Tag Archives: chocolate

Donna Hay white chocolate and macadamia biscuits / cookies

12 Jun

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So as you may have noticed I quite enjoying baking 🙂 I especially love sharing my baked goods with family and friends – despite my adoration of turning sugar, flour and eggs into cakes and biscuits I’m not such a sweet tooth. #teamSavoury.

As is my wont I made these Donna Hay white chocolate and macadamia bickies [or cookies, for my American friends] and took them into work this week. My friend Jane declared these morsels to be some of my best work. When I relayed this compliment to the Hungry Dad he agreed.

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Donna Hay easy chocolate and caramel tart for dessert

15 May

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This is the ultimate after diner treat for those who live by the credo that there’s no such thing as too sweet.

I love Donna Hay, I love her recipes and I especially love her dessert and baked recipes. They are doable and punch way above their weight in terms of effort versus result. Continue reading →

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Cherry coconut and chocolate squares

8 May

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Here’s a fun fact: I dislike cucumbers but love pickles. In sorta the same vein I dislike fresh cherries but love Cherry Ripes. I’m not a massive chocolate fan [it was a different story when I was a teen] but when the choc urge strikes it just HAS to be a Cherry Ripe. The makers occasionally taunt me with a ‘limited edition’ extra dark chocolate version of Cherry Ripe but once they have been discontinued I go into mourning. Every time I’m in a $2 shop I greedily search out any left-over stock but it often amounts to disappointment and heart-break.

When I found a recipe for this easy slice that contained many of the ingredients of a Cherry Ripe I was hooked. You can find it in Family Circle’s Biscuits and Slices book, which is an oldie but a goody. This is ideal for a morning tea as it can thrown together easily and you’re likely to have most [if not all] of the ingredients in your pantry. Switch the dark chocolate for milk or even white if you like – feel free to be a rebel and mix it up. As is my wont I reduced the amount of sugar and changed a few others things too.

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GATHER:

base

1 cup self-raising flour

1 cup desiccated coconut

1/3 cup sugar

125g butter, melted

50g dark chocolate

topping

1 cup glace cherries, finely snipped

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup chopped almonds [the original used pecans]

2 lightly beaten eggs

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LET’S GET TO IT:

Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line a 30cmx25cmx2cm shallow tin.

Place flour, coconut and sugar in a bowl and mix, then add butter and stir to combine.

Place batter in tin evenly.

Make topping by mixing cherries, brown sugar, coconut and almonds in a bowl. Add eggs and combine then spread evenly over batter in tin.

Bake for 8-ish minutes or until top is pale gold.

Allow to cool in tin completely.

Meanwhile melt chocolate, then place in zip lock bag, cut off corner and drizzle over the top.

Cut into squares after chocolate has hardened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Easter chocolate brownie biscuits (cookies)

16 Apr

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Easter is one of my favourite times of year. You get to catch up with friends and family, eat delicious food and watch the kid’s faces as they hunt for eggs. And, like Christmas, you get to go completely over the top with your baking. Or is that just me?

As I write this I am preparing to host an Easter Sunday brunch for family. My mum offered to host but all I could think was – some of the desserts aren’t moveable! So we’ll be having everyone here! Amongst my trifles and tarts and bundt cakes I realised I hadn’t hit the chocolate target so I obviously I had to rectify that.

 

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Gather:

55 grams butter
85 grams dark chocolate, chopped
55 grams milk chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs
¼ cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Enough candy-coated mini chocolate eggs to decorate the biscuits [I used two per biscuit]

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Let’s get to it:

Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and chopped chocolate over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. With a metal spoon stir in the eggs, sugars, and vanilla extract. Stir in flour and baking powder.

Using a heaped teaspoon place batter onto the sheet and decorate with two candy-coated eggs. Allow room for them to spread.

Bake for between 7-11 minutes, until just set [you want them to be moist].

Leave on tray for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack.

 

 

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Chocolate brownie s’mores pie with caramelised marshmallow

24 Mar

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You’d think by now I would have learnt my lesson regarding taking photos of my baked goods but nope – I still tend to bake then serve the item to friends before I’ve had a chance to take any photos.

Such was the situation with this ooey, gooey, decadent pie. When The Hungry Mum family descended upon America last year we hit many a supermarket, stocking up on all manner of baking goods unavailable in Australia. One of my fav purchases was ginormous marshmallows, the kind of which simply aren’t seen in the Antipodes. I’d been stashing them away, waiting for the perfect recipe and it soon presented itself. Thanks to Sally’s Baking Addiction and her delectable s’mores brownie pie my packet of behemoth marshmallows got cracked open. See her fab recipe here: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/05/06/smores-brownie-pie/

I made this for a recent gathering of friends and managed to snap a few pics before it was cooked. Afterwards was a blur of people almost charging each other over in order to get a slice. As this desert is so rich a teeny sliver goes a long way.

I do also have a box of the legendary graham crackers which this recipe called for but decided to keep these for another day. I used plain sweet bickies so didn’t need the sugar as called for in the original recipe used. I also reduced the amount of sugar in the brownie as I knew the marshmallows would make the pie very sweet.

In any case this was such a hit that I reckon I’ll be called upon again to serve this delish creation.

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GATHER:

*Crust

10 plain biscuits [such as Marie], snapped in half

90grams melted butter

Place biscuits in bowl of food processor and wizz until it looks like big crumbs. Add butter and combine until it resembles wet sand. Press into a glass pie dish and place in fridge while you prepare the brownie filling.

*brownies

150g diced butter

¾ cup caster sugar

¾ cup sifted cocoa powder

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

½ cup plain flour

25 large marshmallows

LET’S GET TO IT:

Melt butter, sugar and cocoa in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time until melted and smooth when stirred. It will look gritty. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Stir in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time.

Add flour, gently stirring, until fully incorporated. Ensure you don’t overbeat.

Tip into pie crust and use a spatula to level the top.

Bake for about 25 minutes, then remove from oven and neatly decoare the top with marshmallows. Bake for a nother two minutes but watch closely to ensure it doesn’t burn.

Allow to cool before serving.

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Super easy two egg white macaroon recipe

3 Mar

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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.

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 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.

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Christmas cookie recipe swap no-bake chocolate crackles

13 Dec

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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!

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How to make Donna Hay chocolate candy cane cookies

3 Dec

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Chocolate cinnamon cupcakes with salted caramel

18 Nov

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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

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Chocolate hot toddy tarts – a warming dessert with whisky

2 Sep

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Have I told you about the amazing book Lily Vanilli’s Sweet Tooth? Subtitled ‘recipes and tips from a modern artisan bakery’ it is an incredible collection of fantastical baked goods with gorgeous photos to match. I was sent a review copy in my day job as a journalist and I couldn’t wait to get this book into my kitchen to try out the recipes. If you have a loved one who is into baking, buy them this book. Continue reading →

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