Brigadeiro

Brigadeiro is so simple and easy to make!  Brigadeiro is a Brazilian treat, which is apparently eaten at most major celebrations in Brazil.  To me, it’s kind of like a chewy fudge, and looks like a chocolate truffle.  Yum!
I only found out about Brigadeiro a month or two ago when I headed along to an event for NutriBullet.  While I was drinking my delicious smoothie I was talking to Alisa from The PR Shop and she was telling me how she would make this with her friends back when she was in school.  How did I not know about Brigadeiro?
I’ve since made this recipe a number of times, it’s really quick to whip up and goes down a treat.  Whenever we have condensed milk in the pantry I’m tempted to make it!  This would be great to make if you have friends popping over as it would go well with a warm cup or tea or coffee.  Or, if you’ve got kiddos, get them in the kitchen giving it a go – with only a few ingredients and simple recipe, this one is a winner.

Ingredients:
395g can condensed milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon hot chocolate cocoa (just use another tablespoon of normal cocoa if you don’t have hot chocolate on hand – I only used this for a little bit of sweetness)
1 tablespoon butter
Optional: desiccated coconut, chopped nuts (I used pistachio) or sprinkles for decoration

Method:
In a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat, combine the cocoa, butter and condensed milk together. Cook, stirring, until thickened for about 10 minutes (the mix will thicken to a fudge-like consistency and you should be able to run a mixing spoon through it show the bottom of the pan during cooking). Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.  With slightly damp hands, form the mixture into small balls.  Roll the balls around in your chosen coating, if using.  Eat at once or chill until serving.

Chocolate Crunch Slice

I has taken me ages to get this recipe!  My Grandma used to make this Chocolate Crunch Slice when I was a little girl.  I think it is delicious and I find it hard to stop at just eating one piece.  In fact, I remember sneaking pieces out of the tin when she used to look after my brother and I during the school holidays.

I’ve been after the recipe for years.  I think she sent me a copy once (when I was about 10, my grandparents moved to Australia) but I lost it and then years later when I asked for it again she wasn’t too sure what I was asking about.  She sent a really old cook book over with a similar recipe in it, which I made, but it wasn’t quite the same.  Sadly, my Grandma isn’t very well anymore and has recently been moved into a care facility, so the days of sharing recipes have ended.

But, a few months back, our flatmate Harry came home from work with some different bits of baking one of his colleagues, Marta, had made.  This slice was amongst the treats and it is exactly how I remember it.  Marta was kind enough to pass on the recipe to Harry for me, so now I can make the slice whenever I want.  It puts a smile on my face as it brings back memories of my Grandma and school holidays spent at her house.  The plate in the pictures is one from her old tea sets.

Ingredients:
Slice:
3 Weetbix, crushed
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa
180g butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Icing:
50g butter, softened
3 - 4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 cups icing sugar
½ cup desiccated coconut

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Grease and line a 20cm square tin.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the melted butter and vanilla essence and mix well.
Press the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
Set aside to cool.
To make the icing, combine small amounts of the water with the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder together in a medium sized bowl, mixing until you have reached a smooth consistency. Spread the icing over the top of the cooled slice and sprinkle the coconut over the top.
Once the icing has set, but into pieces and serve.  Store in an airtight container.

5 Non-essential kitchen items that are essential to me

This is just a little list I’ve put together of my most loved kitchen tools.  None of them are really needed in the kitchen, you could do without them, but I use these so often that if any stopped working, broke or went missing, I would definitely replace them asap.

Silicone Spoon:

I purchased one of Silicone Spoons from Stevens ages ago, and now have a few in different colours.  They are awesome for mixing as they scrape down the sides of the bowl really well and if you are making something like fudge, the mix doesn’t stick to it.  We use these all the time for general cooking too.

Kitchen Aid:

Back when I first started getting quite into baking I treated myself to a Kitchen Aid, which I put on lay-by as I had only just started working.  It felt like it took absolutely ages to pay off and finally take it home.  But, I love it.  Stand mixers make baking a breeze – chuck everything in the bowl and it mixes it for you.  Clean up is easy too.  Simon loves using the Kitchen Aid to make pizza dough too.  I got mine in black to match our toaster and jug and the colour works well in most kitchens, but there are so many gorgeous colours available.

20 cm Square Cake Tin:

I have a 20cm square cake tin, with a removable base which I don’t ever make cakes in.  But, I use it for all my slices and when I make fudge.  I love using it instead of an actual slice tin as the removable base makes food easy to get out of the tin.  Also, I like that it has taller sides – I don’t need to guess a tin size when I am experimenting with a new recipe as I know the mix isn’t not going to spill over the sides.

SodaStream:

Simon and I were given our SodaStream machine as an engagement present and it has been the best gift!  We love it when guest come over and want to try it, and can choose what flavour they want.  I’ve also used it to make up some lemonade to make Lemonade Scones with.  I also like being able to have sparkling water on hand when I want something refreshing to drink.

Jamie Oliver Frying Pan:

So, yeah, I think every kitchen needs a frying pan which means this item might be a bit of a cheat.  However, I’ve included it as Simon and I used to always buy cheap frying pans.  One day when we were in Briscoes and they had a sale on frying pans (haha, a sale, at Briscoes?) and we decided to bite the bullet and get a fancy Jamie Oliver one.  There was much debate about whether to buy it or not as we could have picked up about ten cheap ones for the same price.  I’m glad we did though – it is still going strong, is still non-stick and it has a nice heavy base so it doesn’t buckle on the elements.

What are your favourite kitchen tools to use?  What would you rush out to replace, even though it probably isn’t a necessity?