Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tags

bake, basic ingredients, ben and jerrys, children, chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, cookie dough ice cream, cookies, dessert, easy, kids baking, rainy day, treat

Ingredients

100g butter
100g caster sugar
150g wholemeal flour
100g plain chocolate, chopped into chunks
1 egg, beaten

Yields approximately 15 cookies.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking parchment.

2. Put butter and sugars into a mixing bowl and beat until evenly blended. Slowly add beaten egg to butter and sugar mix beating well between each addition.

4. Mix in the flour then stir in the chocolate pieces.

5. Spoon large teaspoons of mixture onto the prepared baking trays leaving room for the cookies to spread.

6. Bake in pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Watch carefully as these can go from golden to brown very quickly.

7. Leave cookies to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes (but not too long or they stick) then carefully lift onto a cooling rack with a palette knife.

Note: This mixture left raw can be mixed into semi-soft vanilla ice cream to make cookie dough ice cream.

(Photo: songchilde @ Flickr)

Traditional Florentines

Tags

almonds, baking bible, book, candied peel, chocolate, flaked, flaked almonds, florentines, french, french cuisine, glace cherries, golden syrup, mary berry, recipe book, sugar, tasty, tate & lyle, treat

Ingredients

50g butter
50g demerara sugar (I used caster)
50g golden syrup
50g plain flour
4 red or natural glacé cherries, finely chopped
50g finely chopped candied peel
50g finely chopped mixed almonds and walnuts (I used only flaked almonds)
50g plain chocolate (39 percent cocoa solids)

Yields approximately 18 florentines.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line 3 baking trays with non-stick baking parchment.

2. Measure the butter, sugar and syrup into a small pan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and add the flour, chopped cherries, candied peel and nuts to the pan and stir well to mix. Spoon teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking trays, leaving plenty of room for them to spread.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes or until golden brown. Leave the Florentines to cool before lifting onto a cooling rack. If the Florentines become too hard to remove, put them back into the oven for a few moments to allow them to soften.

4. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in the microwave and taking care not to burn the chocolate. Spread a little melted chocolate over the flat base of each Florentine using a palette knife, and leave to set, chocolate-side up, on the cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

Note 1: Florentines don’t have to contain just nuts and candied fruits. Henri Le Roux, Paris uses a variety of different ingredients in his recipes.

Note 2: Original recipe comes from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible (2009)

Coconut & Almond Macaroons

Tags

almond and coconut, almond macaroons, baking, biscuit, budget, chewy, chocolate, coconut, coconut macaroons, confectioners sugar, cooking, diet, drizzle, easy, egg white, healthy, icing sugar, kids baking, tasty, treat

Ingredients

2 egg whites
115g icing sugar
115g or ground almonds
¼ teaspoon vanilla paste (I used Taylor & Colledge)
115g dessicated coconut
½ tsp plain flour
25g plain chocolate

Yields approximately 12 macaroons.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C (Gas 2). Grease two baking trays.

2. Whisk the egg whites until stiff but moist. Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold into the egg whites. Gently fold in the almonds (if using), vanilla paste and dessicated coconut until the mixture is combined, forming a sticky dough.

3. Spoon walnut-sized pieces of the mixture onto the baking trays.

4. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the macaroons are crisp and golden on the outside.

5. Transfer to a cooling rack.

6. When cool drizzle with melted chocolate.

Baked Berry Cheesecake

Tags

baked cheesecake, berries, blueberries, cheesecake, chocolate, cream cheese, decoration, dessert, easy recipe, fresh, frozen berries, new york cheesecake, raspberries, simple recipe

Ingredients – Serves 8

12 digestive biscuits
50g butter, melted
600g light cream cheese
2 tbsp plain flour
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
150-300ml pot soured cream
300g frozen berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or mixture)
Single cream, to serve

Optional Decoration:

50g dark chocolate
8 fresh berries (same as ones used in cheesecake)

Use 20cm round loose bottomed tin.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Crush 12 digestive biscuits to crumbs. Mix with 50g melted butter. Press into a 20cm springform tin and bake for 10-15 minutes, then cool.
2. Beat 600g cream cheese with 2 tbsp flour, 100g caster sugar, 2 eggs with 150-300ml pot of soured cream. Stir in 280g berries and pour into the tin. Add remaining 20g of berries on top.
3. Bake for 40 minutes at 180C/gas 4 and then check, it should be set but slightly wobbly in the centre. Cool in tin.
4. To decorate, melt 50g dark chocolate in microwave and dollop 8 tsp of mixture separately onto baking paper, lightly push one berry into each chocolate then place in refridgerator.
5. Remove cooled cheesecake from tin and place chocolate/berry dollops around edge.
6. Refridgerate and when ready serve with cream.

Edible Souvenirs from Roma!

Tags

almonds, amaretti biscuits, amaretti virginia, candied fruits, candy, chocolate, Dolciumi e frutta secca Onorati, edible, europe, heritage, italy, leone, leone pastilles, pastiglie leone, pastilles, piazza navona, rome, souvenirs, sweets, traditional, violet, violetta, violette

(Photo: Solveigiris @ Flickr)

The Corso del Rinascimento runs alongside the Piazza Navona, casually waiting for the bus I caught a glimpse of a curious looking store called Dolciumi e frutta secca Onorati.

To my delight it was full of Italian confectionary (candied fruits, chocolate, biscuits, nuts, candy). I purchased some Pastiglie Leone violet pastilles (that come in the most gorgeous tin), and a couple tins of Amaretti Virginia biscuits. Although a lot more money could have easily been spent!

Definately one of my favourite stores in Rome, easily accessible too!

Millionaire’s Shortbread

Tags

british, caramel, chocolate, dessert, gourmet, layers, luxury, millionaire's shortbread, Recipes, shortbread, Sweet, treat

Ingredients

125g plain flour
40g caster sugar
90g butter
397g condensed milk (one tin)
150g 70% dark chocolate

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180’C/Gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 23cm diameter tart tin.

2. Mix the flour and caster sugar in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Knead the mixture together until it forms a dough, then press into the base of the prepared tin. Prick the shortbread lightly with a fork and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes or until firm to the touch and very lightly browned. Cool in the tin.

3. Place the condensed milk in a large glass mixing bowl, microwave for two minutes then whisk. Repeat process again and then afterwards every minute until it has reached a gloopy consistency. Pour into tin and leave to set. Attention: This process causes the milk to get very hot!

4. Break up chocolate into a glass bowl and microwave for a minute then stir, repeat process until all chocolate lumps have melted. Pour onto caramel and leave to set in the refridgerator.