Tag: Chocolate

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Batty Bourbons Recipe

This is a fudgy, chewy biscuit recipe perfect for filling with chocolate buttercream.

Batty Bourbons Recipe
This is a fudgy chewy biscuit recipe which is perfect for filling with chocolate buttercream.
Ingredients
• 300g plain flour
• 100g cocoa powder
• 90g of caster sugar
• 85g of butter at room temperature
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or the seeds from 1 vanilla pod)
Method
Beat the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy.
Add the eggs one by one and beat until they are well mixed into the batter.
Add the vanilla extract or seeds from a pod.
Pour the flour and baking powder slowly into the bowl and beat until mixed with the eggs, sugar and butter. Then the cocoa powder
Beat until everything becomes a tight dough.
Cut a large piece of cling film and turn out the dough onto the cling film.
Wrap well and place into the fridge for at least 1 hour before rolling and baking.
At this point you can put the dough into the freezer to keep for up to a month. Just remember to take it out to defrost in the fridge until you are ready to cut it to size and bake.
After at least an hour heat your (fan) oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
Dust your worksurface and rolling pin with flour.
Cut as you please with whatever shape cutters you like. I used a variety of different cutters this time.
The amount of time the cookies will take to cook depends on their size. A medium (palm of your hand) sized cookie takes approximately 10 mins. Adjust your cooking time up if they are bigger or thicker, down if they are thinner or smaller.
For the chocolate buttercream – beat together 225g of unsalted butter with 350g of icing sugar and 150g of melted chocolate.


Recipe notes: I made any leftover cookie dough into small balls which I put into a box and froze. I can make instant cookies at short notice now with these offcuts.
Yes, I made far too much buttercream, just as well it freezes perfectly for another day.

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Crispy Slice Recipe

marshmallow and rice cake


Ingredients
300g marshmallows
300g of crisp rice cereal
75 margarine
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method
On a very low heat melt the margarine in a large saucepan. Line a baking tray well with non stick baking parchment.

Once melted, pour in the marshmallows and keep on stirring on a low heat until all have melted and there are no lumps. Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Pour in the crisp rice in thirds, stirring after adding each section so that they are completely covered with the marshmallow mixture. Once all the crisp rice has been stirred in and coated with the marshmallow remove from the heat and pour onto the lined baking tray.

Spread the mixture over the baking tray and press down firmly. Leave in a cold place to cool.

Slice with a sharp, wetted knife to stop it from sticking to the marshmallow slices. Slices will keep in a sealed box for up to a week, if they last that long!

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Chocolate & Caramel Banana Bread (Cake)

banana bread with vanilla extract and chocolate chips

This is a decadant recipe that is incredibly moreish!

Ingredients
* 150g butter.
* 150g muscavado or soft brown sugar.
* 3 large eggs.
* 3 ripe bananas.
* 200g plain flour.
* 150g wholemeal flour.
* 1 teaspoon baking powder.
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
* 100g chocolate chips.
* 30g brown sugar for the crisp caramel topping.

Method.
Line a loaf tin and preheat a fan oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Cream the butter and sugar together until soft, then crack in the three eggs and beat into a batter. Next, beat in the soft bananas.
In a separate bowl, combine the plain flour, wholemeal flour, and the baking powder. Then add into the batter in the mixing bowl until combined.
Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and the chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into your lined loaf tin. Then sprinkle a line of the brown sugar down the centre of the loaf tin for the caramel topping.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until cooked through. Use the skewer test to make sure your cake is baked. If it has some batter still stuck to it, increase your baking time by a further 10 minutes before testing again.
Wait until the cake is fully cool before slicing and enjoying. Otherwise it’ll crumble and while it tastes delicious it won’t slice as well!

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Triple Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
50g plain flour
50g cocoa powder/drinking chocolate (your preference)
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g chocolate chips


Method
Preheat the (fan) oven to 170 degrees Celcius. Line a square brownie baking tin well.


Melt the dark chocolate either in a bowl sitting over steaming hot water (bain marie) or by zapping in a pyrex bowl in the microwave at 30 second intervals. Stir after every 30 seconds until you have all the chocolate melted.


In a second bowl whisk the eggs and sugar until they are light and frothy. Once the chocolate is melted, carefully whisk it in bit by bit. Don’t put it in all at once or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs!


Finally, blend in the remaining dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder and baking powder) into the whisked egg, sugar, and chocolate froth. I use a stand mixer so just turf them all in together and whisk quickly until they are combined. Chocolate chips on top are optional but I do recommend them!


Bake the batter in the oven for 25 minutes. Then leave to cool completely before slicing and serving. It is very squishy

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Maccaroons

Ingredients
200g caster sugar
2 medium egg whites
300g dried coconut


Method
Preheat a fan oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with a sheet of non-stick greaseproof paper.
Combine the sugar, egg white and coconut with a fork in a large bowl, until you get a sticky paste.

Wet your hands and shape the mixture into balls. Space the eight balls of mixture on the baking tray.

Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool before lifting them off the paper, otherwise they will stick.

Dip in chocolate and drizzle with chocolate if you like.

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Rocky Road (to Dublin)



Ingredients
75g unsalted butter
3 tablespoons golden syrup
220g milk chocolate
150g rich tea biscuits
120g mixed mini marshmallows
75 dark chocolate chips (optional)

Method
Melt the butter, golden syrup and chocolate together on a very low heat until completely melted and combined.
Bash the biscuits into tiny pieces. Mix the biscuits and marshmallows into the chocolate mixture.

Press the biscuity marshmallowy chocolatey goo into a lined baking tin. Press chocolate chips on top.

Chill for at least 2 hours before slicing and enjoying

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Chocolate Swiss Roll


*Note this is probably the only recipe where I use imperial measurements as this is a legacy recipe from both my grandmothers.
The ratio for making fatless sponge is 1 egg:
1 oz caster sugar: 1 oz self raising flour and a tiny amount of vanilla extract at the end. You increase the quantities to get more sponge.
This makes it very adaptable to whatever you are baking.
For the sponge you see today this is what I used…

Ingredients
5 medium eggs
5 oz caster sugar
5 oz self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling: 200g of raspberry jam Additional caster sugar for rolling the sponge

Method
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees celcius. Line your tin with baking parchment, ensuring that there is plenty of overlap.
Put the eggs and sugar into the mixer and using the whisk attachment whisk until pale, light and fluffy. Its volume should at least double in size. Turn off the mixer and sieve the flour/baking powder directly onto the baking parchment.
Now gently pour half the flour into the egg/sugar mixture and fold with the metal spoon. Taking care not to knock the air out. Repeat with the remaining flour.
Pour the mixture into the lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for approximately 22 mins or until golden.
Remove from the oven when baked and leave to cool for 5 mins on a cooling rack.
Sprinkle a piece of baking parchment with caster sugar and tip the sponge upside down on top of the sugar. Next peel off the baking parchment gently.
Taking the edge of the baking parchment together in your hands, tightly roll together until you reach the short edge of the sponge.
This part is not unlike rolling sushi. Use the teatowel/parchment to force the sponge to roll onto itself tightly.
Keep on rolling until you reach the end of the sponge. Now cover the sponge with the parchment, then the damp teatowel and twist like a Christmas Cracker.
Leave the roll to cool for approximately 15 mins before filling with nutella and buttercream or even cream, serve and eat on the day that it is baked for best results