White Chocolate and gingerbread slice

Ingredients
100g unsalted butter, chopped
3/4 cup golden syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
2 cups plain flour
180g white chocolate, chopped

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C or 160C fan. Grease and line a 19cmx29cm pan with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place butter, syrup, sugar, ginger and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until butter has melted and mixture is well combined and smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add eggs and milk and mix well.
3. Sift flour into a large bowl. Add chocolate. Fold through egg mixture and mix until combined. Fill prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until firm. Cool completely in pan. Cut into fingers to serve.

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Chocolate caramel slice

Chocolate caramel slice

Base:

1 cup (150g) plain flour, sifted

1/2 cup (40g) desiccated coconut

1/2 cup (90g) brown sugar

125g unsalted butter, melted

Caramel:

1/3 cup (115g) golden syrup

125g unsalted butter, chopped

2 x 395g cans sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate topping:

200g dark chocolate, chopped

1 tblsp vegetable oil

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180C. Place the flour, coconut, sugar and butter in a bowl and mix to combine. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base of a lightly greased 20cm x 30cm tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 15 – 20 mins or until golden.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 160C. Place the golden syrup, condensed milk and chopped butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir briskly until the butter is melted and cook, stirring frequently, especially the sides and base of the pan, for 7 – 8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly, making sure the mixture doesn’t stick.
• Pour the caramel over the cooked base, spread evenly with a palette knife and cook for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly, then refrigerate until cold.
• Place the chocolate and vegetable oil in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Pour over the caramel mixture and spread evenly. Tap the tin lightly on the bench to create a smooth finish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into squares to serve.
• Store in an airtight container between sheets of non-stick baking paper, refrigerated, for up to a week.

Notes:

• Add a teaspoon of instant coffee to the caramel mixture for  a hint of coffee flavour
• To make salted caramel slice, sprinkle a teaspoon of sea salt flakes over the warm chocolate before refrigerating
• TO DIE FOR!!!!

Vanilla macarons

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup almond meal
1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar
4 egg whites
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon Queens vanilla bean paste
Filling
90g white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons thickened cream

Method
1. Grease 3 large baking trays. Line with baking paper. Sift almond meal and icing sugar together in a bowl.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved. Add vanilla. Beat until just combined. Fold in half the almond mixture until just combined. Fold in remaining mixture until combined and glossy (mixture will break down a little).
3. Spoon into a large snaplock bag. Snip 1cm from 1 corner. Pipe 4cm rounds mixture onto prepared trays, 3cm apart. Tap trays on bench to remove air bubbles. Set aside for 1 hour.
4. Preheat over to 130C/110C fan-forced. Bake macarons, 1 tray at a time, for 18 to 20 minutes or until tops are firm. Cool on trays. Carefully transfer to a wire rack.
5. Make filling. Place chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high (100%) for 1 minute or until chocolate melts. Stir with a metal spoon to combine. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens and becomes spreadable (see tip).
6. Spread 1/2 teaspoon filling over flat sides of half the macarons. Sandwich with remaining macarons. Set aside until filling sets. Serve.

Notes
Store macarons in an airtight contained in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Tip: Don’t let mixture become too thick, or it will be too hard to spread on macarons.
Macarons can be quite ‘temperamental’, and may need some trial and error attempts before you get them right.
Be careful when adding food colourings as too much liquid can make the macaroons too soft.
Setting the macarons aside for 1 hour after piping creates a skin which maintains the macarons shape during cooking.
Make sure you cool macarons before removing from trays, or they will stick.

 

Recipe from http://www.taste.com

Choc-Iced Walnut Brownies

Choc-iced Walnut Brownies
Yum

125g butter
1/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Chocolate Icing
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons softer butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water, approximately

Melt butter over low heat in 20cm square cake tin (saucepan), stir in sifted cocoa and sugar. Remove from heat, add eggs, beat well with fork or whisk. Stir in sifted flour and nuts. Spread evenly (pour into cake tin) over base of tin. Bake in moderate over 25 to 30 minutes. Stand 10 minutes, top with Chocolate Icing. Cut in the tin when warm or cold.

Chocolate Icing – sift icing sugar and cocoa into bowl, stir in butter and vanilla and enough water to give a spreading consistency.

Apricot Muesli Bars

Tastes good, but breaks up a bit when sliced.

In Janita's Kitchen

Apricot Muesli Bars

Here’s a cost effective, nut free, version of the essential lunchbox snack. These muesli bars can last up to 4-5 days in an air tight container and they are fantastic to freeze, simple wrap them individually so you can defrost them when you need them.

Ingredients

• 180g butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried apricots – chopped
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/3 cup pepitas
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C, lightly grease and line an 18 × 28cm slice pan, leaving some overhang of baking paper on each side.
2. Place butter and sugar into a small saucepan and stir over a low to medium heat until butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, mix oats, apricots, flour, coconut, pepitas and sunflower…

View original post 54 more words

Apricot Muesli Bars

Apricot Muesli Bars

Here’s a cost effective, nut free, version of the essential lunchbox snack. These muesli bars can last up to 4-5 days in an air tight container and they are fantastic to freeze, simple wrap them individually so you can defrost them when you need them.

Ingredients

• 180g butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried apricots – chopped
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/3 cup pepitas
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C, lightly grease and line an 18 × 28cm slice pan, leaving some overhang of baking paper on each side.
2. Place butter and sugar into a small saucepan and stir over a low to medium heat until butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, mix oats, apricots, flour, coconut, pepitas and sunflower seeds
4. Make a well in the center of the dry mix and add the cooled butter mixture, add one egg and a teaspoon of vanilla. Stir until well combined.
5. Spread evenly into the prepared tray and press down firmly, bake for 25-30mins or until golden brown. Then allow to cool and slice into fingers

Chocolate chip biscuits

I gave this recipe a go this morning. I am not sure if it was because of the rush of trying to get them on a tray before before the youngest woke up or the fact I was trying to keep an eye on the gingernuts baking, but they weren’t a great success.

The recipe was easy to follow and I did actually follow it, but I am still not happy with the quality. None the less they are edible, as Ben has had quite a few already, such a tough life coming home to all these baked goods!

Looks like I will have to give these a go again another day. The problem is, I used up my choc chip bits deliberately, hoping that I wouldn’t need to buy any for a while! Oh well….

Have a go and see if you can do any better than me – I am sure you will!

Happy baking and cooking.

Gingernuts

Gingernuts were a late entry into the recipe book, mainly because the recipe wasn’t easily found.  Despite being a regular staple for afternoon teas and snacks after school for Abby, the recipe wasn’t in the binders.  Fortunately, the recipe was found and included in the book and you can view the recipe here (or clicking the photo).

I made this batch up today, mainly because they are Abby’s favourite and we had demolished the left overs Janita recently dropped around to us.  Abby undertook the standard taste test and when she returned for a second I figured they must be ok.

I like this recipe, it was easy to make with minimal mess and I know they will get eaten!  Plus it will be a simple item I can include in Abby’s lunch box and she thinks it is a treat.  Well in some ways it is, as there is a bit of sugar, but everything in moderation – just ask Liz!  If you are looking for other super yummy, yet healthy recipe and eating ideas, check out Liz’s blog – Simple.Real.Nutrition

Happy baking and cooking.

Jen