Sluttishly Sweet: Chocolate Mint Leaves

Hot, sticky weather means you might want something a little lighter and refreshing in the evening. Normally an ice cream or sorbet will do the job. But how about we make like an After Eight and dip out mint leaves in chocolate? The result is a short, sweet refresh without the tacky gooey-ness of an actual After Eight.

This recipe is super simple with just two ingredients and makes for delicious and unusual bites. I used dark chocolate because it's my favourite, but milk chocolate would be fine too. It's also a great opportunity to get your hands dirty and an even better opportunity to lick melted chocolate off your fingers. Yum.

Chocolate Mint Leaves 
You will need:

• a handful of freshly picked mint leaves
• 50-75g of dark chocolate

Make it!

• Line a baking sheet or large plate with baking paper 
• Melt the chocolate either in short bursts in the microwave or bain marie style, until just melted
• Remove from heat and gently dip the mint leaves, one at a time, into the melted chocolate covering both sides. Gently tap  off excess and lay flat on baking paper to dry.

Useful tip: scrunch up the baking paper a few times to get it to lie flat easily.

Monty Bojangles Truffles

My birthday was this weekend and it involved rather a lot of beer, some Pictionary and some very thoughtful presents from friends and family. Including some Monty Bojangles truffles. I had never heard from Monty Bojangles before, but was already quite taken with the cute cat on the box. I can say without doubt that these are the best truffles I've ever had in my life.

At 2am a room full of tipsy people actually stopped playing Mario Kart to eat all of the birthday truffles (no small feat, this was a Mario Kart WAR). The truffles start melting as soon as you pick one up, they're so creamy and rich. They're damn good. So good that I'm sad I finished them. So good that I'm sad I was drunk enough to share them all.

And somehow, magically, they're not from a swanky London chocolatier that I can't afford. Instead, these little boxes of truffles are just £2.99 from Waitrose. Go immediately. And buy two boxes. You're going to be gutted when they run out.

Sluttishly Sweet: Salted Cashew and Pretzel Chocolate Bites

It is certainly true that sweet and salty go incredibly well together. If you aren't convinced, then try this simple little indulgent snack and prepare to be converted.

You'll need:

• 150g bag of salted cashew nuts
• 50g mini pretzels
• 50g chocolate (milk, dark, white - take your pick)

Make it!

• Melt the chocolate in a bain marie. The key to a smooth melt is to keep the chocolate moving. Don't use a wooden spoon as this makes it lumpy; go for a metal fork instead.
• Once melted, simply add the cashews whole, break up the pretzels into smaller chunks and pop them into the mix, blending until covered.
• Spoon the mixture out onto tin foil and pop straight in the fridge until set

You can chop and change with this simple little treat - add caramel chunks, swap cashews for macadamias, go for white chocolate or even dispense with the nuts altogether and try salted popcorn instead.