Tag Archives: dessert

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.

Apple crumble semifreddo otherwise known as easy apple ice cream

11 Mar

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A recent excursion to Bilpin in NSW introduced me to the exquisiteness of fresh apples. When I say fresh, I mean picked from the tree moments before eating. I am guilty of popping into the supermarket on my lunchbreak to stock up on apples for my daughters’ lunchboxes but after trying these amazingly fresh apples I won’t be doing that again.

I was lucky enough to be invited recently on an ‘apple adventure’ day in Bilpin, a pretty little hamlet outside of Sydney, by the lovely Belly Rumbles. Check out her blog here:  http://bellyrumbles.com/

Isn’t it great?

Anyway a group of food bloggers did a tour of an orchard, where it was all systems go in the packing sheds.

Then we visited a pick your own orchard, which was so much fun. We were given delightful little straw baskets to fill with produce, and I felt quite relaxed and happy as I chose the most wonderful apples from the tree.

The difference between freshly picked Australian apples and the often floury, picked-months-ago-and-kept-in-cold-storage numbers from the supermarket couldn’t be more stark.

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Greengrocer 1, big chains 0.

I used some of these beauties to create an easy apple ice-cream by the fabulous Donna Hay. The Hungry Dad declared it one of the best he’s ever had, which is strong praise indeed.

The best thing is, you don’t even need an ice cream maker – pretty cool, huh?Image

GATHER:

2 cups grated apples [Donna specified Granny Smiths but I used red delicious]

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

3 eggs

2 egg yolks, extra

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup caster sugar [I reduced Donna’s quantity of 1 cup]

2 cups pouring cream

crumble

½  cup slow cooking rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

100g chilled butter, chopped

2 generous shakes of cinnamon and allspice

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 LET’S GET TO IT:

Place apple, cinnamon, lemon zest and juice in a non-metallic bowl, toss and set aside.

In a large ceramic or glass bowl put eggs, extra yolks, vanilla and sugar and place over a pan of simmering water.

Using hand-held electric beaters whip for six to eight minutes, until pale and thick.

Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Place cream in bowl of electric mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Using a big silver spoon gently fold in the egg mixture, stirring until incorporated.

Gently fold in apple.

Pour into two litre metal cake tine, cover with foil and freeze overnight.

Serve, then top with crumble.

crumble:

Place flour, sugar and oats in a bowl and rub in butter until it is the texture of lumpy sand. Sprinkle over a dash of cinnamon and allspice.

Tip onto baking pan & bake for around 15 minutes at 150C or until golden. Cool before using.

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Donna Hay blueberry and lemon cake

11 Feb

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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

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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

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

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

Donna Hay chocolate coconut mini cheesecake recipe

10 Jun

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Oh Donna, you’ve done it again. I reckon that Ms Hay’s eponymous magazine is just getting better as time goes on. There’s a wider variety of recipes and they are all just so tempting that I every time a new edition appears in my letterbox I want to race to the kitchen and bake. That’s surely a sign of a fab mag.

The recent issue 68 had a cheesecake special, which totally had me drooling. The recipe that most caught my eye was dark chocolate coconut mini cheesecakes with pomegranate syrup. Not being a pomegranate fan I omitted this but don’t think mine were any the poorer for it. Continue reading

Sweet and salty pretzel caramel chocolate chip cookies

7 Apr

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So, the salty/sweet taste craze is a winner in my books. My first toe-in-the-water test was Nigella’s uber-good salted caramel sauce which I believe to be the answer to most of life’s ills.

These cookies were next. The crunch of the pretzel. The sweetness of the caramel. The softness of the cookie. The sighs of goodness…
Continue reading

Easy ice cream Christmas pudding [and simple home made Christmas chocolates]

17 Dec

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Firstly – an apology for the lack of photos with this post. I’ve been baking like a mad woman in the last few weeks for various Christmas-related events and even though I intend to photograph as I go for my blog it hasn’t turned out this way.

Sigh.

First up, a super easy Christmas ice cream pudding that I’ve been making for many, many years. I have no idea where the original recipe comes from but it is embarrassingly easy.

This is so simple and a perfect dessert for Christmas Day in Sydney, which is, without fail, a squillion degrees. I made nine desserts for my mother-in-law’s Christmas lunch on the weekend and this was the first thing to vanish.

GATHER:

2 litres best quality vanilla ice cream, softened

1 cup mixture of sultanas, currants and raisins

Good splash of rum

¼ cup glace cherries, chopped

2 tablespoons cinnamon

LET’S GET TO IT:

Soak the dried fruit [but not the glace cherries] in rum and leave overnight.

Line a 2-litre pudding basin with cling wrap, leaving overhang.

Working quickly tip the softened ice cream into a large bowl and stir in rum-soaked fruit, cinnamon and cherries.

If desired place some home-made chocolates [see below] in the base of the pudding basin, then add ice cream. Smooth the top then fold over the overhanging cling wrap. Wrap in foil and freeze overnight.

Home made Christmas chocolates

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I found a similar idea for these little chocs online and Christmas-afied them using red and green Christmas sprinkles from a baking store. Simply line two mini muffin pans with mini liners. Place 150g your choice of chocolate with a splash of canola oil in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and glossy. Pour chocolate into mini pans until bottom is covered and then a bit more. Sprinkle over Christmas sprinkles and place in fridge for a few hours until firm. Remove and discard wrappers.

Miss 7 and I made these for her to hand out to her class. We bundled a few up in cellophane bags for all of her classmates. I should have taken a photo…

Chocolate peanut butter brownies – perfect for Christmas Day

11 Dec

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Chocolate and peanut butter is always a winning combo and makes a perfect foil to all that fruit cake’n’pud traditionally offered around the Christmas table.

This easy-peasy brownie would also make a fab addition to any Christmas parties or festive barbecues.  You’ve probably got all six ingredients in your kitchen so why not make a pan of this right now? You will thank me later…

The recipe was found on BBC Good Food’s site, a fabulous place to while away the hours. I added some roasted, salted peanuts on top and boy did it make this sweet sing.

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GATHER:

225g crunchy peanut butter

200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

280g soft light brown sugar

3 medium eggs

100g self-raising flour

handful roasted, salted peanuts

handful dark chocolate drops

LET’S GET TO IT:

Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line a 20cm pan with non-stick baking paper.

Melt peanut butter, chocolate and sugar in a pan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has just about melted.

Turn off heat and use a wooden spoon to beat in the eggs one by one then stir in the flour.

When everything is mixed in pour into tin, then dot the peanuts and dark chocolate drops on top.

Bake 25-30 minutes, until top is firm but inside still fudgy.

Cool and cut into squares.

 

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