecakes are utterly comforting and crowd-pleasing, but they can undoubtedly turn any reunion into a memorable occasion. After all, it’s all homemade from scratch, and it has so many layers of flavour! 

And just wait until you see it assembled with those crispy butterscotch discs on top and drizzled with butterscotch. Did I mention this is a lovely looking cheesecake as well?

No-Bake Butterscotch Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Butterscotch Sauce

• 115g Unsalted Butter
• 100g Dark Brown Sugar
• 125ml Double Cream
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract

Biscuit Base

• 300g Biscoff Biscuits
• 150g Unsalted Butter

Cheesecake Filling

• 500g Full-Fat Cream Cheese
• 100g Icing Sugar
• Butterscotch Sauce (above recipe)
• 300ml Double Cream

Chocolate Ganache

• 150g Lily O’Brien’s Crispy Butterscotch Share Bag (2 bags will be enough with some leftover for decoration)
• 150g Double Cream

Decoration

Butterscotch Sauce (reserved from above)

To make the Butterscotch Sauce

1. Place the butter in a pan and melt over medium heat.
2. Add the sugar into the pan along with the cream and salt and boil on medium to high heat for 4-5 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
4. Tip the mixture into a bowl to cool fully and thicken.

To make the biscuit base

1. Use a food processor to blitz the biscuits or use the end of a rolling pin to crush them into a fine crumb in a bowl.
2. Melt the butter in a microwave for 20 seconds and combine it with the biscuit crumbs.
3. Transfer the mixture to an 8″/20cm deep spring-form tin and press down into an even layer across the bottom.

To make the cheesecake filling

1. In a stand mixer, add the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla and whisk until just smooth.
2. Add 150g of the butterscotch sauce (make sure you leave some for the topping) and combine the ingredients.
3. Add the double cream and whisk up until the mixture is nice and thick but not over-mixed.
4. Spoon the mixture over the biscuit base and spread evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula.
5. Put the cheesecake into the refrigerator whilst you make the ganache.

To make the chocolate ganache

1. Roughly chop the chocolate discs and place them in a medium-sized heat-proof bowl.
2. Pour the double cream into a small pan and heat over medium heat until it just begins to simmer, then remove from the heat. 
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate has melted.
4. Let this stand for a few minutes, and then pour the ganache mixture over the cheesecake filling. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight to achieve a really good set.

For the decoration

1. Use your remaining chocolate discs to decorate the centre of your cheesecake, and then drizzle the remaining butterscotch sauce over the top, letting some drip down the sides.
2. Will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days or is suitable for freezing up to 6 months.

Preparing a cookie dough ice cream is tricky and the FDA, who has banned all homemade preparations, declaring them unsafe to eat, emphasizes this fact. Luckily, they have approved the ones where commercial manufacturers use pasteurized eggs and treated flour.  

To prepare an acceptable homemade cookie dough ice cream, you will need some professional coaching. What better way to upgrade your skills than to start with a few critical questions.

Are you ready to take your cooking to the next level? Ready to become a pastry pro? Check out the classes offered at Culinary Lab School.

To help you decide whether you need to join a culinary class, here are five cookie dough ice cream recipes to try out. If you love them, then it is a positive sign.

An Eggless Cookie Dough Ice Cream

If you follow the recipe correctly, then this will be the best homemade variety you will ever put together. The preferred flavor is vanilla, but you can use your favorite. 

Firstly, you will need the following ingredients:

• Two full tablespoons of water.
• An eighth of vanilla extract.
• Softened butter in two tablespoons.
• Use half a cup of all-purpose flour.
• Two half-filled tablespoons of brown sugar.
• White sugar in three tablespoons.

Use a medium-sized bowl, to mix the butter, the white sugar, and the brown sugar. When this mixture is smooth, add water and stirs with vanilla. Then add the flour and mix until it feels blended. After which you will shape into a log and freeze for two hours and an hour minimum.

Make small chunks before mixing with softened ice cream. Then freeze them until they feel firm or for at least 15 minutes. You can now enjoy your eggless cookie dough ice cream.

The Irresistible Chocolate Chip Dough Ice Cream Pie

The preparation of this tasty dessert involves making three things, the piecrust, the pie fillings, and the cookie dough itself.  

To start with the piecrust, use a food processor to crush the Oreos until they become fine crumbs. Melt butter, then add into the crumbs and mix well. Then press the mixture into a greased pie pan, which should be about 10 inches. Lastly, place in the freezer. 

For the cookie dough start by making a cream out of the white and brown sugar together with butter. Add vanilla and mix well. Then mix in the milk and flour. When the dough is thick enough, add chocolate chips and mix them. Then make balls of about half to three-quarters of an inch in diameter out of the dough before freezing them.

Mix white and brown sugar in cream cheese until they become smooth. As you mix throw in some cool whip and stir in a quarter cup of mini chocolate chips along with a three-quarter cup of the frozen balls you made earlier. Pour the mixture onto the piecrust and top with about a quarter cup of mini chocolate chips. After they have frozen completely you can serve.

The Delicious Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

For this, you will have to prepare the ice cream and then the cookie dough. Even though there are plenty of preparation methods available online, you will require four large egg yolks, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of some fine salt and a cup of whole milk. In addition, you will need half a cup of light brown sugar and about a quarter cup of dark brown sugar.

To prepare the cookie dough, here is what is needed. 

• A quarter cup of granulated sugar
• A tablespoon of cream or you can use milk
• About five ounces of all-purpose flour
• Half a cup of chocolate chips
• Half a tablespoon of fine sea salt
• A teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Two tablespoons of dark brown sugar
• Three-quarter cup of light brown sugar
• A dozen tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature

The Trifle Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

You will get about four servings from this delightful ice cream dessert and making it is as easy as consuming it. For ingredients, you will require some whipped cream, crushed chocolate chip cookies about four or six of them, four brownies, and two pints of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate chip cookie dough. Make sure to cut the brownies so they fit into a serving bowl.

Place a scoop of ice cream in a trifle bowl or better yet a cocktail glass, then place a brownie on top of it. Place another scoop on the brownie and sprinkle a layer of the crushed chocolate cookie chips on top of that. Repeat the processes until the serving bowl is filled and then garnish with some whipped cream and the crushed cookies before enjoying the serving. 

The Ultimate Vegetarian Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

This will require the following ingredients

• Four cups of oat flour
• A teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Two cups of vegan chocolate chips
• The third cup of powdered sugar
• Half a cup of unsalted vegan butter, which is softened, 
• A pint of divided non-dairy chocolate chip cookie dough
• A third cup of light brown sugar. 
• Adding vegan buttercream for frosting is an optional choice.

Place parchment paper in a square eight-inch baking dish then reserves the non-dairy chocolate chip cookie dough. In another bowl, mix brown sugar, powdered sugar, and butter by hand until they become fluffy. Add oat flour and a cup of chocolate chips. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish before freezing.

For the topping, melt a cup of chocolate chips along with the non-dairy for 30 seconds in the microwave. Spread the ganache over the freezing mixture and freeze for another two hours. When the mixture becomes firm, cut into about 16 bars, then place vegetarian buttercream frosting along with some sprinkles, now you can enjoy your homemade cookie dough ice cream.  

Conclusion

For a quick and easy to make dessert, a cookie dough ice cream is the preference for many food enthusiasts. Try the above recipes and happily scoop away!

If you wish to spice things up even more, add a dollop of your favourite nut butters to any of the 5 yummy recipes. You can’t go wrong with more nutty, creamy indulgence of chocolate and nuts in a dessert. Of course, peanut butter is the popular choice – however if you want that nuttier, slightly richer taste, go for almond butter everytime.