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Marsala chocolate coffee biscuits

18 Jun

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My all time favorite dessert is tiramisu. Having said that I am loathe to make it as 1) it generally makes a shedload and 2) I would eat the entire shedload due to point 1)

Oh, what a luscious desert it is – mascarpone, coffee, alcohol, crunchy, sweetness, creaminess… it is everything you could ever want in a dessert.

I wanted to take my favourite aspects of this dessert – namely, coffee, chocolate and alcohol – and use them as a base for a small little biscuit, or cookie.

I was so happy with the way these Marsala chocolate coffee biscuits turned out. They were so easy to make and even easier to eat. Ensure you allow resting time for the dough before baking.

These little bickies – I made them petite but if you want to make them bigger just adjust the baking time – are so fudgy and delicious. I don’t have a sweet tooth but found myself constantly reaching for another biscuit, especially when I was having a coffee.

I am a coffee snob and only drink real coffee ie espresso-based. If you don’t have access to espresso you could substitute instant coffee but it won’t carry the same richness of flavour.

 

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GATHER:

120g butter, chopped and softened

¾ cup brown sugar

⅓ cup golden syrup

1 egg

3 tablespoon cooled espresso

2 tablespoons marsala

2 cups plain flour

¼ teaspoon cocoa

Icing sugar to serve

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Let’s get to it:

Line two large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

In bowl of electric mixer with paddle attachment beat butter, sugar and golden syrup until pale and fluffy – around four minutes.

Turn off beaters, scrape down bowl with a spatula, then with beaters on low speed beat in egg, espresso and marsala until combined. Add flour and cocoa and mix until combined.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place mixture in fridge for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 180°C and then roll small balls of the dough into walnut-size balls and place trays.

Bake for 8 minutes then sit on tray for five minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

When cold dust with icing sugar and serve.

 

 

 

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Easy melt-and-mix chocolate berry cake

15 May

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If you are looking for an easy, delicious, one bowl, melt and mix chocolate cake you have come to the right place! I love melt and mix cakes for their simplicity and speed. By melting the butter and adding it to the cake mixture you are saving time without sacrificing any of the taste. Continue reading

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Anzac biscuit tart with crumble ice-cream

24 Apr

 

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As an Australian the most patriotic day of the year for me is Anzac Day. Australia Day is reviled by some as Invasion Day, while a great majority of the populace uses the day as an excuse to tie a flag around their shoulders and get smashed.

And while many Aussies have a beer VERY early in the morning on Anzac Day many more attend the traditional Dawn Service. From the smallest country town to the largest city, Dawn Services are a humbling reminder of how the life we take for granted today came at such a mighty cost.

It is impossible for me to imagine what these brave men and women went through in war but we are eternally grateful. Seeing the armed servicemen and women marching each year, proudly wearing their medals, also brings home how lucky we are.

Anzac biscuits – AKA bickies but NEVER cookies – are made by home cooks in commemoration of Anzac Day. These egg-free biscuits were made by families during the war and sent to the soldiers. They are a famous, easy to bake bickie that last for ages.

I took my Anzac bickie recipe and tweaked it to create this Anzac biscuit tart with crumble ice-cream. I realise Aussie diggers would not recognize this deesert but I feel that as long as we talk about the heroics of these men and women we are remembering their legacy.

If you want to stick with the classic Anzac Day biscuit you can find the recipe here: https://thehungrymum.com/2016/04/22/anzac-biscuits/

Lest we forget.

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GATHER:

BASE:

1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup caster sugar

3/4 cup desiccated coconut [I used shredded for a change]

3 tablespoons golden syrup

150g unsalted butter, chopped

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

1 1/2 tablespoons hot water

 

ICECREAM:

400ml thickened cream

1/3 cup icing sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1/3 cup Anzac crumble mix

LET`S GET TO IT:

Preheat oven to 170C and spray a non-stick round tart pan with removable base with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan over low heat melt butter and golden syrup. Remove from heat.

Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to pan. Stir and pour into bowl of dry ingredients.

Set aside 1/3 cup mixture then press the mixture into the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes – it should be golden.

Remove from oven, sprinkle the extra 1/3 cup crumble onto a tray then bake for 10 minutes.

Set aside to cool.

ICECREAM:

400ml thickened cream

1/3 cup icing sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1/3 cup Anzac crumble mix

LET’S GET TO IT: 

Sift the icing sugar into bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, add cream and vanilla and beat until soft and thick but not stiff – do not overbeat. Stir in the cooked crumble mix.

Pour into the bowl with a lid and freeze until firm (at least 6 hours).IMG_1553.jpg

TO ASSEMBLE:

Remove ice cream from freezer and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Use a palette knife to place the icecream on Anzac base. Return to freezer for 20 minutes before slicing into wedges to serve.

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