Super easy two egg white macaroon recipe

3 Mar

Image

So, this is a very basic recipe and the only reason I’m even posting it is that I often have a surplus of two egg whites when I’m baking or making the Hungry Dad’s favouritest ever sweet, custard. I was stashing the whites in the freezer but decided to actually bake with them recently.

This recipe is sooo simple that my kids [even Miss6] could make this without any supervision. The choc bottom takes them from meh to marvellous.

Image

 Gather:

3/4 cup caster sugar
2 egg whites
2 cups desiccated coconut

150g dark chocolate, melted

Let’s get to it:
Preheat oven to 180C and place non-stick baking paper on a baking tray.

Mix everything except chocolate in bowl using a silver spoon.

Place golf ball size mounds on the trays, leaving space to spread.

Bake for between 10-13 minutes, until pale gold.

Cool completely before using a butter knife to swipe the melted chocolate across their bottoms.

Allow chocolate to set before eating.

Image

Baked cinnamon maple syrup donuts

20 Feb

Image

Yes, my cinnamon addiction is showing again. Many moons ago I blogged cinnamon donuts but since buying a mini donut pan on our trip to San Fran last year I’ve been going baked donut crazy!

I found a wonderful recipe on Tidy Mom’s site and reduced the sugar and upped the maple syrup. If you can’t get your hands on maple syrup I’d suggest switching it for something else – maybe golden syrup. Imitation anything – yet especially syrup – is grim and pointless. Continue reading

Donna Hay blueberry and lemon cake

11 Feb

Image

Oh Donna, let me the count the ways in which your baking recipes make my heart flutter… Actually, that would take far too long because Ms Hay’s cakes, tarts and muffin recipes always work. Devotees would note that I am Donna hay’s biggest cheerleader and this super simple recipe is yet another winner. Continue reading

Passionfruit semifreddo – easy passionfruit icecream

2 Feb

Image

Firstly let me apologise for the [lack] of photos. I made this obscenely rich passionfruit semi-freddo to serve to some friends who came over yesterday. Between setting up all the desserts and ensuring everyone had a plate and making sure things didn’t melt the photo thing pretty much didn’t happen.

Use your imagination – cool, rich ice cream studded with swirls of passionfruit, itself sunshine in a mouthful. Don’t you just want some right now? Continue reading

Iced Vo Vo Cake for Australia Day

24 Jan

Image

If you’re reading this in the northern hemisphere the title of this post may seem nonsensical. Australia readers [and maybe New Zealanders] will get it: this cake pays homage to a biscuit that many of us grew up with. Made by Arnotts it is plain vanilla bickie with puffy pink marshmallow topping and a river of raspberry jam down the centre. The whole creation is then sprinkled with desiccated coconut. Sickly? A bit. To children of a certain generation they were the ultimate in lunchbox treats.

With Australia Day looming Miss8 and I decided to do a riff on this old fav, using cake instead of cookie, as the base. Continue reading

How to make custard tart from scratch

19 Jan

 

custard-tart-recipe

Merle Parrish is a legend in Australian baking circles – not only has she been baking [and winning] at country shows since a teenager but she has endeared herself as a judge on MasterChef Australia.

I received a copy of Merle’s Country Show Baking And Other Favourites in my day job as a journalist at The Leader newspaper, where I review cookbooks as part of My Hungry column.

I instantly loved the book as it is crammed full of nostalgic baking recipes. Continue reading

How to make yogurt and berry fruit pops

8 Jan

Image

This weather is driving me crazy! Last year was officially the hottest on record for Australia and one can only assume it is going to get hotter. For a creature the colour of milk, such as myself, this is not good. My skin says I should be living in Scandinavia but here I am, Sydney born and bred.

We have had a reprieve for the past few days but it will soon be hot again. This is cold comfort for my friends in the northern hemisphere currently experiencing snow, storms and freezing temperatures. Stay safe everyone.

In the meantime, here is a super easy treat, perfect for long hot summer days. Misses 6 & 8 made these pops themselves and couldn’t wait to try them. Two thumbs up 🙂 Continue reading

Christmas cookie recipe swap no-bake chocolate crackles

13 Dec

IMG_5068

So I was trawling Twitter one day in lieu of doing some chores and found a cookie swap hosted by the creative types at Real Housemoms, {I love} My Disorganised Life, and White Lights on Wednesdays. This had my name all over it so I jumped on board!

Continue reading

How to make Donna Hay chocolate candy cane cookies

3 Dec

Image

To me Christmas is all about the baking. Well, that’s not entirely true. There’s also the spirit of the season, the wonderment of the day as seen through children’s eyes etc etc but what really gets me excited, and flicking through cookbooks in anticipation, is the bounty of baking that awaits.

Like lots of people have a plethora of Chrissy events to attend, which means finding new recipes to road test.

Image

I had looked at this recipe for a few years after it appeared in issue 42 [Jan 2009] and decided this was going to be the year I made Donna Hay’s chocolate candy cane cookies. Candy canes, in my books, are ghastly – sticky and fragile and far too sweet. Even my kids’ school has banned them yet here I was, buying and bringing these sugar-packed morsels into my home.

Getting to smash them into smithereens was quite satisfying, though…

If, like me, candy canes aren’t your thing, feel free to omit them and enjoy these chunky, chocky cookies unadorned.

Image

GATHER:

110g softened butter, diced

¾ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon best quality vanilla

1 cup plain flour

¼ cup cocoa, sifted

½ teaspoon bicarb soda

120g dark chocolate, melted

250g dark chocolate, extra, roughly chopped

About 5 candy canes, smashed into little pieces

Image

Image

LET’S GET TO IT:

Preheat oven to 160C and line two baking trays with non-stick paper.

Beat sugar and butter in bowl of electric mixer for 8-10 minutes, until creamy and light.

Add egg, vanilla and beat until combined.

Scrap down sides then add flour, bicarb, and melted chocolate until just combined.

Fold through extra chopped chocolate.

Roll tablespoons [I used heaped teaspoons] into rounds, place on tray and gently flatten. Sprinkle over the chopped candy canes.

Bake 10-15 minutes, depending on size of bickie.

ImageImage

Chocolate cinnamon cupcakes with salted caramel

18 Nov

Image

My fondness for cinnamon is probably obvious to devotees of this site. I believe it is the ingredient that is the most bewitching in many baked goods. Using a vanilla cupcake recipe from my beloved Australian Women’s Weekly ‘Quick Mix Cakes’ book I played around until I had the perfect marriage of choc, cinnamon, and vanilla – the holy trinity. Feel free to add even more cinnamon for a richer taste.

I blogged the salted caramel sauce a while back. Find the recipe here: https://thehungrymum.com/2012/04/10/nigella-lawsons-fast-and-easy-salted-caramel-sauce/

Gather:

125g butter, chopped, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ cup self-raising flour

¼ cup sifted cocoa

1 heaped tablespoon cinnamon

2 eggs

½ cup milk

¾ cup caster sugar [I normally take a few heaped spoonfuls out]

Let’s get to it:

Preheat oven to 180C and line cupcake pan with wrappers.

Beat all ingredients in bowl of electric mixer with paddle attachment on low until combined.

Increase speed and beat until batter changes colour and is smooth.

Drop into cases until three quarters full, then bake 15-20 mins [depending on your oven – check at 15 minutes with a skewer].

Turn on wire rack to cool.

When completely cold spread with salted caramel sauce. Image