*WARNING: DISGUSTING CONTENT* Fancy a bite of cheese with maggots crawling around and dead mice floating in the red wine. No, we didn't think so. A new museum in Sweden is doing precisely that and dishing out the most disgusting food from all over the world. The creators behind the project of 'Malmo's Disgusting Food Museum' state that this isn't a freak show but proof that disgust is entirely subjective. 

(Image credit: Fotolia) 

Not for the faint-hearted 

The museum which is open now, allows you to stroll through 80 exhibits and you can try out smelling stations or look at various displays. There's a dish called Casu Marzu which is cheese from Sardinia which contains larvae of flies or how about balut from the Philippines which is eggs cooked with the half-developed embryo inside. Better yet, fried Tarantulas from Cambodia. 

So what about us? 

Surely there are foods displayed in that museum that are actually quite tasty to us? Yes, there are. Western food can seem extremely odd to eastern individuals. Haggis from Scotland makes an appearance along with smelly French Cheese. From the USA we can find root beer and various fast food examples (they do have some weird combinations, we must admit)! 

The museum also provides a strong message as on one of the shelves, a strip of bacon sits innocently with a pig statue with needles all over it to show how many antibiotics are given during farming. 

Real food 

The average museum usually has realistic models of individual objects, but this one is entirely different. In fact, most of the food is fresh and needs to be resupplied continuously, and some of the produce is difficult to retrieve or can be expensive. People can submit their ideas to the museum but it has to be real food and not just a novelty but also has to disgust many people. There are plans to take the exhibits on tour around the world as this is currently only open for three months. 

Overall, the aim of the project is to find the line between disgust and delicacy which can be very narrow. For instance, Marmite, you either love it or you hate it and the controversy will continue forever. I think we'll stick to our Gookie Dough as you can't really go wrong with a monster tub and a spoon in the other hand! *Source from BBC.co.uk*  

You saw the inspiration on Instagram or that 'Birthday Goals' board on Pinterest. Seeing it and believing you can make it, you've got the ingredients, and you're ready to go! It can't be that hard, surely? Here are the baking disasters that are painful to look at. 

Fail #1 

(Image credit: Phil__Swift via Reddit) 

Where do we start? What happened to the rainbow and why does it look like some disaster you'd see in a hospital? Happy Halloween, guys! No one was harmed during the process of making this crepe cake, just our eyes.

Fail #2 

(Image credit: FERRISBUELLER2000 via Reddit) 

It's gone from super cute Easter treat to disastrous distressed birds which appear to be fighting for their life. Either that or they've applied too much blusher and become a little flustered. You can't deny that this isn't funny though, classic! 

Fail #3 

(Image credit: Spend With Pennies) 

This baker forgot to add flour ingredients to their cookies. Everything was sifted and ready to go, but the dry ingredients weren't combined, so here's the result. Gorgeous gloopy mixture with rabbit droppings! This is why you choose Gookie Dough without fail. 

Fail #4 

(Image credit: Sally's Baking Addiction) 

The picture on the cake mix packet vs the result. Red velvet yet there is hardly any red? We're a little confused whether this person was supposed to put the icing mixture within the cake because to us, it doesn't seem to make sense. I guess certain people shouldn't bake!

Fail #5 

(Image credit: Olivia's Cusine via Facebook) 

Cooking takes time and patience, but this person apparently had a lot of time on his hands or got distracted and went to Mars and back before taking the pizza out. What a waste, we're very sad over this. However, at least there is an excuse for takeaway! 

Had any baking fails as bad as this before? Let us know in the comments below! 

Today's post is all about being a little bit savvy and is almost the cousin of our 'Upcycle Your Gookie Dough Pots' series. Food waste is a massive concern around the globe, in the UK, we waste on average 1.3 billion tonnes each year. Yet we live in a country where food banks are even more in demand than usual. So, how can we prevent food waste?

(Image credit: Bitcoin Newswire) 

Buy what you need 

When you're in a supermarket and you see those biscuits on offer for £1, it's tempting or those potatoes are on a rollback for 50p less. Yes, it's tempting but it's important to realise you're wasting money and food because you're spending too much. Only buy exact amounts of ingredients for a recipe, find shops where you can buy single carrots, potatoes and onions instead of using large packets which are covered in plastic.  

Use your freezer 

Buying in bulk makes sense when it means you're saving money but it's a fact that you won't use every single item before it runs out of date. Try and freeze products and label it with the date. Bread is perfect for this because it can go straight in the freezer and also defrosts quickly (or you can pop it in the toaster). Surprisingly, soft fruits and spinach can also be frozen which can make good smoothies! 

Portion control 

(Image credit: BBC Good Food) 

So, your eyes are bigger than your belly. Happens to everyone. Just remember that it isn't compulsory to eat the whole pack of rice in one sitting. Keep an eye on what is being thrown away after meals and then you'll realise how to change and adapt your portion size so no leftovers are being chucked away (there's never any leftover Gookie Dough though, is there?!).  

Out of date fear 

So, you've just taken a pack of meat out of the fridge and you're unsure whether it's gone off or not so you put it back in the fridge and wait until it's expired completely. DON'T! The best way to arrange the fridge and cupboards is to bring the oldest items to the front and putting newer ones to the back. This way the older stuff will have a better chance of being used. 

Just some pro hacks to save you some dollar on the way up to Christmas. You can thank us later! 

Despite Gookie Dough selling a product which isn't one of your five-a-day, we're all for a healthy diet. It's important to remember that our product needs to be consumed within a balanced diet and in moderation. Yes, it is tempting to eat four monster tubs straight out but it's not ideal. Today, we're discussing several habits of unsuccessful 'dieters' and how you can break them. 

(Image credit: Unsplash, Estée Janssens) 

Do these situations sound familiar?

1. Your meals come out of a carton, bag or over the deli counter 
2. You never eat alone, the TV/internet/phone or magazine is always there
3. You can't walk away from free food even if you aren't hungry, including all you can eat buffets and supermarket samples 
4. You spend time regretting what you ate than preparing it
5. You eat when you're hungry but also based on your emotion

Unhealthy food patterns 

There are certain food patterns that people follow which can link to obesity and other food/weight disorders. Food fretting is when you're overly concerned with what you eat and form a negative relationship with food. Task snacking: this is when you always eat while doing something, like doing work and watching TV. Emotional eating: rather self-explanatory but you turn to food in low moments when you're feeling upset. Fast foodism: you eat processed and convenience foods and eat them quickly. Solo dining: you use food to fill a social void. Sensory disregard: mealtime is annoying and you're not bothered about the eating experience. 

Solving the problem 

A simple way of limiting yourself to binge is to keep a food diary and writing down everything in your life that links to food. It's a lifestyle diary, this includes what you ate, how much, when, where, what time of day and why you ate it. Were you alone? What else were you doing while eating? It's also important to note what kind of food it was. For example, fresh, frozen, processed, baked, boiled, take away etc. From the diary, you will start to see a pattern form and identify your eating triggers. 

Eat the Gookie Dough, track the Gookie Dough, look after your body and eat a healthy, balanced diet! *Factual information from WebMD* 

For those of you who like a challenge, or you guys who are a more dedicated baker. We have a tough one for you today which takes pure concentration and dedication but the results are SOOOO worth it! Hello, billionaire cookie dough cake, you look delightful. 

You will need: 

(for the cake) 

360g of all purpose flour 

Two teaspoons of baking powder 

Half a teaspoon of kosher salt 

225g of salted butter 

400g of granulated sugar 

Three tablespoons of vegetable oil 

Four large eggs 

One tablespoon of vanilla extract 

250ml of whole milk 

(for the caramel sauce)

250g of granulated sugar 

Two tablespoons of water 

Seven tablespoons of butter 

120ml of heavy cream 

(for the shortbread crumbs)

180g of all purpose flour 

Two tablespoons of granulated sugar 

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt 

125ml of melted butter 

(for the cookie dough) 

Two monster tubs of Gookie Dough in original flavour 

(chocolate meringue buttercream) 

Three large egg whites 

200g of granulated sugar 

225g of salted butter at room temperature 

115g of chocolate chips, melted 

(chocolate ganache) 

150g of chopped dark chocolate chips

80ml of heavy cream 

Directions 

Firstly, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Coat three 8 inch or two 9 inch round cake tins with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Coat the sides of the tin with cooking spray too. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. 

In a bowl of a stand mixer which is fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together. Then add the oil, eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. Turn the mixer to low and add one-third of the flour, followed by half of the milk. Repeat until all is in the bowl and mix thoroughly. Divide the cake batter equally between the cake tins. Pop into the oven for 25/30 minutes until the centres are set, allow the cakes to cool for five minutes and then put them onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Caramel sauce time! In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to stir. Ensure all the sugar dissolves and boil until the mixture reaches 180 degrees. Then add the butter and stir until melted, slowly add the cream and mix until combined. Allow the mixture to boil for an additional two minutes, watching closely and then remove from the heat immediately. 

For the shortbread crumbs, simply preheat the oven again to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar and salt, stir in the melted butter until combined. Form the mixture into crumbs and spread on the tray. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cooling completely. 

Pop your Gookie Dough into a bowl and empty both tubs, allow to warm slightly at room temperature to allow it to spread easily. Leave aside. 

For the meringue buttercream, you need to take a heatproof bowl and whisk the egg whites and granulated sugar. Pop the bowl over a small saucepan with simmering water. Whisk the egg whites constantly (about 4-5 minutes). Straight away, move the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites for 10 minutes until glossy and cooled and stiff peaks begin to form. Add the butter and continue mixing. Stir in the melted chocolate until incorporated. 

To assemble the cake, spread the Gookie Dough on the tops of two of the cake layers. Next, spread/pour the caramel sauce on top of the cookie dough. Pop the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes so the caramel sets. 

Afterwards, place one of the caramel-topped layers on a plate and top with the other caramel topped layer. Next, top this with the remaining plain layer of cake. Cover the entire cake with the meringue buttercream. 

For the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate in a medium bowl and in a small saucepan, heat the cream over a medium heat until it starts to steam. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is all melted. Cool for 10/15 minutes until the chocolate has thickened. Spread the ganache on the top of the cake and allow it to drip down the side. Decorate the cake with shortbread crumbs. *Recipe AND images from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen* 

Complicated enough? But the images speak volumes and the cake is calling your name!